Part #2: PokerStars Mobile Changes the Game
It was about to happen sooner or later and two years after PokerStars had bought mobile gaming firm Cecure Gaming they finally launched PokerStars Mobile in late 2011. The world’s largest online poker site had been keeping a close eye on the development of mobile poker and now they were ready to bring it to the next level.
Until then most mobile poker apps had been ripped down versions of the desktop client’s without tournaments or multi-tabling. Switch Poker was an exception of this and their multi-tabling web app supported playing up to 4 tables simultaneously on an Android Tablet. Switch Poker had been the first one to introduce multi-tabling poker for mobile but they were too missing sit n’ go’s and tournaments amongst many other features normally found in the desktop software.
Cecure Gaming’s experience on mobile gaming really shines thru on PokerStars Mobile and for now it is the most complete and polished mobile poker app on the market. The app has all the same Texas, Omaha & Omaha Hi/Lo cash games, sit n’ gos and tournaments that are available within PokerStars desktop client. When it was first launched it was missing PokerStars’s fast-fold variant Zoom Poker but since then it too has been added to the mix. Multi-tabling is possible and moving between tables is quick using swipe gesture.
Even though PokerStars Mobile is the best mobile poker app on the market it still has a room for improvement. For serious multi-tablers being able to tile tables next to each other on a large tablet screen would be more than a welcome addition. This has already been done on Switch Poker so it might be only a matter of time before PokerStars’s introduces tiled multi-tabling for iPad and Android Tablet. Some other poker variations like Stud and Draw Poker are also missing and they are only playable using the normal desktop version. At the moment PokerStars Mobile web cashier only allows players to deposit, for withdraws one again has to have an access to the desktop client so there is another invonvenience to work on.
It undoubtly has it’s flaws, but today it is the most complete and advanced mobile poker app and the one that competitors will have to challenge in the future. In many ways PokerStars Mobile was just what the doctor had ordered and we are eager to see how other online poker sites will respond to it in the future.
Mobile Poker Today is Fast-Folding
Mobile Poker is getting more popular each passing day and online poker sites are constantly looking for a new ways to attract players into their mobile products. One of the newest trends in online poker is Fast Poker and it suits playing poker on mobile perfectly. Fast Poker is quick, easy and convenient. Fast-folding poker was first introduced by Full Tilt in the name of Rush Poker and since then a half-dozen other poker sites have launched their own versions of it. PokerStars has Zoom Poker, Microgaming’s version is Blaze Poker, iPoker is calling it Speed Hold’em and so on. Common to most of these are that they are either already playable on mobile or they will be in the future. Just recently iGame went mobile with Fast Poker for Android and the next one in line is Microgaming on Blaze Poker Mobile.
Fast Poker style of dealing fits mobile gaming amazingly well but make no mistake about it, there is also the money factor weighting in on these decisions to launch fast-folding poker for mobile. Mobile players tend to play shorter periods at a time and online poker sites are always looking for ways to maximize their profits. This is where fast-folding poker comes in. Fast Poker equals more hands per hour and it leads to more rake generated from each player. Fast Poker is fun and it’s an ace for mobile poker but we hope that poker operators don’t just stick with it for the sake of profits and that they will instead challenge PokerStars with more sophisticated mobile apps in the future.
On the devices front today’s mobile poker markets are dominated by apps for the Apple iOS and Android platforms. These two are the big players but it’s interesting to see whether Windows Mobile 8 can challenge them in the future. If Windows OS Smartphones and Tablets can get their slice of the mobile poker market share we will most likely see some poker apps for windows mobile. But for now if you want to play poker on your mobile it’s only a matter of choice between Apple and Android.
Cloud Poker Mobile and the Future
One online poker operator is taking a completely different approach when it comes to playing mobile poker. That operator is a small iPoker skin WinPoker and they are taking mobile poker in the Cloud. What does this mean then? It is a cost and time effective innovative approach that promises to bring the fully featured desktop software and playing experience for an iPad and Android Tablet.
WinPoker Mobile uses the PokerCloud Remote Desktop app which connects to WinPoker server running a full desktop software. Players can then enjoy all the features as they would on a normal desktop client as they are actually playing with one, the difference only being that they control it remotely. WinPoker Mobile is currently on a limited beta test period and players will need to have $100 in their WinPoker account to gain access to it.
This is a bold move from WinPoker and we will have to see how the app plays out. If they can eliminate the early lag issues and improve on the app’s response to touch this might be a winner. For now it is too early to tell because the app’s availability is still limited. One has to see how WinPoker servers will handle the load after they release it to the public and if it can provide an enjoyable playing experience during high traffic.
So what does the future hold for mobile poker?. One thing is for sure, we’re just getting started. Maybe other online pokers sites will get in the cloud too with their mobile apps in hopes of challenging PokerStars Mobile. Or maybe they will get badly sued by PokerStars, (which recently got their hands on the Rush Poker patent in the Full Tilt purchase) wave the white flag and drop their speed poker variant alltogether.If PokerStars does have a valid case with their high speed online poker patent they would swipe out competitors from the fast-folding game and others would have to concentrate on regular poker for mobile.
But what ever happens we have some fascinating times in front of us and playing poker wherever you are is now more fun and a lot easier than ever!
