Windows Mobile Poker: Out of Luck, Not Out of Option

Windows poker players have been spoiled.

From the get-go you’ve been able to play poker from your computer or laptop. There’s always been a download for you.

All the while the people beneath you (aka Mac owners) go without or have to find a workaround.

So this piece of news I’m about to share with you Might. Just. Shock. You.

There isn’t one US poker site that offers mobile-compatible games for your Windows phone or tablet.

No native app. No instant play software.

Nothing.

There are a couple of reasons for this.

For one, Windows users are the minority. They literally make up less than 10% (probably more like 5%) of the mobile market. And when you factor in Windows users that also happen to enjoy playing poker at offshore poker sites, the user-base is even smaller.

So why should anyone bother creating an option for them? It makes more sense to appeal to the larger markets i.e. Apple and Android.

Okay, but what about instant play software?

That would be fine if you were able to get a browser that is both compatible with Windows and the poker site’s software. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Most poker sites claim their software is best suited for Opera (Apple) or Chrome (Google / Android). And last I checked a Chrome app is NOT being made for Windows.

So it appears that you’re S.O.L. Sorry!

But...  if you’re willing to change gears – maybe even get creative – you CAN use your phone to gamble. In some cases even with real money.

Are you interested?

What You Can Do Instead

Alright, I’m going to share some options you have for gambling with your Windows phone / tablet.

Option #1 – You can chuck it out the window. Make a wager on how many pieces it will end up in. You can bet on whether it’ll work or not after it hits the ground. You can also bet on if you’ll cry when it happens.

Once you’re done…

You can join the rest of us and get an Android or iOS powered device.

I’m joking – kind of.

Okay, seriously now – what can you do with your phone?

Your best option for real money gambling is to join a casino. Not a poker site, a casino.

The best Windows-compatible casino I know of is Drake Casino. They’re powered by BetSoft, an emerging leader in the 3D gaming space.

And the only casino have Windows-ready games.

So what can you play here?

  • American Blackjack
  • Caribbean Poker
  • A Night in Paris (slots)
  • Good  Girl, Bad Girl (slots)
  • Madder Scientist (slots)
  • Single Deck Blackjack
  • Slotfather (slots)
  • Sushi Bar (slots)
  • Tycoons Plus (slots)

Some of these have progressive jackpots. You can win tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Just imagine what you could do with that kind of cash.

For starters, you could buy an iPhone and play real money poker at Carbon Poker.

(Sorry, I had to!)

But, seriously, they have solid games. You’ll really enjoy the cut scenes and bonus rounds. It’s a great mix of video games, Pixar-like animation and gambling.

Another option is to download a free money app from the Windows Phone store. Here are a couple of options for you:

  • Texas Holdem Poker – This has neat features including live chat, personal avatars, SNGs, cash games, 200+ goods you can send other players, Facebook connect and the option to save to a SD card. This is a 5-star app with more than 60,000 reviews.
  • Mega Poker Texas Holdem – Play live holdem with other players on the internet. When you sign up you’ll get up to 1-million chips. You can connect fast using Facebook and get daily chips – free. The graphics look great here too. This is rated at 4-stars with just a bit more than 800 reviews.

Those two are the best I’ve found. Both are free.

Alright, here’s one more option for you.

If you can’t play poker for real money the next best thing is to use your mobile device to network, study and get better at poker.

How do you do that?

For starters you can pick up a book from Amazon. There is an Amazon Kindle app that you can download to your phone/tablet free. Once you have that you might consider one of these books:

  • The Theory of Poker: A Professional Poker Player Teaches You How To Think Like One by David Sklansky
  • Every Hand Revealed by Gus Hansen
  • The Mental Game of Poker: Proven Strategies For Improving Tilt Control, Confidence, Motivation, Coping With Variance by Jared Tendler
  • Harrington on Holdem Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments Vol. 1-3 by Dan Harrington

These are some of the best books you can get for tournaments and cash games. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Doyle Brunson’s Super System is on the Kindle (or any digital platform).

Other than books I recommend you join a forum. You can create an account for free, then browse the hundreds of forums, threads and posts. Lots of places like 2+2 have threads stickied with tons of great info for beginners / recreational players.

These are the forums I suggest you check out:

  • 2+2
  • Pocket 5’s
  • PartTimePoker

You can also start a group chat on Skype. Get 5-10 guys together to chat about strategy, the best deals and whine about bad beats.

The bottom line is that there’s plenty to do from your phone if poker is what you’re after. It just might not be for real money.

But you can always save that for your computer. Poker is much easier to play that way anyway, trust me on that.