Achievement Guide

[twotonkoala]

Seven Card Stud WC ITM 5
Place in the money Seven Card Stud World Championship

For assistance regarding the rules of Seven Card Stud, refer to the wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven-card_stud

This is the first World Championship you will play, look for the (*WC) next to the name. To obtain this achievement, you must finish (roughly) in the top 140 in a pool of around 1400. You do not have to win, only place in the money.

General tips:

Typically, the winning hands in Seven Card Stud are going to be two pair or a flush, so you'll want to make sure that you're playing hole cards that are either suited or paired. Three of a kind to start is basically as good as it can get. Be careful not to play too many draws; since there are more betting rounds than a hand of Hold 'em, it can be very easy to lose a lot of money without thinking about it.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Omaha Hi-Low 8 or better WC ITM 5
Place in the money Omaha Hi-Low 8 or better World Championship

For assistance regarding the rules of Omaha Hi-Low 8 or better, refer to the wikipedia page (under Omaha Hi-Lo):http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_hold_%27em

The second WC you will come across. Finish in the top 180 out of roughly 1800, and this achievement is yours. Again, you do not have to win.

General tips:

There are two ways to play Omaha Hi-Low, either play the high hand or the low hand. Obviously both can be done at the same time, but you must recognize what the other players are betting on by judging the flop. If you are able to identify that you have the strongest low hand possible (for instance, the "wheel", A-2-3-4-5, or even if you have 2-3 in your hand and there is an A-4-6 on the board; you have the strongest possible low hand, so bet like crazy). Always pay attention to both factors when betting, as the computer will sometimes bet the same way on a low hand; so don't be scared to bet a decent high hand against one or two opponents. Remember, A-A-2-3 double suited is the strongest starting hand, so keep an eye out for double suited cards with low, unpaired cards.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Texas Hold'em Limit WC ITM 5
Place in the money Texas Hold'em Limit World Championship

Let's face it, if you don't know how to play Texas Hold'em and it's basic variations, you probably aren't playing this game. But, just in case you are new to the poker world, here's a refresher thanks again to Wikipedia. This includes strategies, starting hand positions, and other basic poker techniques:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_hold_%27em

This will be the 3rd WC you come across, and you'll be looking to place in the top 600 out of about 3500.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Omaha PL WC ITM 5
Place in the money Omaha Pot Limit World Championship

Take a look at the same link for Omana Hi-Low: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_hold_%27em

Basically, play the same way without playing low hands. Instead of playing, for instance, an AA23 double suited, you'd look more towards the way of AAKK double suited. Only high hands apply here, so don't worry about the low hands connecting. Don't bet much on low straight draws, two pairs, and sometimes even 3 of a kind. Look more for a full house, straight, flush, etc.

The fourth WC you will come across, finish in the top 600 out of 2700.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Texas Hold'em ML WC ITM 5
Place in the money Texas Hold'em Mixed Limit World Championship

Mixed Limit Hold'em is similar to limit Hold'em, except with higher limits. It's basically a mix of Pot Limit Hold'em and Limit Hold'em. Play a similar strategy to Limit Hold'em, but watch out for throwing away chips on weak to middle strength hands because of the higher limits. After you play a bit, you'll become comfortable with it.

This World Championship is one that you can only play on either Semi-Pro or Professional skill levels. It will not appear on the Amateur skill level. It will be two days after the Pot Limit Omaha WC, and you must finish in the top 50 of 430.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Texas Hold'em PL WC ITM 5
Place in the money Texas Hold'em Pot Limit World Championship

Pot Limit Hold'em is essentially No Limit Hold'em, especially the way the computer plays it. It can be even worse for short stacks than No Limit because the computer loves to bet the Pot quite a bit. Basically, play a bit more tight than you would for No Limit, and until later on in the tournament, don't expect Pot Limit bets to scare people off that much. Play your normal big hands, AA, KK, QQ, AK suited, KQ suited, etc. and you should be fine.

