Sponsored Feature: Playing poker on your iPhone

With more than 20 million people in the world owning an iPhone, there’s bound to be a few (or a few hundred thousand) poker fans looking for a way to get in a few hands in on their phone.

But, as most online poker playing iPhiles have already figured out, Apple won’t officially approve any app which can be used for “gambling.” Meaning real-money online poker isn’t available yet - at least not in an official form.

In-browser poker rooms

Lots of poker sites offer play with a standard Web browser. And since the iPhone comes equipped with Safari, you might be thinking you're good to go.

It’s not that simple, unfortunately. Almost all online poker rooms with in-browser play use Adobe Flash. So you need to have a browser that supports Flash (and has it installed).
As of today, the iPhone doesn't have full Flash support. Adobe has said Flash will be coming soon, but there have been no developments yet.

One online poker site Absolute Poker does have a Java based in-browser room. But iPhone Safari doesn't really handle Java either.

You can install Java on a jailbroken iPhone, but full-functioning Java support isn’t possible from iPhone Safari.

The workaround option

The only working option isn’t really an iPhone option. Technically, you can use a remote-viewer app such as LogMeIn or iTap to remotely connect to your home computer.

Then, using your iPhone as a controller, you can play poker using the native poker software on your computer.
Although this works, anything but iTap or LogMeIn is far too laggy to be practical.

In short, other than this one pseudo-option (which isn't 100 per cent reliable for real-money play), there's no way to play real poker on an iPhone at this time.

Poker apps

So with no real solution for real online poker, that leaves poker fans with just the play-money apps from the iPhone store.

The upside is there are lots to choose from. And some are very good. Some, not so much. These are a few of the best:

Texas Hold’em ($4.99)

A real four-star app with two ways to play: against the computer or against other local iPhone players.

In single-player mode, you work your way up from the small-stakes and build your bankroll until you’re ready to take on the highest stakes.

The gameplay is what makes Apple’s app so slick. And, as you’d expect from Apple, the controls are easy to use and free of any glitches or annoyances.

In landscape mode, the game’s a lot like other Hold ’em apps. But in portrait mode you get a nice mix of animated table, chips and cards plus video of a dealer and players.

The only major downfall is you can’t play with other real people online.

Considering the price and the lack of online play, the app isn’t perfect. But it’s still four-star, see full review here.

World Poker Tour Texas Hold’em ($3.99)

This game is pretty tight. The controls are simple and accurate and the gameplay is what you would expect.

It offers play almost identical to the landscape version of Apple’s Texas Hold’em, but it also lets players create a profile and play with real players online - a feature that might actually make WPT the better choice for the more hardcore poker fan.

One of the only downsides though is also what WPT likely thinks is its biggest asset: professional poker player likenesses at the table. It’s cool to sit next to a computer version of Jesus Ferguson, but it’s embarrassing to watch the computer make a player as good as Ferguson play so badly.

While the game won’t give you great video opponents, it will let you play against other people for play money. Since it’s also cheaper than Apple’s product, this might be your best choice.

It probably should get four stars, but the app was busy trying to be far too flashy and exciting instead of focusing on just playing poker, so it’s probably closer to a three-and-a-half.

Zynga Live Poker (free)

For the money, this is the best poker app available from the App Store. It’s free, connects to your Facebook or MySpace account and pits you against live players.

The software is very good, but some of the graphics could be downplayed a bit to speed up the gameplay, as each hand takes forever to play out.

It’s also available in a few different versions. Basically, if you pay for it, you get a lot of free chips and can play tournaments. If that doesn't matter to you, stick to the free version.

The only downside is you're only playing for fake chips and bragging rights.

Good luck, and good flops!