WatchWPT is a way for WPT Enterprises to bring the World Poker Tour to poker fans at their convenience. Making it an app allows it to fit into the busiest of lifestyles, but its availability as a website (worldpokertour.tv) gives viewers even more options.

The new and improved #WatchWPT app is here — and IT'S FREE!

Dive into our extensive library of past livestreams, TV Final Tables, and more!

Check it out here – https://t.co/maW705XHTu
Also available in the App & Google Play Stores pic.twitter.com/lJgaCha9Zj

— World Poker Tour (@WPT) August 2, 2023

I’ll admit that I didn’t know the WPT had an app that needed to be improved. The “new and improved” WatchWPT has a new user interface and more content.

Reason for WatchWPT App Relaunch

According to the World Poker Tour, the relaunch of WatchWPT was to broaden its reach, taking it to the level of an app that poker fans can access from their mobile devices. At the same time, they launched the product for availability on Vizio and LG Smart TVs. Soon to follow will be Samsung and Philips TVs.

More than that, the relaunch is a part of the rebranding efforts that began last year for the World Poker Tour. With the Season XX changes, WatchWPT was slated for upgrades as well. It now has an improved interface and provides a more user-friendly experience.

What to Watch on WatchWPT

The vast library of World Poker Tour events is on the WatchWPT app and website. Check out everything from old Grand Prix de Paris and Legends of Poker final tables to Alpha8 and celebrity specials. There are also collections of the most memorable WPT final tables from the past as well final tables and livestreams from the 2022 WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.

Currently, the categories by season includes everything from Season 8 of the World Poker Tour through Season 18. All three seasons of Alpha8 high rollers are available as well.

More episodes are being added, however, including that 20th season finale at Wynn last year and the livestreamed cash games from that event.

It appears that the team behind WatchWPT is still uploading additional episodes and footage. According to the WPT, this will continue through next year as the library becomes home to more classic content to complement new footage.

Free Registration

There is a registration feature, which simply requires a login name, password, and email. This allows viewers to use extras like the “continue watching” feature, so you can stop watching an episode or stream at any point and resume at that place when you return.

You can also “favorite” certain episodes to rewatch later. This is an especially helpful feature if you see poker hands that you want to watch again to improve your own poker game.

There was a downside to my experience with the app though, namely a lot of ads. Before watching a video, there are six ads, though some of them are very short.

The upside, however, is that the app and content is free. In a world where TV watchers now have to seemingly pay for every channel available, the World Poker Tour’s shows are free on apps like this. And its availability through an app makes it easier to watch on a mobile device and on the go.

An App With a Full Range of Features

When you open the app, you come across a very simple screen with 6-max cash game ranges, full ring cash ranges and tournament ranges, along with a section where you can save your favorite scenarios for easy access. When you open one of the sections, for most scenarios, Red Chip Poker makes sure to differentiate GTO ranges from exploitative ranges, so that players can better see the difference between the two play styles. You then have different sections for open raising, 3-bet or call, isolating and 4-betting. I found that really helpful because a lot of what’s already out there is opening ranges, but it’s good to know the ranges for 4-betting from different positions when I don’t have access to a solver.

One of the other great features this app has is color-coded ranges for some optional opens. In exploitative ranges, it gives you optional ranges as well as on occasion asks how your opponent has generally been playing, and then gives you a range based upon that feedback. Having the optional opens and getting to see what a mixed strategy looks like has allowed me to be more versatile at the tables and understand what happens on the very fringes of ranges, where I’m likely to make more mistakes.

A True Test of Skill

One of the main tests of how an app performs, however, is when someone who has little familiarity of the app uses it. My partner has been trying to learn poker, so I’ve been teaching her more about opening ranges and when to do what with certain hands and in certain positions. When we practice, I’ve had her use the Red Chip Poker GTO Ranges app to find the scenarios we were playing through, including opening ranges.

She was able to quickly pick the positions and clearly see what the ranges were. There was very little confusion and very little input needed on her part to get where she wanted to be, which is exactly what an inexperienced player or anyone needing to find a range quickly wants.

Some of the things that I would like to see further developed within the app down the line are some expanded tournament ranges at bigger stack depths, along with more specific ability to favorite ranges, down to the stack size and position. Then, you could have the spots where you make the most success easily accessible and put in even less input to get the information you need.

Overall, if you’re looking for an easy-to-use yet expansive poker ranges app, Red Chip Poker’s GTO Ranges app has what you need for off-table review or quick recall in stressful moments at the table. I’m excited to see how this app evolves as time goes on!

Click here to try the Red Chip Poker GTO Ranges app.

One thing that prevents such manipulations is a fair and independently tested Random Number Generator. It’s a part of the code in almost every piece of gambling software that ensures results are truly random and can’t be predicted ahead of time.

PokerBros, understanding that the concept of a RNG may feel a little abstract to players, have recently released a video to explain how their RNG works in a simple-to-understand format. Notably, their RNG has been independently checked and verified by several leading companies in this line of business: iTechLabs, Gaming Labs, and BMM TestLabs.

