Poker for iPhone – it’s no Bluff

A lot of people play poker online just for fun, without risking huge sums of money. Now, do you need a PC to indulge in this popular pastime? Of course not! As long as you don’t require hard cash to be wagered, you can have a good time playing poker on your iPhone. Several good poker apps are available. I had a look at two of them, possibly the best ones right now.

Apple Texas Hold’em

This is Apple’s own poker app. The game being played is Texas Holdem (no kidding) and you can play either against AI opponents (decent) or against up to eight friends over the Wi-Fi connection. A neat party trick.
In the good old Apple manner, this poker app is both innovative and easy to use. It makes good use of the touch screen, for example by letting you tap the screen when you want to check, or drag the chips into the middle using your finger. The graphics are excellent.

Zynga Live Poker

With Zynga Live Poker, iPhone poker comes very close to real online poker. You still have to settle for fun-money play, since Apple won’t allow anything else, but there are literally millions of opponents to play with. You can play poker against your friends (and strangers) on Facebook, Yahoo, Myspace and several other social sites. Since no money is at risk, you can truly enjoy a game of poker anytime you have a couple of minutes to spare, and mobile coverage. Zynga even looks a lot like the online poker rooms, and it works in similar fashion. It may not be as graphically pleasing as Apple Texas Hold’em, but it’s easy to learn and gives you a genuine poker experience. Both apps can be found in the iTunes app Store. CM