Frequently Asked Question For Microsoft Windows Poker
As mobile poker is still a very much emerging market in the industry, it’s understandable there are still those out there that are skeptical about making the switch. It’s for that exact reason why we have decided to make this FAQ about mobile poker to hopefully put to bed some of the myths about the game.
Whilst the questions included in our FAQ are for the majority sent in from our readers, we have included a few questions to answer theories that people commonly get mixed up or confused about for mobile poker.
Are real money games available?
Yes! This is the most common question we get asked, and it’s a pretty simple answer to be honest. If you see a real money online poker room offering a mobile version, then 99.99% of the time, real money options will be available via their app.
For those of you that don’t want to play real money poker games then there are a number of free to play options of which we have included on this site. These require no depositing of any funds and will allow you to get playing within just a couple of minutes.
Do any of the real-money poker apps accept players from the USA?
Until very recently it was virtually impossible for United States citizens to play poker on their phone. Thankfully that has now changed following the release of Carbon Poker Mobile. Ever since Full Tilt and PokerStars were forced out of the US by the D.E.A, Carbon Poker has been the best online poker room open to U.S. players. They've not released a mobile poker client that works on iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices.
Is it safe to deposit money on a mobile poker app?
For an app to be accepted in a respected app store, the company will have to show that if they are to accept payment options via the app that they have some sort of encryption installed within the app. This is basically a security feature so no one can steal your account details. It works very much the same as it would in your browser when you see the HTTPS:// section, with the ‘S’ being the sign that is secure to use.
Whilst you won’t see any additional information about security from within the app, you will be able to find out what (if any) encryption it uses from each respected store. If you are still unsure you can either contact the provider to find out more or if it just doesn’t look or feel right, try another app, there are plenty about!
Can I play on smartphone and tablet devices?
This is pretty much dependent on the poker room itself. Some of the larger poker rooms will include apps dedicated for both smartphone and tablet devices, whereas others will simply provide you with a smartphone app that can also be used on tablets, but either blown up or just used as the size of the smartphone.
The range of smartphones and tablets that you can play on are pretty much endless but the bigger brands include Apple, Android and Windows Phone. The majority of poker rooms should provide at least one option of these brands.
How safe is it to play on a mobile poker room?
We like to compare safety to that of playing online and if you feel comfortable playing on an online poker room, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t do so on a mobile poker site. Each company will be required to make a safe and controlled environment for each user and to do this they use a series of encryptions. It works much the same as depositing and once you are into that poker app the encryption should kick in immediately.
As ever, we try to encourage people to play some of the more mainstream rooms where if something does go wrong you have an outlet to contact. On top of that, if you want to do additional research of your own into the safety of each room then this information is likely to be readily available from more established brands than the smaller ones.
How do the games differ from that of online?
For the most part the games will run exactly the same as they do online. You can make all the same decisions such as check, bet, fold or call and you will get the same amount of time in which to do so.
Some mobile poker rooms will run separate games for their mobile users, you can think of this as almost being on their own network. Others allow them to hook up with players from around the world playing both online and mobile devices. There shouldn’t be an awful lot of difference in either to be honest, as the game will play out pretty much the same.
Does the limited screen size on smartphones not affect how games play?
In an ideal world, each mobile poker app will be designed to fit the screen size of the mobile manufacturer you are using, allowing an increase in usability. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world.
Design is often the biggest gripe in the industry and it’s massively important for poker rooms to provide a well-designed poker app, if only for usability. They will vary, but the bigger rooms have an edge in terms of being able to plough more money into making better looking poker apps.
Our advice would be to test the app before you deposit any money to see how it works on your smartphone or tablet. The majority of mobile poker rooms will allow you to play on free play tables and we highly recommend doing so.
Which games are on offer?
This will depend on the poker room, but we have seen pretty much all of the bigger games on offer at some point in our travels including Texas Holdem, Omaha, Stud and the many different variants of each. On top of that, cash games, multi table tournaments, sit and go’s, speed poker and much more has been on offer.
