How to Crush the Poker Mini-Game in Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3 is a fantastic open-world shooter but it also has a decent poker mini game that you might not know about. You can actually play No-Limit Hold’em and it’s an excellent way to raise some quick cash. It’s especially easy to make money if you are familiar with the fundamentals of Hold’em.

There’s also one shortcut you can use to essentially make an endless amount of cash but we recommend spending a bit of time playing the game, because it’s actually pretty decent. Here’s a quick guide on how to unlock poker, where to play and, most importantly, how to beat the game (this guide works for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game).

Where to Find Poker Games in Far Cry 3

There are eight poker games scattered across Far Cry 3’s North and South Island. You unlock the first poker game after conquering the Valsa Docks outpost, which is to the west of Amanaki on the North Island.

Poker actually plays an integral point during some of the game’s cut scenes but the hands are all played out automatically and it doesn’t matter whether you win or lose. You can utilize an online map to see exactly where the eight games are located.

Poker in Far Cry Looks Great

Poker in Far Cry actually looks great. Every game takes place in a secret room, usually in the back of a bar, and you’ll be playing against an unsavory lot of degenerates who would rather shoot you then lose a pot. Basically it’s like the $2/$4 game at Binion’s in Las Vegas.

It’s a visceral experience, as your avatars hands will be displayed carefully holding cards and then peeking at them. Each player reacts to the action and the dealer even shuffles the cards.

It would be considered abhorrently slow compared to an actual online poker site but it’s not really about that. The game itself is basic No-Limit Hold’em. The stakes are different wherever you play.

How to Beat the Poker Game in Far Cry 3

Far Cry 3’s virtual poker opponents tend to call a lot. A good strategy is to wait until you have two pair and then jam. Most of the time you’ll induce a call from at least one of them. So standard ABC tight-aggressive poker works for the most part. (Check out this 10-minute Texas Hold’em Crash Course if you’ve never played Hold’em).

There are four different skill levels including practice, novice, skilled and expert. Allegedly players get more aggressive as the difficulty level goes up so tightening up isn’t the worst strategy. The games are all short-handed with four players. Each opponent tends to play a little differently too.

A Super Easy Achievement

There’s an extremely easy bonus available to achievement hunters in Far Cry 3. If you manage to win more than $1,500 cumulative cash by playing poker you’ll receive the Poker Bully award. It’s as simple as that.

The great thing about video games is that you always get a second, or third, or fourth chance. You can cheat the poker game by using the old “re-load your game until you get it right” trick. In other words simply save your game before you start playing the highest-stakes game and then go into shove mode, pushing all-in on every hand. If you lose, just reload your saved game. If you win, exit the poker game, save, and then try again. Rinse/repeat and you’re on your way to all the cash you could possibly need.

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