There’s an argument for a second poker boom getting underway; coverage of this year’s World Series of Poker has been fairly extensive, featuring in major news outlets as well as on television. The Main Event will deliver a $7m prize, and with the right exposure, that could increase participation beyond current levels, as Chris Moneymaker’s win did in 2003.
Online poker is a growing sector driven by a unique set of circumstances. Last year, we saw a mass closure of public spaces, including casinos, which ensured many poker enthusiasts had to play at home. With people unable to go out, online gaming was one of the few options they had for socializing, which led to a severe increase in player participation and revenue, according to Statista. Poker was a small part of that, but it saw a rise in popularity, nonetheless.
With both poker and online gaming becoming more popular, it means more people are looking for a poker app to enjoy their favorite game at home. If you search ‘poker app’ on Google, you’re likely to get multiple offerings across iOS and Android; how do you possibly choose one to play? We are here to help; this is our guide to choosing your poker app.
How Do You Want to Play?
Firstly, there are several ways to play online, and you must be clear about how you wish to play. Are you turning to online poker for the social aspect? If so, then there’s every chance you won’t want to play for real money, so you’ll look for a free-to-play or freemium app. That will narrow down your search significantly. If you wish to play for real money and enter serious tournaments, that will mostly be provided by a different app, so again, remember to narrow down your search by adding ‘real money’ to the terms. We can’t recommend a provider because different states and countries have various regulations and providers available.
What Do You Want to Play?
Once you have narrowed down your search, the next step is to identify a provider with the games you wish to play. There are plenty of different poker variants, and you may well have an idea of what you want to play. For instance, Texas Hold’em is the most popular poker variant offered by most providers, but if you are a Pot Limit Omaha player, the options might be a little more restricted. Most apps for your mobile device will have a website you can visit to check their variants and make sure you have the right games.
Get a Secure Site
Poker sites offer different options beyond their variants. There might be tournaments to enter, or you might just prefer certain types of interface. Each app will have a USP they push, from crypto payments to private tables, and it would be hard to cover each here – do consider those elements beyond simply picking a variant, but they’re not crucial to your security. Instead, once you have identified sites that have your variant and the type of game you want, you can complete the full house by picking a secure app. This isn’t as tough as it sounds; poker apps are regulated strictly, and a simple search of your chosen app with the word ‘security’ should let you know how safe it is. If you’re really struggling, visit a poker forum or review site, and see what others say.
Conclusion
As we said, this isn’t an exhaustive list, and you will have other requirements you want to fulfil, but these are the three fundamentals of a poker app. Beyond this, much is down to your taste and preference, and that will be what you use to narrow your search down from two or three to one.