The transition to mobile poker is expanding and as it does the number of games is on offer. That being said, there are still some poker apps that only offer Texas Holdem and limited options, so we can’t stress enough how important it is for people to try these things, before you buy!
Whilst the questions included in our FAQ are for the majority sent in from our readers, we have included a few questions to answer theories that people commonly get mixed up or confused about for mobile poker.
Are real money games available?
Yes! This is the most common question we get asked, and it’s a pretty simple answer to be honest. If you see a real money online poker room offering a mobile version, then 99.99% of the time, real money options will be available via their app.
For those of you that don’t want to play real money poker games then there are a number of free to play options of which we have included on this site. These require no depositing of any funds and will allow you to get playing within just a couple of minutes.
Do any of the real-money poker apps accept players from the USA?
Until very recently it was virtually impossible for United States citizens to play poker on their phone. Thankfully that has now changed following the release of Carbon Poker Mobile. Ever since Full Tilt and PokerStars were forced out of the US by the D.E.A, Carbon Poker has been the best online poker room open to U.S. players. They've not released a mobile poker client that works on iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices.
Is it safe to deposit money on a mobile poker app?
For an app to be accepted in a respected app store, the company will have to show that if they are to accept payment options via the app that they have some sort of encryption installed within the app. This is basically a security feature so no one can steal your account details. It works very much the same as it would in your browser when you see the HTTPS:// section, with the ‘S’ being the sign that is secure to use.
Whilst you won’t see any additional information about security from within the app, you will be able to find out what (if any) encryption it uses from each respected store. If you are still unsure you can either contact the provider to find out more or if it just doesn’t look or feel right, try another app, there are plenty about!
Can I play on smartphone and tablet devices?
This is pretty much dependent on the poker room itself. Some of the larger poker rooms will include apps dedicated for both smartphone and tablet devices, whereas others will simply provide you with a smartphone app that can also be used on tablets, but either blown up or just used as the size of the smartphone.
The range of smartphones and tablets that you can play on are pretty much endless but the bigger brands include Apple, Android and Windows Phone. The majority of poker rooms should provide at least one option of these brands.
How safe is it to play on a mobile poker room?
We like to compare safety to that of playing online and if you feel comfortable playing on an online poker room, then there is no reason why you shouldn’t do so on a mobile poker site. Each company will be required to make a safe and controlled environment for each user and to do this they use a series of encryptions. It works much the same as depositing and once you are into that poker app the encryption should kick in immediately.
As ever, we try to encourage people to play some of the more mainstream rooms where if something does go wrong you have an outlet to contact. On top of that, if you want to do additional research of your own into the safety of each room then this information is likely to be readily available from more established brands than the smaller ones.
How do the games differ from that of online?
For the most part the games will run exactly the same as they do online. You can make all the same decisions such as check, bet, fold or call and you will get the same amount of time in which to do so.
Some mobile poker rooms will run separate games for their mobile users, you can think of this as almost being on their own network. Others allow them to hook up with players from around the world playing both online and mobile devices. There shouldn’t be an awful lot of difference in either to be honest, as the game will play out pretty much the same.
Does the limited screen size on smartphones not affect how games play?
In an ideal world, each mobile poker app will be designed to fit the screen size of the mobile manufacturer you are using, allowing an increase in usability. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world.
Design is often the biggest gripe in the industry and it’s massively important for poker rooms to provide a well-designed poker app, if only for usability. They will vary, but the bigger rooms have an edge in terms of being able to plough more money into making better looking poker apps.
Our advice would be to test the app before you deposit any money to see how it works on your smartphone or tablet. The majority of mobile poker rooms will allow you to play on free play tables and we highly recommend doing so.
Which games are on offer?
This will depend on the poker room, but we have seen pretty much all of the bigger games on offer at some point in our travels including Texas Holdem, Omaha, Stud and the many different variants of each. On top of that, cash games, multi table tournaments, sit and go’s, speed poker and much more has been on offer.
The transition to mobile poker is expanding and as it does the number of games is on offer. That being said, there are still some poker apps that only offer Texas Holdem and limited options, so we can’t stress enough how important it is for people to try these things, before you buy!
