Real Money Mobile Poker Apps. Mobile poker was little more than a gleam in some developer’s eye a few years ago. From that modest start has sprung a massive stable of mobile poker options for US online poker. Skip poker and play casino games instead. There are US friendly casinos that have iOS apps. Try to play real money poker using a remote desktop app. The idea behind the remote desktop app is to control your desktop from your phone or laptop. However, I'm not sure how convenient this may or may not be.
Mobile poker was little more than a gleam in some developer’s eye a few years ago. From that modest start has sprung a massive stable of mobile poker options for US online poker players. Using your mobile device to play real money online poker has never been easier, and those looking to get into the mobile poker game will find plenty of useful information in this Guide to Mobile Online Poker. We give how-to information to start playing. Saving money is another concern, so we provide tips for choosing payment methods for real money poker apps.
You may already be a mobile guru who knows all of the ins and outs of playing US online poker for real money on your mobile device. If so, you’re probably just looking for the best online poker sites for US players using mobile devices. Lots of trusted mobile poker apps exist, especially in regulated markets like New Jersey, where Caesars (WSOP.com) and MGM Resorts (Borgata) have sites. Most other US states feature offshore online poker rooms, which is where players need honest reviews of the best mobile card rooms.
Based on mobile performance, profitability, and a host of other information, here are our top mobile rooms for players from the United States.
Best Mobile Apps for Real Money Poker & Gambling
iPad and iPhone users generally have more options when it comes to real money gambling and poker apps. Our iPhone / iPad poker page explains how to find an app compatible with your device as well as the steps necessary for playing with real money against real people.
Fortunately, Android devices still work with Flash, but HTML5 is becoming the mainstream option. This gives USA, European, and Canadian mobile players plenty of options when it comes to playing poker tournaments on an Android smartphone or tablet. Our Android poker page explains how to play poker, or any game for that matter, on an Android as well as payment options when you are ready to make a cash deposit.
How to Play Online Poker on Apple Devices
While all Apple devices may have a similar look and feel, there are some real differences under the hood. That fact means you have different options for playing US online poker on your Apple device depending on which specific device you’re using.
Playing Poker on the iPhone
Neither the iPhone or the iPad support Flash in their native state. If you want the devices to support Flash, you’re going to have to do some pretty technical tricks in order to reformat your device. For most people this simply isn’t worth the trouble – instead, they just cross Flash-based mobile poker rooms off of their list.
That leaves iPhone users from the US who want to play real money poker online with a few choices: Apps that are specifically designed for the iPhone, or browser-based apps that are supported by the iOS version of the Safari browser. Thankfully, there are a number of apps available and new ones are emerging at a steady clip.
Playing Real Money Poker Using iPads
iPad owners have a few more options thanks to the increased size and power that the device offers when compared to the iPhone. Playing online poker from the United States with an iPad involves either a native app (of which there are a handful) or using your iPad as a tool for accessing another computer remotely. With a remote viewer program (many are commercially available), you can launch the online poker room on your desktop and then play a poker tournament or cash game on your iPad by accessing the desktop on your iPad using a remote viewer.
If you have any questions about site compatibility with Apple devices, feel free to contact us. If we can answer your question, we’ll even add it to our guide for mobile poker play!
How to Play Online Poker on Android Devices
Android has come from basically nowhere to a near-dominant force in the mobile market in just a few short years. Online poker players from the United States have a lot to like about playing Android mobile poker, as the platform offers a wider variety of choices than the standard Apple device. Most legitimate poker sites have Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud poker at the very least.
Poker Online Real Money
Real Money Poker on Android Phones
Android phones do support Flash, but that may be ending in the near future. Until it does, online poker players can easily play at several rooms from the United States by simply visiting a Flash-based no download poker site on their phone. There are also a handful of native apps available for real money poker, although you may not be able to access all of them directly from the app store. Instead, you’ll need to visit the poker room directly to obtain the installation link for the app.
Real Money Online Poker on Android Tablets
While there has yet to be a true iPad killer in the lineup of Android-powered tablets, the collective strength of Android tablets is significant and seems to gain market share with each passing day. With a powerful mobile browser that is quite close to the desktop version in terms of features and capabilities, Android tablets let you play at basically any room that offers a no download version of their poker room software. That range of choice makes Android a superior tablet choice for US poker players primarily interested in using a tablet to play poker online.
