Original Release: Hyperware, 1991, PC
A poker/blackjack/craps game with a simple but decent interface, some goofy characters and lots of incidental options of interest to hardcore gamblers
Gamblers and Money Grubbers (PC, Hyperware, 1991)
Where to Buy: eBay
How to Emulate: DOS Emulation Guide
Review by: C. M0use
This interesting gambling title from the very early 90s was sold in a module-based format; there are three games available (craps, blackjack and poker) and you could either buy them individually for $10 each or all at once for $25.
That’s kinda unusual for a DOS title, and this is also one of the few 2D poker games to incorporate player animations and tells (simple though they may be). Poker is thus probably the best overall value of the three options, giving you four game types to choose from. Blackjack may be interesting to serious players, however, as it has a wealth of options such as card counting training plus altering the rules and decks, it also tracks a variety of statistics and lets you insta-sim up to 30000 hands to test out your foolproof casino-beating strategies or whatever. Craps I couldn’t get my hands on, there’s so little info out there about this game I couldn’t even confirm it was actually released.
The menu-based interface is simple but works well enough, and though the characters aren’t what I would call “well drawn” they do have some personality (each has their own bio to help you read them at poker). I dunno how much utility or entertainment value it has now, but at the time it was actually one of the more advanced titles for “serious” gamblers out there.
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