Hold ‘Em For Dear Life was a concept born after thousands of shuffles; from fantasy card games to various types of poker. Claudio Elizalde (you may know him as AudioCloud) had an idea for years to make a deck of cards that brought the game of poker to the next level, making it more interactive than it’s ever been before.

When one of Claudio’s lifelong friends (Brian, co-game designer) called him out of the blue, saying they should start a business together, Claudio knew exactly where they should start: Hold ‘Em For Dear Life. The goal was to design a 52-card deck that you could play No-Limit Texas Hold’em with but elevate it to feel more like an interactive board game.

Hold ‘Em For Dear Life is a true four-color deck in its art and presentation; you’ll also find that each suit has a decisive theme, as do the card ranks. The history and lore of a deck of cards were used as inspiration for the game’s design. Some cards let you trade one card for another, some cards are props, and other cards might even change who half of the pot is rewarded to… the goal, however, is the same. Whether you’re bluffing or you’ve made the nuts, the goal is to win the chips and not give them up; hence the name of the game