5th WC you'll play on Amatuer, 6th on Semi-Pro or Pro. Finish top 600 out of 3500.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Seven Card Stud Hi-Low WC ITM 5
Place in the money Seven Card Stud Hi-Low World Championship

Refer to the wikipedia page for Seven Card Stud for general rules: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven-card_stud

Basically, put Seven Card Stud with the theory of the low hands from Omaha Hi-Low, or Razz if you know how to play it. Use a mix of strategies from those three poker variations. Know when you have the strongest low hand by the opponents face cards. Careful, again you have more betting rounds here so you're more likely to toss money away on bad draws. Play disciplined, but bluff if you've got a better set of face cards and they're playing weak.

Similar to Mixed Limit Hold'em, you will not play this one on Amateur. It will be the 7th WC you play on Semi-pro or Pro, proceeded by Pot Limit Hold'em, and followed by Horse. Finish top 140 out of 1400.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."


HORSE WC ITM 5
Place in the money HORSE World Championship

Horse is a difficult game to play because of the weird limits and betting that it uses combined with the different games you'll be playing. Basically, it goes like this:

5 hands of Hold'em (Limit)
5 hands of Omaha
5 hands of Razz
5 hands of Seven Card Stud
5 hands of Eight or better Seven Card Stud (seven card stud hi-lo)

Be careful of this tournament for 2 reasons: 1. It carries with it a 50,000 entry fee and 2. it's tough to play and bet strategically unless you're playing with a big stack. Basically, keep to the strategies you've been using for all these separate types of poker, but be careful not to throw away chips on a bad hand of the last 3 rounds (Razz and both Seven Card hands). You can grab easy chips here if you're smart because the computer doesn't like to bet so much on one round of betting, however only use this when you've got a comfortable amount of chips. Stick to what you know how to play well and fold the rest if you have to; but learning the other forms of poker will be vital to your success here.

It's the 6th WC you'll play on Amateur, 8th on Semi-Pro, Pro. Top 140 of 1300 for this one.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Main Event In The Money 15
Place in the money at the Main Event

The last one. Again, look towards the internet for plenty of Hold'em tips and strategies.

It's the last tournament you will play, regardless of difficulty. Look to place in the top 600 of 10-11 thousand for this one.

NOTE: I'm not sure about the exact numbers if they change from year to year, but I don't think they do (regarding place for being in the money). Just look at the summary screen before entering the tournament.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

[twotonkoala]

Seven Card Stud WC Win 40
Win Seven Card Stud World Championship

Look at Seven Card Stud In the Money for tips regarding Seven Card Stud, but this time you must win.

This can be achieved on any difficulty level.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Omaha Hi-Low 8 or better WC Win 40
Win Omaha Hi-Low 8 or better World Championship


Refer to corresponding In the Money achievement for tips.

Again, you must win; and can be achieved on any difficulty level.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."


Texas Hold'em Limit WC Win 40
Win Texas Hold'em Limit World Championship

Refer to corresponding In the Money achievement for tips.

Again, you must win; and can be achieved on any difficulty level.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."


Omaha PL WC Win 40
Win Omaha Pot Limit World Championship

Refer to corresponding In the Money achievement for tips.

Again, you must win; and can be achieved on any difficulty level.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Texas Hold'em ML WC Win 40
Win Texas Hold'em Mixed Limit World Championship

Refer to corresponding In the Money achievement for tips.

Again, you must win; but you can only achieve this one on Semi-pro or Pro difficulty levels.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."

Texas Hold'em PL WC Win 40
Win Texas Hold'em Pot Limit World Championship

Refer to corresponding In the Money achievement for tips.

Again, you must win; and can be achieved on any difficulty level.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."


Seven Card Stud Hi-Low WC Win 40
Win Seven Card Stud Hi-Low World Championship

Refer to corresponding In the Money achievement for tips.

Again, you must win; but you can only achieve this one on Semi-pro or Pro difficulty levels.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."


HORSE WC Win 40
Win HORSE World Championship


Refer to corresponding In the Money achievement for tips.

Again, you must win; and can be achieved on any difficulty level.

