The iPhone is now the #1 smartphone in the US and in many other countries around the world. The iPhone app store is a runaway success, with multiple developers vying for your app dollars. With so much competition, it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Let’s take a look at 5 of the best poker games for the iPhone.
UPDATE: On October 8, 2010, a real money poker room named Switch Poker has opened its doors to the general public. Although poker players from the US will not be allowed to play, a majority of others will have the privilege. At it’s current stage, the user interface is choppy, but the play is basically flawless. It will be interesting to see where Switch Poker future lies.
Go to our mobile poker page in order to see all mobile friendly poker rooms (unfortunately, none are available for US players). In addition, we have several mobile casinos too (again, not for US players – sorry)
It would seem remiss not to mention Apple’s own Texas Hold’em game. It has more style and realism than most other games, even if it is the weakest in this lineup. Unlike most poker games, where you play against a table of cartoon icons, this game has you playing against images of real people. Their animations sometimes show tells and gestures to pick up on, and it is up to you to decide what these tells mean.
Unfortunately, this game has very weak AI, making most of the players very easy to beat. The difficulty of different players is based more on a manipulation of the cards, which usually means you will end up on the losing end of a bad beat. This makes it a very frustrating experience.
Zynga Live Poker
Zynga is the company behind the pervasive Farmville, Mafia Wars, and other games popular on Facebook. Zynga Live Poker was first introduced on Facebook, and can now be played on the iPhone. It is possible to play live with other players, even on 3G, but some users have experienced a great deal of lag. You play not for real money, but for points, and your status is updated to Facebook if you choose, making it a very social game.
World Series of Poker Hold’em Legend Free
This is a single-player game where you work your way up the ladder of the tournament poker world. As you work through your poker career, you play in a number of smaller tournaments on your way to the WSOP Main Event, in pursuit of that elusive gold bracelet.
The AI is actually quite good for this game, and you don’t get the feeling that the cards are manipulated, making for a fun and fair experience, unlike the Apple game above. The career mode aspect gives it a lot of replayability.
Fans of heads up poker will definitely want to try this app, which lets you play heads up against a friend or the computer. Being able to connect to another friend with an iPhone or iPod Touch and engage in a quick game of heads up is a lot of fun, and the interface is very well-designed and easy to use. The computer AI is quite good, which makes for a good game when playing alone as well.
Poker Smash
Players looking for something a little different than a traditional poker game might enjoy this game, which is like a combination of poker and Tetris. Cards drop from the top of the screen, and the player must combine cards into poker hands to clear them from the board. It is a fun game that will also improve your hand-reading abilities, making you a better poker player.
*iPad® and iPhone® are trademarks of Apple, Inc.
*World Series of Poker® and WSOP® are trademarks of Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, Inc.