The Pre Match Warm Up

It’s always good to get some practice in before the game, so when I am on the train traveling to the game I get a chance to play a few hands. Usually, I tend to play poker games online or use one of the many poker apps such as Party Poker, as found on the poker app guide site, however there are plenty to choose from, some use real money whereas other are just for fun.

Poker Time

As we start the game and reminisce about our previous wins, we start one of our ‘timer’ apps to keep track of the blinds, so we can all concentrate on the cards. Depending on whether we use my iPhone or Craig’s HTC our timers of choice are; Poker Timer by Birdsoft (for both iPad and iPhone) or the Ultimate Hold’em Timer for Android. Both have simple, minimal displays that allow you to get all the information you need from a simple glance.

Who Gets The Beers

Playing on a custom made poker table at Andy’s is a pretty cool experience, but playing in the Kitchen, a stones throw away from the fridge also has its advantages; namely, its close to the beer. When we are separated from our precious drinks we like to use an app to designate who will make the mammoth journey. For this we like to use Tea Round for the iPad. It might be themed around Tea but with its simple customization it is easily re-purposed.

Who’s Hungry

What better way to compliment beer and cards than with a few Pizzas. So when 10pm comes around we use the handy Dominos App to choose and order our pizzas without having to break the flow of the game.

Are You Taking Notes?

If like me you are constantly looking to up your game then you can take you poker playing to the next level by using taking notes on the other players. For this I recommend Poker Notes Live (for both IOS and Android). This free poker utility app is a useful tool that will help you remember the moves, style, patterns, and tells you notice about other players at your table. Very handy for the serious player and it can be used when playing online as well.

Win or lose we all have a fantastic time and eventually we will take our game to Las Vegas when Andy hits 40, where we hope to take part in one of many tournaments held at Caesars Palace. Can’t wait!

The post Essential Apps for the Ultimate Poker Night appeared first on AppTrawler.

Playing poker efficiently has never been easier thanks to apps that users can easily whip out in times of need. Whether you’re a casual player or tournament card shark, these apps will give you the edge you need in keeping track of matches and calculating the odds of winning. Read on and see why the pros are treating these programs as essentials whenever they host matches or participate in tournaments.

Home Poker Tools – Clock

This poker tool is perfect for tournament hosts. Keeping track of time and matches can be a handful when done manually. So if you’re having a poker tournament with a lot of players, using this Home Poker Tool – Clock app made for the Android OS is a good idea. This easy-to-understand poker clock acts as an organizer that can automatically alert hosts of the tournament’s progress. It can keep track of the blinds, next blinds, number of players, number of players left, bounty, and provide suggestions on tournament payouts. The poker clock can be downloaded for free.

Poker Cruncher

Calculating the odds is a problem that many poker players face. Even professional card sharks sometimes find it hard to make accurate calculations especially during intense matches. Thankfully, there’s now an app that does this work for players, allowing them to fully concentrate on tournaments.

Poker Cruncher is a handy poker odds calculator. Users who are familiar with the Texas Calculate ‘Em program for the PC, which was made as a professional calculating tool for the partypoker.com software, will find the app’s functions quite similar. To date, Poker Cruncher is quite possibly the most powerful odds calculator available for smartgadgets. This is because it allows calculations for random hands and multiple player card input – features that aren’t readily available in other poker calculator apps. Like the Home Poker Tools – Clock app, Poker Cruncher can be downloaded for free.

There are also tools that can help poker players keep track of their opponent’s playing style and match history. Poker Tracker and Poker-Edge are examples of these tools. Unfortunately, such programs are currently only available for the PC and Mac. If you can find an app that has the aforementioned features, make sure to download it as well since it can help poker players improve their game.

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The post Two helpful poker tools made for smartgadgets appeared first on AppTrawler.

So when my friend Dave won a couple of thousand playing online poker my ears pricked up and I thought I would delve into the world of online gambling. There are so many to choose from that offer so many different features; some have 3D rendered avatars, others are full of glitz and glamor and other are straightforward and simple. With my eyes on the prize I decided to go for the latter as the less distraction on the app the more likely I am to concentrate.

I decided to try the android app from 888poker.com as the name and brand was reputable and the interface looked pretty clean. The three step sign up process was easy and having a £12 welcome bonus is always nice. The color scheme is dark but clean and the interface is uncluttered. Each player has a circle around their name that acts as a timer for their turn. This keeps the game fast but engaging and keeps the sound effects to a minimum giving the whole experience a serious touch. There are various buttons that allow automatic betting such as ‘post blinds’, ‘call/check’ and ‘fold’ so you can just watch the action unfold with little or no effort. I lost my first $20 within a hour but was able to win back my stake and more before the night was through giving me the impression that the other players are of mixed skill level giving this an advantage over the more ‘well known’ apps. Being on both Android and iPhone I was able to play on a table at home or stuck on the commute.

There are three different game types that include ‘Cash Games’, ‘Sit and Go Tournaments’ and if you eager to win the big bucks then there are ‘Scheduled Tournaments’ The Tournaments range sizes, buy-in cost and and prize money (that ranges from $2000 to $500,000).

The game is as addictive as you would expect a Texas Hold Em to be but reviewing a poker app is not really about the game but more the presentation and the overall package and 888 Poker is clean, simple and easy to use, whilst being serious at the same time. 888 Poker is definitely a poker players app and not a gamers app, as it’s less about the razzle dazzle of the big league tables and its celebrities and more about the pure essence of poker. Its easy to play on its own or whilst doing other things so if you are looking for either a great starter app or something for the discerning poker player then head over to 888 Poker.

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The post Review: 888 Poker | Android | iPhone appeared first on AppTrawler.