Poker for lovers - love game by Little Genie - review by Melan!e

Poker for Lovers is designed to kick off any old night with an exciting foreplay inducing game that will pave the way to some steamy fun. It is easy to play, entertaining and will without a doubt lead to satisfying winnings.

Any couple, from new to long-term relationships, can enjoy this game. The game is not meant to bring you out of your comfort zone and won't necessarily bring anything new to the table. What it does do is allow couples to spend more time focusing on each other. We already do that, you say? Regardless of what you want out of this game, it provides a wonderful teasing build up and lasts as long as you can stand it to. Friends may even be able to appreciate this game as it can be tamed down by simply not using some of the chips. Furthermore, a player may choose to bet only what they are willing to do to the other player.

Another thing to note is that this game is not limited to heterosexual couples. There are very few gender specific chips that could very easily be removed or simply altered for same sex couples. Certain specified positions or erogenous zones, such as "missionary position" or "lick balls" can always be used in the game and just designate an analogous zone or position. Others, such as "booby sex", can just as easily be removed from the game. Anyone, in any couple, will be able to find enjoyment in this game.

The rules are included and are the same as with any poker game. Each player has betting chips. There are 30 pink chips for the woman and 30 blue chips for the man. These chips are broken down into 3 different values for betting purposes. Each player will have ten 1 minute chips, ten 2 minute chips and ten 3 minute chips.

The simplest game to play is 5 card draw. Players take turns being the dealer. An anty is placed in the centre of the table, appropriately called the "pot". Then five cards are dealt to each player. A bet may be placed on these cards. Each player is then able to discard unwanted cards and new cards are dealt to replace those discarded ones. Further bets are placed either until a player "calls" or the predetermined limit for raising has been reached. A limit for raises is not required but some prefer it so the game can last longer. When raising, the current amount that was previously bet must first be matched, then a player may raise a certain amount. To "call", a player must simply match the current amount owed to them. The betting will then come to an end and players can reveal their cards.

Should you not want to place a bet and there is no current amount to call, a player can "check" and the next player has the option to either bet or check.

A player can fold at any time if they do not wish to play their hand. In this case, they do not have to pay anything and the other player takes everything in the pot. A new hand can then be dealt.

The winner of a hand is the player who holds the highest ranking poker hand. The hierarchy of poker hands is listed and described on the back of the Rule card. The rules and descriptions are clear and concise. They are all written out on one convenient 5.5" by 4.5" card.

At the end of the game, the woman will perform the favors on the pink chips that the man has won and the man will perform those on the blue chips that the woman holds. A player may bet whichever color he or she wishes but the opposite color will be their "winnings" in the end.

The chips are grouped by time as a measure for betting as well as length of the sexual favor. However, it is far less practical to follow these time awards when servicing the winner. They serve well for determining the amount of a bet. Since the increasing value of a chip coincides with the level of intensity of the favors, they are suitable for placing bets of higher or lower value. Any chips that players may not be comfortable with can be removed at the start of the game. If a chip is removed, the other player may take out one of their chips of the same value so that both players start with the same number of chips.

Some examples of 1 minute chips include: Nibble ears, Kiss belly, Share a fantasy, and Kiss neck. Among the 2 minute chips are: Hand job, Frontal massage, Strip tease, Lap dance, and Lick balls. The 3 minute chips are the most hardcore. They include: Sex slave, Oral sex, 69 position, Doggie style, and Booby sex.

Each chip measures 1 3/16 inches in diameter and are 1/16 of an inch thick. Many of them have rough edges where the plastic was not filed down. More importantly, the printing on them is not built to last. Several chips were flawed in that some letters were missing or double printed. After playing only one game, we noticed that the letters on other chips began to rub off. Fortunately, the chips are printed on both sides and it was difficult to scratch off even when using my nails.
The following image shows a few misprinted chips. Notice the plastic tabs left on the edges of the 3 pink chips.

The game also includes a standard deck of 52 cards. There are 2 jokers that can either be put aside or used in the game as wild cards. The cards are red with small light red hearts covering them. "Poker for Lovers" is written across the cards. Any deck of cards can be used to play the game, but it is nice that a deck is included. The cards are rigid and thick. They are shrink wrapped in plastic when new in the box.

Along with the chips, packaged in small individual zipper-seal baggies, and the cards, the rule/hand rank card is also found sitting atop a cardboard form inside the box. This is pictured below.


The box is incredibly, impressibly durable. It is much larger than it needs to be to hold its few components, but it is nonetheless effective. It measures roughly 10 3/8" by 7 7/8" by 2 1/8". The cover has "Poker for Lovers" written across the top and is decorated with a cartoon image of an embracing couple on a poker table next to which it says "you'll want to bet it all". The sides show the rules, contents and life-size pictures of real examples of chips. The bottom of the box has "Poker for Lovers" written once again. The red heart pattern on the box matches that on the cards. It is relatively modest and would make a lovely gift to the right couple.

The study box is so resistant that I could let my cat sleep in it without fear of the sides collapsing, even though my cat is twice the size of the box. Sadly, this durability compromises the ease with which the lid can be lifted off. The lid fits on tightly and is very difficult to remove. This is frustrating and antagonizing to say the least.

My partner and I enjoy playing poker so we were very excited to play this variation of the game. We were invariantly satisfied with the game and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the game or is looking to put a little spice into their lovelife.

We are very competitive and while we were both excited to cash in our chips, neither of us could quit until one of us had wiped the floor with the other and taken every last chip from them. Regardless, the game was thrilling and the rewards afterwards were even more fun.

We played 5 card draw to start so that we could see how the betting would pan out. We had limited our betting to 6 minutes per bet and 3 raises. The game lasted a long time as we went back and forth for a while with the chip lead. Texas hold'em is, however, our preference. Betting goes a lot faster, depending on how aggressively you play. We played a full game in 3 or 4 hands. Losing has never felt so good.

It was fun to watch my partner sort through his chips every time he would win a pot. In anticipation of each little favor, he would excitedly read the chip aloud, while smiling ear to ear. For comic effect, I'm sure, but it was nevertheless amusing.

When cashing in our winnings, often we wouldn't even make it through half of them and we certainly weren't keeping track of time. The game was a great build up and absolutely heightened our foreplay.

Another thing we noticed when playing was that we became increasingly annoyed with the thickness of the cards. In order to stack or gather them, they must be slid off the edge of the table. When placed side by side on a flat surface, the cards can not be pushed together. This sounds minute, but it did get to be a bit of a bother when playing a lengthy game.

Aside from a few issues we had with quality and functionality, the game was just what we had hoped it would be.