POKER TIPS & STRATEGY

7 Tips to Find the Best Poker Apps for Real Money

By Ivan Potocki
December 11, 2018

In this day and age, people expect more and more things they have access to online to also be available on their mobile devices. Whether it is reading and responding to emails, browsing social media pages, or performing dozens of different work-related tasks, we’ve become accustomed to having it all available on our trusted phones and tablets that we carry with us all the time.

Online poker is no different. Although it is a form of entertainment for most people, it is only natural to want to be able to play from your phone whenever you feel like it. After all, if so many other things have been adjusted for mobile use, why should online poker be any different?

The good news is that there are many different poker apps out there that suit the purpose. The not-so-good news is that not all of them live up to the type of standards we’ve become accustomed to with the best gambling apps for real money in general. For various reasons, poker software developers seem to be slightly behind the pace in this particular area, so we’re bringing you some useful tips to find the best poker apps for real money.

mobile poker

1. Make sure the app is available across various devices.

There are three main types of operating systems powering mobile phones and tablets, namely Android, iOS, and Windows. The first thing you should look at when trying to rate a poker app is its availability. Ideally, the app should be available across all different devices so that you aren’t restricted to one particular type.

If this isn’t the case, you should investigate whether they at least offer an instant-play solution. For example, an online poker room might offer an Android app but also have an instant-play site for iOS and Windows phones. This might not be ideal, but it is a decent alternative and definitely beats not being able to play at all.

2. Check out the range of games offered on the app.

Although more and more online poker rooms are starting to offer mobile apps, only the best poker apps out there make sure to provide players with the full access to their cash game and tournament schedule. You’ll often find apps that only let you access cash game tables while playing tournaments still requires having access to your computer, even if it is just to register.

3. Test the user interface in play money mode.

It is hard to know if a poker app is right for you unless you try it for yourself. It is always better to test the waters in a play money mode and see if the user interface is intuitive and easy to use. Mistakes due to wrong-sized raises or accidental folds  (i.e., “misclicks”) can be costly when playing for real money, so take some time to test things out when there’s no risk to your bankroll.

4. Check out players’ reviews.

Like with almost all other products, players’ reviews for different poker apps tend to be a pretty good indicator of their actual quality. If there are many complaints about particular aspect(s) of an app, it is more than likely this is a real problem that you’ll have to deal with as well. Of course, people do exaggerate things sometimes and make them sound worse than they are, but if complaints are about important things (e.g., unstable connection, app freezing, or tendency to crash often, etc.), you should probably select an alternative option.

5. How important is multi-tabling to you?

Most people are content to play just one or two tables on their mobile poker app so, for most, multi-tabling isn’t that big of an issue. However, if this is something you care about and feel like playing just a single table would be very boring, make sure to check out multi-tabling options for your selected app. Due to various technical restrictions, many online poker apps these days aren’t particularly accommodating to those wanting to play more than a few tables so it might be challenging to find the app that suits your needs in this regard.

6. Can you deposit and withdraw via the app?

Some poker apps in the market will let you play but things can become difficult when it comes to making deposits and, especially, withdrawals. In fact, even some of the best poker apps out there might not let you withdraw or transfer money from your phone, which is a bit frustrating, but it has to do with precautionary safety measures. Of course, if your phone ever gets stolen, you’d hate for your poker bankroll to disappear as well because someone gained access to your account and moved the money out before you were able to react!

7. Stick to clean apps with no third-party adverts.

With the rising number of real money online poker apps out there, it is no surprise we’ve been seeing some pretty bad ones in the mix as well. If the app you’ve downloaded is showing third-party ads and links to sites other than the one owned by the room, you should probably steer clear. There is absolutely no reason for a serious poker room to employ these strategies, so they’re likely doing it just to squeeze some extra revenue while still charging you rake.

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Ivan Potocki poker author
Written By.

Ivan Potocki

Ivan Potocki transitioned to poker writing after playing more or less full-time for about five years. He first discovered poker while studying English Language and Literature at the University of Sarajevo. What started with freerolls and micro-stakes games led to a love for poker, opening gates to a whole different world. After finishing his studies […]

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