Poker Night at the Inventory

Did You Know?

• The game received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic.
• The remaster by Skunkape Games was announced on February 4, 2026.

Gameplay

Poker Night is a digital Texas Hold 'Em game where the player, an unseen and silent participant, faces off against four computer-controlled opponents: Max from Sam & Max, Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, the Heavy (in RED attire) from Team Fortress 2, and Tycho from Penny Arcade. Each character has a distinct playing style. The action unfolds in the Inventory, a hidden club located beneath a video game storage warehouse. According to the game's lore, the club was founded in 1919 after its creator learned of an early version of the 18th Amendment that would have outlawed games and amusements along with alcohol. Although that version never became law, the club has remained in secret ever since, ready in case Congress ever tried to impose such a prohibition. Reginald Van Winslow from Tales of Monkey Island serves as the host, managing the blinds, while other characters from Telltale games appear in the opening sequence.

Every player begins with a $10,000 buy-in, making the table's total $50,000. The game continues until a player goes broke or only one remains. Betting is no-limit, and the blinds increase gradually over several rounds. Occasionally, a random event occurs where one of the four non-player characters cannot afford the buy-in and instead offers a personal possession. The player can only win these items as unlockable equipment for Team Fortress 2 if they are the one to eliminate that character from the game. The game also tracks the player's statistics across multiple sessions. After reaching certain win totals, the player unlocks new playing card designs or table artwork to customize the game's appearance.

Development

In May 2009, Telltale Games launched a survey to see if fans wanted a follow-up to Telltale Texas Hold'em. The developers appreciated the in-depth chats between characters in that earlier game, but for the new project they chose a different direction, swapping original, generic characters for well-known licensed ones. The concept for Poker Night came from Telltale staff who wondered what video game characters do when they are not busy in their own games, as CEO Dan Conners explained. The team then pitched the idea to other companies and negotiated which characters they could use. They focused on how the four chosen characters would talk to each other, writing dialogue, banter, and reactions to specific poker moves. The characters would have full voice acting, unique tells, and changing responses as the game went on. Conners said the aim was to make players feel like they were hanging out with their virtual friends, chatting casually while playing a solid poker game. Telltale also considered turning Poker Night into a series with different characters, but noted that the first game would need to sell between 100,000 and 200,000 copies to be worth continuing. The studio had prior experience with some of the characters. They had produced three seasons of Sam & Max and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, based on the Homestar Runner web series, both made with input from original creators Steve Purcell and The Brothers Chaps. The versions of Max and Strong Bad in Poker Night use the same 3D models from those Telltale adventure games. The team were also fans of Valve's Team Fortress 2, even forming an informal team to compete in a studio tournament. Telltale later offered unique Sam & Max items as a bonus for buying Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse through Steam, which helped build a friendly relationship with Valve.