* For a quicker way to achieve this, please read "Main Event Win."


Main Event Win 100
Win Main Event


Ok, here's the big one. You're going to have to win it all out of a field of 10 thousand plus people.

Sounds intimidating, but here's the shortcut that can be used on this as well as all of the previous tournaments listed.

When playing this game, you'll notice the auto-save feature. It's pretty active, and there's no way to disable it. But there is a way to use it to your advantage. I know I said this was a "quicker" way to win, but it's definitely not overly quick. It will still take you some time, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1-2 hours for a small tournament, 2-3 hours for a World Championship, depending on how well you play.

Basically, go into the tournament you want to play. Play a few hands, and if you're up from what you had to start with, press pause. You'll notice a message on the bottom saying Saving Content.... Return to the game and keep playing. If you lose, make sure not to press A to continue after losing. Simply quit to the dashboard and reload the game.

If you keep winning, make sure to press start and save every few hands. If you start losing or lose all your money, don't press anything. The second you lose the hand, do not press continue. Don't press start and don't continue, just quit to the dashboard.

Load WSOP back up, and then go back to the tournament. You'll notice you're right back where you were from your last save point.

Keep doing this till you win. Be careful not to pause on accident, and just keep reloading if you lose or get to only a few chips left.

You can also use this strategy to win multiple tournaments in a year for the Player of the Year achievements, and if you really want to, you can get all of the achievements by doing this strategy throughout the course of your career (including the Collector Chips, see below).

[twotonkoala]

POTY at level amateur Win 20
Win Player of the Year at level amateur

The amateur level is pretty easy.

Using the method outlined for the easy tournament wins, basically just win two or more of the WC's you play and place in a few of the other tournaments, or win the Main Event. Either way should get you enough points.

You can check your standings by pressing at the Events screen, or through the Career menu.


POTY at level semipro Win 30
Win Player of the Year at level semipro

It will be a bit more difficult than Amateur. I haven't noticed a noticeable increase in computer skill, just more events. Keep plugging away, use the easy win strategy if you need to, and just keep finishing in the money as much as you can.

Always remember, the more people there are in the tournament, the more POTY points will be available to the people that place high enough to receive them.

POTY at level pro Win 50
Win Player of the Year at level pro

Prepare to win quite a few tournaments. There are tons of events on the Pro level, and this will take awhile. Use the easy win strategy, or get really good at poker. Whatever's clever.

Remember again though, the more big tournaments you win, the easier this will be.

Cash Game at Bally's 10
Play 1 cash game at Bally's

You'll get invited to Bally's after the one of the first tournaments you play. Someone will call and invite you. You can choose to go with the phone call, or play later through the Career menu by going to Cash Games.

The easiest to win is probably the 2,500 No Limit, but you can also play 1000 Limit, or 2,500 7 Card Stud Hi-Low. For this achievement however, you only have to play there, any of those games will unlock the achievement.

GENERAL TIP FOR CASH GAMES: You can sometimes go to the Cash Game menu when you are low on money, and someone will call you and offer to pay your buy-in to one of the games. Accept this. You can usually get enough money just by doing this and quitting out of the game and keeping the money to play in the next tournament if you're running out of money. You can also unlock the achievements without having to use your money.


Cash Game at Caesars 10
Play 1 cash game at Caesars

Same as Bally's, but this time you are looking at a 5,000 No Limit or 1,000 Stud. It will be one of the last ones you get invited to.



Cash Game at Flamingo 10
Play 1 cash game at Flamingo

Same as the rest, except 2k No Limit, 1k Omaha, and 2k Omaha Hi-Low.


Cash Game at Harrah's 10
Play 1 cash game at Harrah's

1k No Limit, 1k Horse, 2k Shoe.



Cash Game at Paris 10
Play 1 cash game at Paris

3.5k No Limit, 1k Razz, 3.5k Pot Limit Hold'em.

Win Cash Game at Bally's 20
Win 1 cash game at Bally's

Basically, win the table. It works out like a Sit and Go tournament, with only 9 at the table.

