iPhone Poker Sites

Are There Any iPhone-Native Poker Sites Out There?

Yes, there are a handful of poker sites that have built iPhone poker apps. But they are few and far between, and most of them aren’t tied to the bigger poker rooms online.

The first iPhone poker site ever was Switch Poker. Switch is a very minimalistic poker room designed specifically for mobile devices. The site is written in JavaScript, so everything is very simple.

Since Switch targets a tiny niche, the site has no player base aside from the few players who only play on a mobile. As far as I can tell, there are about 6 players online at Switch at a given time.

Switch is also a non-US room, so Americans can’t deposit at the site. This isn’t ideal, but it’s about the only functional iPhone-native poker site around.

Why Are There So Few iPhone Poker Sites Right Now?

Simply put, Apple has made it tough going on gambling app developers. Apple’s legal, software, and hardware requirements for iOS development are narrow and unflinching. Thus if a developer’s app doesn’t fit very precise specifications, the app can’t be sold in the App Store.

One issue is that Apple’s terms of service frowns on gambling apps. In order for an app to qualify for sale, it pretty much can’t offer real-money gambling services at all. This prevents most would-be iPhone poker sites from hitting the virtual shelves.

Another issue is the software and hardware restrictions developing for iOS entails. The iPhone doesn’t support Java – at least not without a jailbreak – which rules out porting most poker software directly to iPhone. The iPhone also shuns Flash, which most poker sites employ when building web-based poker clients.

As a result of all these roadblocks, iPhone-native poker sites are still little more than a pipedream. Online poker sites will be able to deliver fully-functional iPhone poker clients only once Apple relaxes its app requirements.

Until then, we’ll have to get creative if we want to play at iPhone poker sites.

Can I Play At PC-Based Poker Sites On My iPhone?

Yes, absolutely. If you’re really motivated, you can make an iPhone do almost anything – including run an online poker site.

Now, it isn’t entirely true that an iPhone can run an online poker site by itself. We’ve already seen why. What an iPhone can do is access your personal computer and serve up some poker action remotely.

Think of this as turning your iPhone into a remote control for your computer. Instead of infrared beams, the iPhone uses the internet to communicate with your desktop. And instead of watching a picture on a television, you’ll be interacting with your home computer on an iPhone screen.

Cool, huh?

How Do I Turn Regular Poker Sites Into iPhone Poker Sites?

The whole remote access thing sounds complicated at first; but thanks to some pretty ingenious software, it’s not difficult to use.

There’s a program called LogMeIn that was developed specifically to make remote access simple. You don’t need any technical know-how above and beyond knowing how to install a computer application.

If you know how to click buttons, you can play at iPhone poker sites using LogMeIn.

How Do I Use LogMeIn to Play iPhone Poker?

It only takes a few minutes to get started with iPhone poker using LogMeIn. Follow these steps and you’re good to go:

1. Head to the LogMeIn Ignition site and read about the product. This is the iPhone app you will need in order to connect to your desktop computer. Alternatively, head straight to the iTunes App Store to download the app. Note that you’ll need to shell out $15 to purchase Ignition. But it’s well worth it if you want to play at iPhone poker sites.
2. Head to the LogMeIn Free site to download the PC app. You’ll need to install this on your main computer in order to connect with your iPhone. This app is totally free, and will work with all your iOS devices.
3. If you haven’t already, create a LogMeIn account. You’ll use this to facilitate desktop sharing between LogMeIn-enabled devices.
4. Connect to your desktop from your iPhone with a single button click!

Once you’ve done the above, your home computer’s desktop will be visible right on your iPhone screen. At this point your iPhone acts just as your mouse and keyboard would. You can click on programs, open documents, and play games as you so desire.

In order to play at iPhone poker sites, you just need to open up your preferred poker client. Voila! You’ve transformed your iPhone into a lean mean iPhone poker site machine.

What Are the Downsides Of Non-Native iPhone Poker Sites?

Although playing poker remotely using LogMeIn is pretty darn cool, there are some gameplay issues to be aware of. It’s a good temporary solution to the current lack of iOS poker apps, but it’s far from a perfect way to play.

First, consider that the iPhone screen is only 3.5 inches high and 2 inches wide. Further, an iPhone’s screen resolution ranges from 320x480 to 640x960, which isn’t very high. PC poker software is designed for large, high-resolution computer monitors – not tiny screens like the iPhone’s. So you will have a hard time reading things on the screen, clicking buttons, and interacting with the poker client generally.

Also consider that both 3G and Wi-Fi protocols are fallible. Your connection might be slow, buggy, or laggy, and there isn’t much you can do about it. As a result, you might have to deal with the occasional mid-pot disconnection.

Are these downsides worth it? It’s hard to say. It all depends on how much you want to play at iPhone poker sites. Die-hard players almost universally consider LogMeIn to be a godsend, but you may not. You’ll just have to try it out and see!