Online Poker: To Download or
Not To Download
Online poker has been
around for a few years now, in fact, since 2002,
it's been pretty major. For the most part, if
you want to play poker online, your only option
if you want to play for real money is to
download and install a program on your computer,
at least that's the popular belief.
The
World Before -
No-Download Poker
The download and install
user interface was originally only available to
people using a Windows operating system. No one
using Mac or Linux or any of the other operating
systems to run their computer were able to play
online poker. With the browser based user
interface, all of the people who were unable to
be part of the online poker boom can and are
part of the next wave of growth in online poker.
That
left most Macintosh poker players out though, so
in effort to scoop up that extra business,
online poker sites started offering
no-download-poker-sites.
Player's that opt to
download poker software are in essence
downloading a program that lets them manage
their account from within the program. They can
execute tasks including depositing money into
their accounts, and withdrawing their money in
addition to accessing their account histories,
stats and other tools provided within the
software.
Whether players opt to download the software or
not, they can choose to play in cash games for
real money, join a tournament, or play in play
money and freeroll poker events. Because of that
trend, the one instigated by Mac Poker players,
online poker players at most major poker sites
can play for real money without downloading any
additional programs. All that is needed is an
Internet connection and a web browser, and, of
course, an account with your favorite online
poker site.
Design and Function
The
addition of a web based user interface is big
boost to the online poker industry, not to
mention a huge convenience to online poker
players. Many major poker sites have made an
effort to design the browser based user
interface to be very similar to the downloaded
version. While much of the functionality and
appearance are almost identical, there are a few
features that are different.
Some sites allow you to
play multiple tables at the same time and define
how those tables are arranged on the computer
screen. Often you can choose to tile or cascade
them. While the browser interface does allow you
to play multiple tables simultaneously, it is
not yet able to support cascade and tile
arrangements. Other differences in feature
availability will exist as well. In order to
identify the specific differences that effect
you, you should check the site you prefer to
play at.
The Future of
Online Poker
While
it may seem like the browser interface may not
provide as complete an experience as the
downloadable interface
does, this by no means makes the browser
interface an inferior option. In fact there are
some things the downloaded interface will never
be able to offer. Mobility for one. With the
browser interface, you can log in and play poker
on any computer with internet access in seconds.
No waiting for downloads to complete, installs
to finish or patches to be applied.
Whether you use the traditional option or the
new
no-download poker interface
for your regular play is going to be a personal
choice. In most cases however, there will be a
blending of the two. While the downloaded
interface will reside on your preferred
computer, the ability to log in and play on any
computer will result in existing players putting
in more hours at the electronic felt every week.
Additionally, the influx of new players using
non-Windows based computers will be a huge.
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