How to Play Poker Online on Blackberry
The range of poker products available for Blackberry users is the slimmest of all major mobile hardware providers. While Blackberry once commanded a vast percentage of the total market, the focus of the company has always been corporate use – a focus that dissuaded most developers from developing dedicated poker site apps for the Blackberry.
We didn’t include a separate section for Blackberry tablets simply because it doesn’t seem as if anyone actually uses them; beset by problems and plagued by delays, the tablet market has been all but abandoned by Blackberry in favor of a focus on saving the mobile handset division of the company.
How to Use Amazon Kindle for Online Poker
Much like Android, the Kindle has exploded in use and reach over a very brief period of time. While most think of the Kindle as a device to be used exclusively for reading or watching movies, the browser (Silk) built into the device does afford poker players from America a few options for playing at online poker. You won’t find any poker apps in the Kindle app store, but you can use the browser to play at a few no download rooms. Some risk-free mobile poker apps like Replay Poker exist which you can play (or spielen in German).
As the Kindle grows in popularity, we fully expect that more and more real money gambling options will become available for the device both directly and indirectly. Until that point, Kindle users will have to tolerate a relatively slim selection of options for real-money poker play online.
Five Tips for a Positive Mobile Poker Experience
Playing online poker from the US on a mobile device should be an enjoyable experience. Here are five brief tips that will help United States players get the most out of online poker on their mobile device – whatever that device happens to be.
- Start With a Trial Run: Playing mobile poker is going to be a different experience, so it’s best that you treat your first few sessions as a trial run. Play low stakes on sites like PokerStars or partypoker – much lower than you’re used to – while you get used to the interface and other elements of the software that might differ from the desktop experience. Save your cash until you know the online cardroom well.
- Adjust Your Expectations: Mobile poker may look like the online poker you’ve come to know, but you’ll be playing fewer tables with less external information. Multi tabling is harder with Android or iOS poker. If you go into sessions expecting them to be the same as the ones you play with a full setup, you may be leaving yourself open to a bit of frustration – and possibly even tilt – when those expectations aren’t met.
- Don’t Play in Public: The great thing about mobile: you can play anywhere anytime. The bad thing about mobile: Anywhere includes a lot of insecure internet connections. Playing on public connections is just an unnecessary risk that can expose you and your poker accounts to a variety of threats. Resist the urge to play just because you can, and only play mobile poker when you feel comfortable with the security of your connection.
- Keep it Simple: If getting your mobile poker setup complete is causing you irritation, or if your system makes playing poker too complicated, you might want to back off. Playing poker is hard, and if you make the process of getting online to play poker difficult as well, you’re asking for trouble when you finally do get to the tables.
- Maintain Your Focus: When you’re playing at your normal computer, you probably have a routine and other tools that help you to stay focused while playing. When you transition to a tablet or phone, it might be tempting to let your attention wander to your surroundings. Don’t text, read the news, or chat with the person next to you while you play poker for cash. Make sure you develop a plan for maintaining your focus while playing on mobile devices to ensure that mobile poker play has just as much profit potential as your standard play.
Most legit mobile card rooms have Android and iPhone apps that pay for quick and secure deposits. One final thing about funding your mobile poker account: consider whether you should use credit cards, debit cards, or giftcards as deposit options. Each has their advantages. Credit cards have rewards programs with cashback. That extra cash factors into your expected return the way a poker bonus does. Use Visa, MasterCard, or American Express credit card deposits if you want to earn money while playing cards.
Giftcards only contain the amount on the giftcard, so if you play in public where identity theft is a bigger concern, pay with giftcards to limit potential losses. Debit cards split the difference, because they only contain the amount in the account, so thieves can’t charge up the account. They contain larger funds (usually), though Visa, MasterCard, or Amex also provide security on the cards. All three cards add one layer of protection between poker payments and your bank account.
Found a room to play legal mobile poker and now you want to know how to make a deposit? Check out our pages covering Visa deposits, MasterCard deposits, MoneyGram deposits and Pre-paid Card deposits.