Win Cash Game at Caesars 20
Win 1 cash game at Caesars

Basically, win the table. It works out like a Sit and Go tournament, with only 9 at the table.

Win Cash Game at Flamingo 20
Win 1 cash game at Flamingo

Basically, win the table. It works out like a Sit and Go tournament, with only 9 at the table.

Win Cash Game at Harrah's 20
Win 1 cash game at Harrah's

Basically, win the table. It works out like a Sit and Go tournament, with only 9 at the table.

Win Cash Game at Paris 20
Win 1 cash game at Paris

Basically, win the table. It works out like a Sit and Go tournament, with only 9 at the table.

Caught In My Interwebs 10
Host 5 Xbox LIVE games

I would suggest doing this in player matches, either Sit and Go's or Open Tables. Open tables are probably more likely to have people join. Host five and you should get it.


Participation Ribbon 10
Play 25 Xbox LIVE matches

Can be done in either ranked or player matches. Should unlock on your way to the top ranking.


Take Down 2
5
Take down at least 2 players in Xbox LIVE matches

Again, can be player or ranked. Just take down two. It can be the same person twice.


Take Down 10
10
Take down at least 10 players in Xbox LIVE matches

Same with 2, just take down 10 this time.


Take Down 25
25
Take down at least 25 players in Xbox LIVE matches

Same with 2 and 10, just 25 this time. I would suggest looking for Sit and Go tournaments or Multi-Table tournaments, as I don't know if open table takedowns count. You can usually find groups of people playing tournaments in the middle of the days on weekdays. But bear in mind, this was never a hugely popular game you may have trouble finding players; especially whenever you may be reading this. You can boost this as well.


Novice Player 10
Earn the Novice Rank (or higher) by playing Xbox LIVE Matches

This should unlock after about an hour of online play, at the most.

Recreational Player 20
Earn the Recreational Rank (or higher) by playing Xbox LIVE Matches

You're looking at around 5 hours for this one. You can play any game type in either Ranked or Player for all rank achievements.

Professional Player 30 E
arn the Professional Rank (or higher) by playing Xbox LIVE Matches

Around 10-15 hours online time.


Expert Player 45
Earn the Expert Rank by playing Xbox LIVE Matches

Around 20 online hours by my estimations. This would be very tough to boost with only two people but possible with a group, and again all of these can be obtained via ranked or player matches. Don't pay attention to the ranked leaderboards to try and track it.

[twotonkoala]

Heads-Up: "Beat The Brat" 10
Complete the Heads-Up: "Beat The Brat" gamplay mode

This is only in career mode, and is actually pretty easy to do. You get as many chances as you need to beat the players leading up to Phil Hellmuth. To do this quickly, go into the match and just keep going all-in until you win. If you lose, just try again. Shouldn't take long at all.



Phil's Poker School 10
Complete "Phil's Poker School"

This is found on the Main Menu under Training. Just pay attention to what they're telling you and this will be a breeze. You'll have to complete all 9 tutorials for this. If you lose, just keep restarting till you get it. You only have to finish with more money than you started to get the achievement; but if you finish with a lot more money you get nicknames unlocked. If you want it quick, just try and win some money on one of the first couple hands and fold till it's over.



Same Hand Jam Pro 10
Break $2,000 in the Same Hand Jam

To do this easily, go to Training from the Main Menu, and select Same Hand Jam. It will make you play a round against other players, except you choose the hole cards you're holding, and the opponents hands change. Pick AA or KK as your starting hand, or any really good hand, and finish with more money than you started. Piece of cake.


Eager Poker Player 10
Win one Quickplay game

Go to Quickplay from the Main Menu, and then Custom Game. Set it to two players, 100 dollars starting chips, and no-limit hold'em. Just keep going all-in till you win.


