Mobile Poker too Limited for Serious Players

Playing poker on mobile is convenient, but hardly adaptable for today’s most serious grinders.

For years, PC gaming was all the rage. Many video gamers and online gamblers still prefer playing on a desktop computer. However, the rise of smartphones and tablets has taken the experience to a whole new level of convenience and portability.

Poker players in particular have come to appreciate the versatility that exists between the two. But mobile poker isn’t for everyone; at least, not all the time. Casual players will appreciate the opportunity to join in games on the go, but for serious grinders, smartphones and tablets aren’t nearly so adaptable as a desktop PC at home.

Playing Poker on Mobile

I can appreciate a good mobile cash game as much as anyone. It sure takes away the stress and monotony of the daily commute. And being Canadian, having access to international poker sites like 888 ensures there’s always plenty of activity on the virtual felt at all hours.

Mobile technology has gotten a lot better in recent years. Poker lobbies and games are finally just as easy to navigate and play on mobile devices as they are on a PC or laptop. They are perfect for any casual player looking for a quick game, anytime, from anywhere. But they aren’t for everyone.

Mobile Poker too Limited for Serious Players

For serious poker players, playing poker on a mobile device can be far too restrictive. These players spend hours at a time grinding the virtual felt, often playing multiple tables at once. For this, a good desktop set-up, preferably of ergonomic design, is required.

Split-screening two tables on the miniature screen of a smartphone can make it difficult to read the text and tap the appropriate betting options. Larger tablet screens make it a bit easier to run two simultaneous tables, maybe even four, but that’s going to be the limit.

I know players who run 12 cash games at a time, viewing 4 tables per monitor. Their desktop set-ups are impressive, to say the least, with a trio of 24-29” monitors fanned out and angled for easy viewing. A friend of mine who utilizes this set-up on a daily basis said he finds it very difficult to play mobile poker games anymore, and only plays heads-up when he has to. I can imagine how painstakingly slow a single, full table game feels when he’s used to playing up to a dozen tables at once.

Mobile Access Perfect in a Pinch

Despite the limitations, even serious poker pros can appreciate mobile access in a pinch; like when there’s a good online poker tournament coming up, and you can’t get home before start time. I’ve used this method myself on several occasions.

I’ve also run into trouble with home internet service during a tournament, and was able to get back in the game on my mobile network. This happened just a few weeks ago during a bad storm. I was playing an $11 SNG at PartyPoker with four players left. If I hadn’t been able to log back in on my phone, I would have lost. Instead, I got back in and finished third, doubling my buy-in.

If you’re a recreational player who’s betting low stakes for entertainment value and hopefully a few extra bucks, playing poker on mobile is a good option. If you’re a serious player looking to put in more hours for the big profit, I highly recommend playing the majority of your poker games on desktop.