PokerStars has just launched their mobile app in the UK, which allows players with compatible phones to play real money games, even if they’re away from their computer. The app, which was made available for download on February 14th, allows players to play sit-and-go games, multi table, and compete in all the PokerStars tournaments.
The app is available throughout Great Britain (save for Northern Ireland), and versions exist for the iPhone, iPod, iPad, and various Android devices. The game has been rescaled to fit perfectly on the screen of the various devices that can use it, and the graphics and playability are uncompromised. Truly, using the PokerStars Mobile App is pretty much exactly like playing PokerStars from your computer, but with added portability! Now you can play from absolutely anywhere– waiting in line, on a plane (if the plane has wi-fi, that is), during boring business meetings. The new PokerStars app aims to revolutionize the way that players relate to poker and fit it into their lives, and from what we’ve seen, it has the potential to do just that!
PokerStars mobile is ideal for the casual player who is trying to beef up his or her game whenever the opportunity presents itself (and when you can play a few hands at the grocery store checkout, that opportunity presents itself far more often). The poker games currently covered by the app are Hold’em, Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo, and all come in No-Limit, Pot-Limit, and Fixed-Limit. Multi table doesn’t work exactly like it does on the computer– but it’s a reasonable approximation for the platform. Four tables is the limit for all devices except for the iPad, which can accommodate five, and one nice thing about multitabling on PokerStars Mobile is that your hole cards are clearly displayed, despite the small screen size.
PokerStars launched a mobile app in Italy last year, and while Italian players could only play for pretend money, rather than use their PokerStars funds, the app was popular and allowed PokerStars to run a successful beta test among an existing client base. A year later, with some added functionality thrown in, the same technology is seeing a re-release as PokerStars mobile 2.0, aimed at Britain.
So how does the app work with the functionality of your phone and plan? Well, for one, if you answer a call, you’ll have so sit out a hand, and if you’re gone for more than 25 seconds, you’ll be booted. Playing runs smoother over Wi-fi than 3G, but the same can be said of pretty much all apps that require a constant data stream. Because the game is using data (1MB down and 500KB up per hour), you’ll probably want to think carefully about whether or not to use the app if your plan isn’t unlimited.
You can download the app from pokerstarsmobile.com, although you’ll need a PokerStars account beforehand. PokerStars is currently offering a sweet 100% match on opening deposits, so there’s never been a better time to join PokerStars and play… now from anywhere!