Play Poker Online On Windows & Mac Computers
Card games are a great way to take the edge off things. I remember playing poker with some friends and we kept playing for hours in a row. Then it was time to head home.
Of course, I hadn’t had enough yet (and I wanted to make up for my losses, like any deteriorating gambler), so I went looking for poker software online.
I kept playing poker for some time that night, until I had to cut my losses (fake money, if I need say). The next morning I went looking for other card games.
It seems that there are a lot of great card games available for download. The great majority of these games – and the one we’ll be eyeing today – are games that you can play against others online. We’ll also focus specifically on a piece of software that is supported by both Windows and Mac systems.
CAUTION
Note that most of these applications require you to be of legal age, even if you’re not playing with real money. Online gambling is a serious thing and most services will tempt you into playing with real money. Some of them even go as far as giving better cards to new players, and promise you special bonuses if you sign up with your credit card.
Be very wary of this, and keep in mind that a lot of these premium services (especially if you move on to the chance gambling) are specifically designed to take more money than they give!
In the end you’re most of the time better off playing with fake chips, saving the real money for the games with your friends, where you’re better aware of the set conditions.
Downloadable Poker Client
These are applications that you can download to play poker with. The advantages? Your games are always within reach.
PokerStars
PokerStars.net is the free counterpart of the premium PokerStars.com. It’s also the biggest online poker community in the world, with over 14 million members (yes, you heard that right!).
Available Games
Besides the popular Texas Hold’em, you can also play games of Omaha and Seven Card Stud (both High and Hi/Lo).
PokerStars hosts a very large number of very varying tournaments, the biggest free online tournament site in the world. The play limits differ widely as well, ranging from street-low to sky-high. Because of this, you can almost always find a fitting game right away, with the play limits you prefer.
The Client
The software of PokerStars is, compared to various other poker clients, remarkably swift and has a lot of advanced possibilities.
In poker you don’t just play with cards, you play with people as well. In PokerStars it’s possible to tag notes to other players that you encounter, which you’ll be able to view later on. This way, if you play with returning people, you can easily remember one’s behaviour; if he was an defensive or an aggressive player, tactical or careless.
Another feature is to change the client’s theme. Choose from one of the available styles, and adjust it to your liking. It won’t make you a better player, but it surely soothes the eye.
If you enjoyed this article, or gambling in global, you might also like to read our betting for fun article.
What poker clients do you use and why? Spout it out in the comments!
(By) Simon is a student and tech enthusiast from Belgium. On MakeUseOf, he's the primary gaming writer and eBook editor. Check Simon out @ http://meme.yahoo.com/slangen/
In poker you don’t just play with cards, you play with people as well. In PokerStars it’s possible to tag notes to other players that you encounter, which you’ll be able to view later on. This way, if you play with returning people, you can easily remember one’s behaviour; if he was an defensive or an aggressive player, tactical or careless.
Checkout http://www.pokerth.net/ , offers offline play against computer or network play or online play. Really nice!
I play on PokerStars and also Full Tilt Poker. They are both very similar in their layout and games, being able to play for free and also using real money if you are willing to take the risk. Great fun, but can be addicting and time wasters, feeding the procrastination habit!
You can even play for real money without the need to deposit your own. Just go to http://www.pokerstrategy.com and you will get 150$ for free to try out onlinepoker at Pokerstars and other sites.
But, as you state: “Some of them even go as far as giving better cards to new players”. I can’t verify this for Pokerstars or Partypoker, the games seem absolutely fair there.
Your comment that online poker software will deal better cards to new players is simply false, and is a display of just how little you know about the online gaming world. Next time when you decide to write-up an article about online poker, make sure you at least know what you are talking about, or contact someone who does.
Trusted Poker sites such as PokerStars has a completely random deal that has been proven independent of the company by the poker community time and time again.
Thanks for the innacurate report, Simon.
I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say.
When I said that it ‘happens’, I don’t mean that it’s common business. (When I say that ‘thieving happens’, do I call everybody a thief? -of course not)
Neither did I accuse PokerStars of it. If PokerStars weren’t a trusted poker site, like you state, I would never have done a write-up on it.
However, what I do mean to say is the following: there are tons of poker clients out there, and some don’t play fair.