Apple Relaunches 'Texas Hold'Em' Game to Celebrate 10th Anniversary of App Store

In a surprise move tied to the App Store's 10th anniversary last year, Apple has revived its classic "Texas Hold'Em" game for iPhone.

texas hold em 2 0 apple
As noted by 9to5Mac, version 2.0 of the game was released on the ‌App Store‌ today. Apple says it has completely redesigned, rebuilt, and re-rendered the game to use high-resolution graphics, as well as added new characters, more challenging gameplay, and many other new features.

Apple's release notes:

Apple's Texas Hold'em is back! To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, we've brought back one of its first games, a popular classic. Originally created for iPod, then brought to iPhone, fans will love the polished redesign, featuring new characters, more challenging gameplay, and stunning graphics for the newest iPhone and iPod touch.

Texas Hold'Em is a variation of poker. In the game, players bet and bluff as they attempt to advance through 10 distinctive locations, including Las Vegas, Paris, and Macau. The new version is entirely free-to-play with multiplayer support for up to eight players via Wi-Fi or offline playback against 24 computerized opponents.

The new version requires a device running iOS 12 or later and is optimized for the latest iPhone and iPod touch models.

Texas Hold'Em first debuted on the iPod in September 2006 before launching on the ‌iPhone‌ when the ‌App Store‌ launched on July 11, 2008. The game was pulled from the App Store in November 2011, leaving Apple without its own ‌iPhone‌ game until it released "Warren Buffett's Paper Wizard" in May.

Texas Hold'Em is available now on the App Store.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Apple John Ternus 2019

Will John Ternus Really Be Apple's Next CEO?

Friday December 5, 2025 9:01 am PST by
There is uncertainty about Apple's head of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding Tim Cook as CEO, The Information reports. Some former Apple executives apparently hope that a new "dark-horse" candidate will emerge. Ternus is considered to be the most likely candidate to succeed Cook as CEO. The report notes that he is more likely to become CEO than software head chief Craig Federighi, ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....

Top Rated Comments

BootsWalking Avatar
84 months ago
It's official, Apple is expanding its service business to include online gambling...If and when it ever becomes legal across all 50 states in the USA :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fareal Avatar
84 months ago
1.5GB!

Should have waited for iOS 13 and the 50% smaller app sizing.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tkukoc Avatar
84 months ago
This was a ton of fun when originally released. Definitely going to install this!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ricktat Avatar
84 months ago
But it's missing the 1,000 ads and tracking software you get from regular Poker Apps.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decypher44 Avatar
84 months ago
1.5GB!

Should have waited for iOS 13 and the 50% smaller app sizing.
Was about to say the same thing. I figured the download process was slow as App Store sometimes drags (or everyone was downloading at the same time). Then I checked the file size. 1.5GB. Holy cow!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
speg Avatar
84 months ago
Why? Just play Zynga Poker et al.
Full of their ads and crappy tracking analytics? No thanks. I was recently looking for a poker game without all the extra bloat and now I have one!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)