888 Poker Mobile Poker Review

One of the latest companies to adopt their own mobile poker client is 888 Poker. The software has been released as an app which users can download for iPhone, iPad and Android devices from all the most popular locations for your chosen device.

With the popularity of mobile poker gaming rapidly on the rise, let us take a closer look at the 888 Poker mobile client, which also affords Android users access to the range of 888 Sports betting markets.

If you haven’t yet tried 888 Poker – why not now? New players can get an 888 Poker £12/$8 free bankroll just for signing up.

888 Poker Mobile Software At-A-Glance

Device Support – The 888 Poker Mobile app works on Apple iPad and iPhone (including devices with iOS7) as well as the full range of Android mobiles and tablets.

Access – You can access the 888 Poker Mobile app by downloading the app from Apple and Google App stores, as well as direct from the 888 website. Once downloaded, the software will install and create a quick link to the mobile client which is accessed directly by selecting the icon.

Games Available – Currently 888 Poker players playing via the mobile app can play in a variety of Sit & Go games, Scheduled Tournaments and Cash Games. There is also an extensive number of practice games, where players play for credits rather than real cash, available that are especially suited to beginner poker players.

Any other software restrictions – While there are no restrictions as such, one small factor to note is that while Android users will be able to use their mobile poker log in to access 888’s sports betting site, currently this feature is not yet available to iPhone or iPad users.

888 Poker Mobile – Overview

One of the most instantly appealing aspects of the 888 Poker client is that it is very easy to download onto your device and quick to sign up and make a deposit. As a new player, you are eligible for $20 (£12) worth of free poker cash and tournament tokens when you sign up, so remember to check these out and use these as any cash you win, is automatically added to your bankroll.

Once you have logged in the site is very easy to use. The slider at the bottom of the page dictates whether the three game options (Cash Games, Sit & Go Tournaments or Scheduled Tournaments) are played for practice or real money. Simply move the slider across to select whether you want to play for cash or not.

If you select Cash Games or Sit & Go Tournaments, the next screen asks you to define the parameter of the games that you want to play. Here you define items such as whether you want no limit or a fixed limit at your cash table, the number of players you want to play against and the stakes you want to play for. For Sit & Go games you don’t select whether you want a no limit or fixed limit option, but you can select the speed of the game you would like to play (Normal, Turbo or Super Turbo).

Clicking on the Scheduled Tournaments button brings up a list of tournaments that are either in play and open for late registration, or scheduled to be played at a later date.

Registering for any tournament or table is very simple, either select the parameter of the table you want to play at (for Cash Tables & Sit & Go) or select the tournament to join. Once you have done that and paid the buy in, it is just a question of waiting for the tournament to start.

The graphical representation of the poker table on 888 Poker is excellent with the bets clearly defined, the cards easy to decipher and the landscape presentation on your device, especially iPad or Android tablets, very clear and easy to read.

Finding free tables can be somewhat time consuming at times, especially in the Sit & Go Tournaments and you may face a little wait before enough players fill your table. It is either that or deregister from the event and set new parameters in the previous screen to see if there is a table with more players waiting.

Financial transactions are swift, though it is not very easy to bring up your account data on the app itself. Instead, when you click to use the Cashier, you are taken to a browser to complete financial transactions.

888 Poker Mobile – The Positive Points

Playing 888 Poker via mobile or iPad is certainly very enjoyable and offers no discernible disadvantage compared to playing on a PC.

The app has several excellent features, namely:

• A freely available and easy to download app that will have even the most inexperienced of mobile / tablet user or poker player, ready to play within a few minutes.

• An eye catching site design which looks fantastic when loaded up on your phone or tablet. The graphics are high quality and the animations very smooth.

• The sheer wealth of games available through the app compares very favourably with other apps which, at present, do not offer the full range of poker games. With 888 Poker your options are not limited when playing via the app.

• Financial transactions are relatively easy and quick to process.

• Finding suitable games to play at lower to mid stakes is relatively easy as there are always plenty of tables available and lots of players on the site.

• You can redeem all of your new player tournament tokens direct from your tablet or mobile, though there is a slight issue with this as will be explained below.

888 Poker Mobile – The Negative Points

Although 888 Poker is certainly a very good mobile poker client and certainly one of the better ones available on the market today, that does not mean it is without some slight niggles.

• The fact that the software, when allocating players to Sit & Go games or Cash Tables, places a player at the next available table, does mean you can’t select tables to join yourself or browse the tables. This is an oversight, especially if players want to play on these tables with friends.

• A more important and annoying omission is the inability to check your account details from the app. On the website you can clearly see the amount of free tournament tickets and other bonuses you have. On the app, you cannot, although you can still use them to register for tournaments. This makes it difficult to keep track of when you have used all your tournament tokens up and it is frustrating to have to load up the laptop each time to check this or any other aspect of your account.

• Another negative is that while 888Poker have released Poker Coach for website users, this valuable tool for beginners is not yet compatible for mobile devices. Hopefully this is only a temporary issue and can be redressed relatively shortly.

888 Poker Mobile – The Conclusion – 8/10

The 888 Poker mobile client is certainly one of the easiest, most reliable and playable mobile poker clients available in the UK today.

The games play at a decent speed with relatively few crashes or other connection issues, the game looks nice and plays well.

It is certainly a polished product but it is not yet perfect, the lack of accessible data for players is a real oversight and effectively knocked this overall score down from a 9 to an 8. The addition of Poker Coach to the mobile service would also improve this score.

That said, this is still an excellent mobile poker app and one which is well worth checking out, especially given the attractive new player offer.