Poker Blitz from Zynga: The 'poker game for the masses'

Zynga's Texas HoldEm Poker game is one of the most popular on Facebook, with a loyal following of about 30 million monthly active users, according to AppData.

For those who aren't poker pros but still want to try their hand at a less intimidating version of this classic card game, Zynga Casino General Manager Har 'Sim" Mimran says his team is launching Poker Blitz, a new "poker game for the masses."

While Sim was tight-lipped on the exact details of the game, he tells us that "Poker is a hard genre for a small niche of people ... we thought, 'How can we bring poker to the masses and get people addicted?"

Sim says Poker Blitz will be much easier to play than the TexasHoldEm game and will allow anyone to start playing within 30 seconds. If you're new to poker, the game will hold your hand while you learn how to play.

Much like PopCap's Bejeweled Blitz, which Sim says was a big inspiration for the game, the poker rounds will be timed and players will be able to use power-ups that will, for instance, let players swap cards with their opponents. There will also be some kind of team aspect to the game, though the details on that are still a little fuzzy.