SWITCH POKER CLOSURE
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INTRODUCTION
Switch Poker are one of a number of poker operators who have entered the world of mobile poker. The app is available to play directly on your Windows Phone browser and can be used with any internet connection including 3G and Wi-Fi.
Switch Poker are quite unique in that they run off their own poker network. Whilst the site does run a poker client for PC users, the majority of their marketing and games are run for the mobile poker industry. In terms of traffic the site doesn’t really compete with any of the larger brands within the industry. In fact, Switch Poker is ranked outside the top 50 (51st) of poker networks with some less than impressive player numbers. Throughout this review we will be looking at how well the app performs on Windows Phone devices like the Nokia Lumia 520 and also look to see why more players aren’t playing on Switch Poker.
Switch Poker are quite unique in that they run off their own poker network. Whilst the site does run a poker client for PC users, the majority of their marketing and games are run for the mobile poker industry. In terms of traffic the site doesn’t really compete with any of the larger brands within the industry. In fact, Switch Poker is ranked outside the top 50 (51st) of poker networks with some less than impressive player numbers. Throughout this review we will be looking at how well the app performs on Windows Phone devices like the Nokia Lumia 520 and also look to see why more players aren’t playing on Switch Poker.
PROMOTIONS
New users can enjoy three different welcome bonuses upon registering with Switch Poker. The first is the more common deposit bonus. This allows players to get a 100% match on their first deposit up to a maximum of €600. This is for deposits ranging upwards of €20. You get a generous 6 months to clear the bonus which is released by earning points when playing at any cash table.
The second bonus allows you to claim a free iPod instead of the deposit bonus. All that is required is for you to deposit €50 or more and then clear 60,000 Switch Poker Points before then being awarded the iPod. Again, you get 6 months to clear this bonus before it expires.
Finally you can claim a free iPad for deposit of €150 or more. This requires you to clear 100,000 Switch Poker Points and again giving you 6 months to do so before it expires. The two mobile specific bonuses are a clear indication as to the preference the site shows towards mobile poker. In terms of monetary value its questionable how well the iPad and the iPhone bonuses stack up against the deposit bonus, but it will take a decent while to do so via the mobile app itself.
Switch Poker have recently began to offer a $5 no deposit instant bonus to every new player that verifies their phone number.
The second bonus allows you to claim a free iPod instead of the deposit bonus. All that is required is for you to deposit €50 or more and then clear 60,000 Switch Poker Points before then being awarded the iPod. Again, you get 6 months to clear this bonus before it expires.
Finally you can claim a free iPad for deposit of €150 or more. This requires you to clear 100,000 Switch Poker Points and again giving you 6 months to do so before it expires. The two mobile specific bonuses are a clear indication as to the preference the site shows towards mobile poker. In terms of monetary value its questionable how well the iPad and the iPhone bonuses stack up against the deposit bonus, but it will take a decent while to do so via the mobile app itself.
Switch Poker have recently began to offer a $5 no deposit instant bonus to every new player that verifies their phone number.
FEATURES
The first thing that really stands out with the Switch Poker app is that it’s not so much ‘app’, in the truest sense. Whilst you can pin the site to your Windows Phone homepage, the site actually loads within the safari browser, rather than a standalone operation. This has its strengths and weaknesses, but in all honesty, it’s not something we are massively keen on. A standalone app just feels cleaner and there are no distractions, but then again having it open as a single tab in your browser will mean you can flick between sites whilst playing. This is probably a part of the app that is pretty much based on individual taste more than anything.
The lobby functions very simply and you are greeted with a number of table options. It’s worth pointing out that the only game on offer is Texas Holdem and whilst this isn’t ideal for people who want to play other variants, it’s pretty much all that’s available at the minute.
The lobby functions very simply and you are greeted with a number of table options. It’s worth pointing out that the only game on offer is Texas Holdem and whilst this isn’t ideal for people who want to play other variants, it’s pretty much all that’s available at the minute.
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Nonetheless, the tables actually provide a really good range of games to play with including both 6 max and heads up tables; something that the majority of mobile poker apps do not actually include. Another really exciting element to the games section is the stakes in which it includes. You can go as low as 1c/2c games but as high as €10/€20, which is easily up there with some of the highest we have come across. A slight niggle remaining with the lobby is that you can’t actually sort the table into the categories you want. It remains permanently sorted by how many players are on the table and not by stake or table size, which to us would seem to make a lot more sense.
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One of the best features of the entire app is without doubt the multi table option. This is an area where Switch Poker is miles ahead of the competition already. We are yet to come across a poker app that has this sort of functionality and Switch allows you to play up for four tables at once through your Windows tablet. This is the maximum amount of tables some PC based poker clients offer, never mind your WP tablet.
We actually heard of the multi tabling feature installed on Switch before our initial test and to be honest, we thought it just wouldn’t work. But we were wrong! You can click between tables with absolute ease there is no lag at all when doing so making decision making an absolute doddle. A great, great feature of the app; without doubt!
We actually heard of the multi tabling feature installed on Switch before our initial test and to be honest, we thought it just wouldn’t work. But we were wrong! You can click between tables with absolute ease there is no lag at all when doing so making decision making an absolute doddle. A great, great feature of the app; without doubt!
TABLES
The tables are really well designed and anyone familiar to the world of online poker will be used to this almost immediately. We love the fact that they have included four coloured decks as standard which is something, especially on mobile devices, that is an essential feature.
The games tick over really quickly and you get to fly through hands in no time. It would actually be interesting to see the hands per hour at these tables as we would guess they will be on par, if not better than those of the games played on a dedicated poker client.
The games tick over really quickly and you get to fly through hands in no time. It would actually be interesting to see the hands per hour at these tables as we would guess they will be on par, if not better than those of the games played on a dedicated poker client.
VERDICT
We came into this review with some trepidation. Mainly on reviews we heard previously and figured there must be a reason as to why this network only picks up a handful of players every day. But in all honesty, we can’t understand the low reviews. The low numbers on the other hand, we get. It’s a standalone network and to be honest, it hasn’t even nearly started to make a big enough splash within the poker industry. Mobile poker is very much in its ascendency and a network trying to run almost solely off the back of this is going to find it tough.
But, there was much to like on the app overall! The range of stakes were very impressive and once sat down at the table the design was classic looking, without ever really giving off a wow factor. The app is more than solid, but the lack of traffic is going to be an issue. Once (if) this picks up, then we can see why Switch Poker will do well in the mobile poker market.
But, there was much to like on the app overall! The range of stakes were very impressive and once sat down at the table the design was classic looking, without ever really giving off a wow factor. The app is more than solid, but the lack of traffic is going to be an issue. Once (if) this picks up, then we can see why Switch Poker will do well in the mobile poker market.
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Reviews of other recommended Nokia Lumia poker apps.
