Mobile devices are becoming more popular and more powerful every day. These days, you can do just about anything on an iPhone or an iPad; as the marketing slogan goes, if there’s something you want to do with your phone, “there’s an app for that.”
But one big omission from this nearly universal truth is online gambling. Apple and other phone manufacturers have largely prohibited apps that allow for real money gambling in their phones, likely worried about the potential backlash from some consumers as well as any possible legal ramifications under US law.
But just because there haven’t been many clients or solutions written specifically for playing online poker on your iPhone, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t workarounds you can use to play real money poker on your phone. The following solutions might just give you a way to enjoy your favorite online poker room from the convenience of your mobile phone.
Your Computer on Your Phone
One way to get around the fat that you can’t play at your favorite online poker site directly on your phone is to play on your computer instead – but access your computer through your mobile phone. For instance, you might choose to use a Remote Desktop Protocal – an option that comes with some of the higher end Windows operating systems such as Windows 7 Ultimate.
The functionality that comes with using an RDP system is hard to beat. Because it’s a function built right into Windows itself, it tends to run quickly and minimizes issues with lag. The downside is that most home users don’t operate a version of the Windows OS that has RDP built-in.
Another option is to use Virtual Networked Computing, a program that allows you to operate your computer remotely. While it won’t let you operate your computer with the same speed as RDP, this program works with just about any operating system, meaning it’s an option that’s open to just about anyone. Similar to VNC is the site LogMeIn, which allows you to remotely control a PC or Mac, and can be used from anywhere to play online poker.
The biggest downside to all these options is the fact that you’ll be transferring a lot of data between your phone and your computer, which can be very difficult for your phone’s network to handle. This can cause lag, and if that lag gets bad enough, it can make playing online poker impossible. The best solution is to try to keep your graphics and sounds from poker sites as minimal as possible, which will help keep the game running as smoothly as possible.
Mobile Poker Sites
There’s also at least one website out there that has been created specifically to allow you to play poker on your iPad or iPhone. That site, Switch Poker, is a browser-based poker room that was designed to be as playable as possible on the iPad, iPhone, and even some iPods. While the number of players participating at any given time is usually minimal, it’s a unique solution to mobile poker. It’s likely that in the years to come, more iPhone-specific (or, at least, mobile phone specific) poker rooms will be launched to take advantage of this growing market.
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This page was posted on October 5, 2011 when the world lost a pioneer, Steve Jobs.
Thanks Steve!