10 Pros Sent Packing 10
Knock out 10 pros at least once

This can only be done in Career mode. Keep knocking 'em out, and you'll eventually get it. This can only be against Pro's, so look to knock out:

Josh Arieh
Humberto Brenes
Johnny Chan
T.J. Cloutier
Allen Cunningham
Roland de Wolfe
Annie Duke
Antonio Esfandiari
Chris Ferguson
Scott Fischman
Kristy Gazes
Phil Gordon
Clonie Gowen
Joe Hachem
Jennifer Harman
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Laak
Liz Lieu
Erick Lindgren
Marcel Luske
Mike Matusow
Michael Mizrachi
Men Nguyen
Scotty Nguyen
Max Pescatori
Greg Raymer
Gavin Smith
Jennifer Tilly
David Ulliot
Cyndy Violette
David Williams

Only these players count towards these achievements, and only one knockout per pro. So you must knock out 10 different pros.

25 Pros Sent Packing 10
Knock out 25 pros at least once


Look at this list above for pros that count towards this, and knock out 25 different ones.


Complete Chip Series 5
Collect one complete set of Collector Chips

See "Four Complete Chip Series."

Two Complete Chip Series 10
Collect two complete sets of Collector Chips

See "Four Complete Chip Series."


Three Complete Chip Series 15
Collect three complete sets of Collector Chips

See "Four Complete Chip Series."

Four Complete Chip Series 20
Collect four complete sets of Collector Chips

The following Chip Series count towards this achievement:

Pro Player Takedowns (look for the list under "10 Pros Sent Packing" for who counts)
Poker Hands
All In and Win
Single Hand Takedowns
Tournament Takedowns
Total Takedowns
In the Money
Final Tables
Winning Streak
Overall Winnings
Invitational Wins

The easiest to go for are the All in and Win, Tournament Takedowns, Overall Winnings, and whatever other one you can get.

If you go with the easy win strategy, you should pick up those three, and Winning Streak. You can also go for the In the Money and Final Tables if you're dilligent enough. If you win the Main Event, you'll basically complete probably 3 on just that, as I won 22 million from the Main Event, and the Overall Winnings is complete at 20 million. This should be pretty easy to do. In the career menu, go to Awards and Stats, then Collector Chips, and you can see what each one requires to be complete.

[Frostbite]

Sweet guide! Its good to see you take the time to complete an extreamly well thought out guide. Very good tips.

[twotonkoala]

Originally Posted by Frostbite

Sweet guide! Its good to see you take the time to complete an extreamly well thought out guide. Very good tips.

Thanks man, I appreciate the feedback.

This was my first guide, and I've gotten some good kudos from it, definately worth taking the time. I just wish I had gotten around to it sooner, but I wasn't sure how well the "fast method" I listed worked, and just got around to trying it about a week ago or so.

But one more tip for anyone that reads this and is looking for help:

If you put the game speed to fast, it doesn't take anywhere near as long to bust through tournaments. You can do this in the options menu. I didn't do it for a long time because I like the feel of people deciding what they want to do, and the suspense of whether or not the people will call, etc. I like the realism of the game. But switching the game speed to fast will allow you to run through small tournaments in about 15 minutes, even if you win them.

However, if anyone wants some more tips, or there's anything else I can help with, please feel free to hit me up via PM here, or on Xbox Live to the gamertag: milehighkoala. I'd be happy to help.

Cheers!

[DarKnight80]

I am going to have agree and say that this is a very good guide! I am planning on using this guide to the fullest extent! You have really outdone yourself twotonkoala!! I was wondering if a guide was ever going to be done for this game. I was really, really slowly working on one, but I believe that yours is better. I can see my gamerscore of 65 / 1,000 on this game growing pretty quickly!!

Excellent work my friend!!

[DreadfulCorpse]

This should be stickied! Good guide.

[MR BAZER1]

Good Guide very helpful.

[play-asia.com]

somebody noticed that on the main page the decription for some achievements are at the wrong place?

Seven Card Stud Hi-Low WC ITM
has the description of HORSE
HORSE WC ITM
has the description of Main Event ITM
and
Main Event In The Money
has the description ofSeven Card Stud WC ITM

not a big deal...just wanted to let you guys know