No Download Poker
Today, several poker sites offer multiple ways of playing cards for real money or for play online. These methods include downloadable software, mobile phone software, and no download versions that you can play directly in your web browser. This allows users to play online poker regardless of their operating system. In addition, Windows users can also opt to play no download poker if they’d rather not download any new software to their computer.
How To Find No Download Poker
Finding no download poker is relatively easy – especially since more and more online poker sites are offering no download alternatives to their downloadable software. At many sites, you’ll find a link right on their homepage labeled as Instant Play or No Download poker. Clicking the link will usually bring up simple instructions for accessing the No Download portion of the site.
Alternatively, you might click the Download link posted on a poker site. Don’t worry; you won’t be required to actually download anything. From here, you might see an alternative link to the No Download version of the site’s software. Many online poker sites, such as Ultimate Bet and Titan Poker, offer a no download option.
Advantages of No Download Poker
Although no download poker is sometimes looked at as a stripped down version of the downloadable software available from a poker site, this method of play does have its advantages. The largest advantage is the ability for users to play no download poker regardless of what computer they use do the fact that no download poker sites only require a web browser equipped with Flash or Java. This is especially useful for online poker players who use several different computers over the course of a day or week. You could, for example, play no download poker on your home computer in the morning, your work computer during your lunch break, and at an Internet café in the evening. Many public computers disallow users from downloading software, and no download poker won’t violate these sorts of policies.
Many users also report that no download poker is quicker to access than downloadable poker. This is partially because there’s no software to download in the first place. Some poker software downloads can total 100 Megabytes or more. For an individual on a slow dial-up Internet connection, a download of this size could take a long time to complete. No download poker allows you circumvent the waiting period.
Disadvantages of No Download Poker
No download poker is certainly not without its disadvantages. First, most no download poker software programs aren’t as full featured as their downloadable counterparts. Some of the useful features that online poker players are accustomed to, such as multi-tabling and lobby filtering, may be absent. The exact differences between no download and downloadable poker programs will vary by site, but the fact is that virtually all no download poker programs are limited in scale and scope as compared to downloable programs.
Other problems are more minor. Some users complain that no download poker sites don’t look or feel as nice as downloadable poker programs, but this is often a matter of preference. Some people also complain that they experience more errors, such as blank cards or lag, when playing no download poker. If you experience problems such as this, be sure that you have the most up-to-date browser software available installed on your computer, and contact the poker room if problems persist.
Alternatives to No Download Poker
Due to the shortcomings of no download poker, some poker players prefer not to use it. The most obvious and easy alternative is playing poker through downloadable software. This option is simple for Windows users, since virtually all online poker sites offer downloadable software that is Windows compatible. However, many sites do not yet offer Mac versions of their software. Exceptions to this include sites like Full Tilt Poker and Ultimate Bet.
If you absolutely must avoid no download poker and you don’t want to use a site with native Mac software, you can install a Windows emulator such as Virtual PC on your Mac and run the poker software within it. Alternatively, you can install Windows on your Mac through programs such as Boot Camp or Parallels.