Get Hooked on RockYou's underwater card game on Facebook

Earlier this month, we brought you exclusive first details concerning RockYou's new Facebook game Hooked, an underwater-themed card game based on five card poker. Now that the game has launched in open beta (in a very simple form, at present), we're able to bring you a complete rundown of what to expect from this game. Don't let simple appearances deceive you, however, as there's actually a lot of fun at dangling on the end of the line.

The basic premise of Hooked is simple. Each game lasts 60 seconds, and sees you trying to earn as many points as possible by creating hands of five cards, or, in this case Card Fish. Fish come in different colors and, as you'd expect, from suits in a regular deck of cards, which help you form quick flushes. You'll even start each and every hand with two Card Fish. To be specific, these two cards are random, and you'll then be given a selection of seven more cards to choose from. You'll have to choose just three to make the best hand possible to earn points.

You can return cards three and four (that is, your first two selections) to the pile by spending a Pearl, a type of premium currency. You can also activate power-ups--again, using Pearls--like an Eel that will allow you to see more Card Fish. As for scoring, it follows the basic rules of Poker, with a basic hand worth 100 points, even if it has no pairs, etc. As you earn Pairs, Two Pairs, Three of a Kind, Straights, Full Houses and more, you'll earn more and more points for that particular hand.
Throughout each 60-second game, bonus fish will randomly swim across the bottom of the screen, giving you a chance for instant point bonuses. If you complete a Flush or Rainbow Hand, you'll earn a multiplier bonus. (Rainbow Hands are comprised of one card of each uniquely colored Card Fish--blue, red, purple, yellow and black.) As of right now, the game comes with just two modes: Solo and Match Play. Since the game is so new, I unfortunately wasn't able to find anyone else to play a Match with, but you can still play by yourself while in this mode in case another player comes along later on.
Gallery: Hooked on Facebook

As you play games, you'll earn Tickets that will eventually allow you to purchase power-ups, along with items for an aquarium feature called "The Cove," that is also yet-to-be-released. Players will level up, allowing them access to different areas on the map. These different locations unlock other power-up fish besides the Eel, like Rainbow Fish that give you a chance to earn more points by acting as Wild Cards. Once you start playing with other friends, you'll also be able to track your high score against them on both overall and weekly high score tables.

While Hooked may be incredibly simplistic in its current form, I actually find the gameplay to be some of the most hectic and enjoyable around, at least when compared to other games that are presented in 60-second bite-sized chunks. While we're (mostly) all familiar with the way Poker hands are created in slower games, you're left to think incredibly quickly in Hooked. Clicking on the wrong Card Fish can be the difference between massive points and barely anything at all. It will be interesting to see how Facebook's overall audience takes to this underwater adventure, especially as more features are added, and we'll be sure to let you know if this one takes off.

Click here to play Hooked on Facebook Now >

Have you tried Hooked on Facebook? What's your high score so far in this underwater card game? What did you think of the game so far?