Written by: Samuel Johnson
It’s been seven years since Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 launched on PS4 and Xbox One. While Rockstar fans are currently preoccupied with waiting for more news on the video game publisher’s other successful game sequel — Grand Theft Auto VI — the melodramatic, action-packed Red Dead prequel is still very much one of the most loved video games in modern history.
In 2023, a huge Steam sale saw a steep hike in Red Dead Redemption 2’s active players. At 67% off, the game reached an all-time peak concurrent record of 77,655 players four years after the game’s release on PC.
Aside from a still-active Red Dead Online server, much of the Red Dead games’ allure lies in their cinematic scope and in-depth storytelling. In a previous post, we highlighted how Red Dead Redemption makes a great candidate for a TV show or movie adaptation, boosted by the game’s vast open-world mechanic. Undeniably, its follow-up prequel, Red Dead Redemption 2, improved on many aspects of its predecessor, including its incredibly realistic graphics and engaging gameplay.
From hunting wildlife to robbing trains, Red Dead Redemption 2 is any Wild West fan’s dream come true, presenting opportunities to immerse themselves in 19th-century America. This includes, of course, getting to play poker while smoking cigars in saloons — even if only virtually. In this post, we’ll look back at the game’s poker minigame and how it helped establish its time-bound ambiance.
As mentioned above, Red Dead Redemption 2’s time period and setting provide gamers with the quintessential all-American experience. When considering the game’s use of the poker minigame, it’s worth looking at American poker and how it distinguishes itself from Red Dead’s Texas Hold ‘Em format.
Unlike in the game, US Poker is played with 32 cards instead of the standard 52. While players still get two cards each across both poker formats, there are differences in card combinations. For example, a flash is ranked higher than a full house in American poker. Today, online poker platforms like Americas Cardroom keep this lesser-known format alive by hosting different tournaments, from $10,000 tournaments like The Dime to smaller tourneys like the $300 Hyper, offering a variety of poker formats for betting and gaming enthusiasts.
Of course, Red Dead Redemption 2, being set in 19th-century America, won’t provide the variety that online poker rooms do. However, betting in-game dollars on tense, parlor-bound poker tables has proven to be a popular pastime for players grinding the main game and its Red Dead Online servers.
While poker is set as more of a minigame in Red Dead Redemption 2 than a central plot-carrying element, its presence is still very much felt around the game’s open-world setting. From iconic locations like the New Orleans-based Saint Denis to the classic dust-piled Tumbleweed Saloon West of Armadillo, players can find various locations across the game’s map to play poker and blackjack.
Some locations, like Saint Denis, offer high-stakes only poker gameplay, requiring players to use more money when buying in. Of course, this also means a sizable prize pool if you’re lucky or know your way around poker, making it a hotspot for players trying to grind in-game money for weapon upgrades, faster horses, and cosmetic modifications.
Outside of playing poker in free roam, players are also required to play a rigged game of poker for a specific mission in the main story, where main character Arthur Morgan is part of a chaotic casino boat heist. For those new to the game, the mission is a great way to familiarize yourself with the rules, even if you’re pretty much set up to win.
Today, Red Dead Redemption 2 is regarded as one of the best-made, atmospheric story games. Aside from elements like poker, Wild West gang rivalries, and train robberies, the game’s music also helped set the atmosphere. Red Dead Redemption 2’s 1899 American Western score may sound niche, but the game’s music, care of composer Woody Jackson, and realistic sounds help craft the game’s setting and story.
Gamers interested in learning more about the real locations and history of Rockstar’s iconic Western-bound games can tune into the audiobook Red Dead’s History, which Arthur Morgan’s voice actor Roger Clark narrates. The audiobook is an exploration of the game’s time and setting by historian Tore Olsson, injected with real-world context and insights.