How Does PokerBros’ RNG Work?

The main purpose of any RNG is to create a random and unpredictable output that can’t be guessed or intercepted. All Random Number Generators have certain similarities in the way they work but some are better at doing their job than the others. The PokerBros RNG ensures randomness through the multi-step process described below:

• To begin with, the software generates one random number between 1 and 52
• This random number is used to pick a card from the original card queue
• The card is then placed in a shuffle queue
• The process is repeated for all of the remaining 51 cards
• The whole shuffling procedure is then repeated three more times

Once all the cards are shuffled in this way (with the process taking just 0.001 seconds), the software will then deal out cards. Once again, it will generate a random number for every card that needs to be dealt and the player whose turn it is to get a card will get the card in position in the deck.

For example, the software generates number 14. It then looks into the deck and finds the card in that position and deals it out to you. Then it moves to the next player, repeating the process of generating a random number and dealing that card, etc., only stopping when all cards have been dealt out.

What makes PokerBros RNG completely safe is the fact that all numbers are only generated at the moment when they’re required and never ahead of time. Thus, no one, not even the people who created the code, can predict or intercept results.

Verified by Independent Auditors

Naturally, none of the aforementioned information would mean as much if coming from the people who created the software. Of course they’d never admit to something dodgy; that’d be very bad marketing.

However, PokerBros Random Number Generator has been independently tested and verified by several major testing companies that know all too well what to look for in these types of products. All of these companies have been in business for years and have tested and audited countless major gambling operators, so it’s safe to say their opinion and testing results can’t be easily influenced.

The audit process contains several main stages:

• General review of the source code
• Checking for potential and known weaknesses
• Verifying that random numbers are used to generate the output
• Determining the RNG range, etc.

PokerBros RNG has successfully passed all of these tests. If there were any problems or issues, these would be detected at least by one of these companies and the software wouldn’t be given the passing grade before the flaws were removed. So, it is safe to say PokerBros complies with all the industry standards.

But, Is It Really Random?

One thing that will always bother some people is the general use of the term “random” in online gambling. After all, how can something be truly random if it was made by people to be used by people?

And that argument does have hold some water.

All online Random Number Generators still have to take certain parameters (either from inside or outside) to create a starting point. These parameters have to be used to create that very first number in the sequence, which is the key to everything that happens thereafter.

However, top-quality RNGs use a mix of different parameters that are extracted a fraction of the second before the generation begins. To crack it, one would first need to know exactly what parameters have been used, then would need to figure out how these interact with each other within the code, and finally create an algorithm that uses this information to reveal the sequence.

In theory, yes, it can be done.

There is no such thing as a 100% guarantees, but the risk posed of the possibility of a certified RNG being hacked, are significantly smaller than that of a live deck being rigged.

What’s important, for the purposes of this independent editorial piece, is that PokerBros RNG is as fair and as random as they get. The software itself isn’t rigged in any way and you can rest assured that no card sequence is determined ahead of time. Just like at a real brick and mortar poker table, you can get any two cards and any kind of run-out at any point. This includes hot runs and painful coolers alike!

Ed. Note: Here at Cardplayer Lifestyle, we exercise great care with regard to which online poker operators we give coverage to.

We are of course aware that many people choose to utilize various free-to-play poker platforms while opting to handle real money transfers independently via third-party platforms. It’s for that reason that we do our utmost to provide accurate information to said players (and potential players) to reassure them that things are fully on the up and up as far as the operators themselves are concerned.

Our positive impression of this app is confirmed by Apple, as they’ve featured Poker Stack dozens of times in the Finance category of its App Store since it launched earlier this year.

At its core, Poker Stack is a simple app to help you track your games, and most importantly your money. But there’s a lot more to it than just that, as you’ll really be able to maximize its usefulness if you become serious about tracking your poker bankroll.

By recording your games and knowing where you’re at, it really allows you to become more confident and aware of your variances over time. It can be of great support when variance strikes. To be able to visualize how you’ve fared in the past will help you soldier on through harder times.

Poker Stack is different than other poker trackers because it’s packed with little smart details that minimize the need for data entry.

For instance, if you always play $5/10 NLHE at the Rio and you always start with the same buy-in, you won’t need to record that information over and over. Because it is location-aware, Poker Stack will detect if you are about to start a new game and ask you if you want to record it with the same settings as before.

In short, it means you can start tracking your game with just one tap on the screen and only update if you rebuy and when you cash out.

We spoke to the publisher of the app, an independent software developer, and he told us that he decided to build this app “because he thought all the other ones were too clumsy and cumbersome and he wanted an easy and quick way to record his games in order to get access to statistics about his game.”

Poker Stack is inspired by portfolio and stock market apps. On one screen you can see all your stats, your overall profit, your monthly profit, and how you did in the last game, plus you can quickly access your history.

Tapping on your last game takes you to the History screen. For the selected game, we can see the buy-ins, rebuys and cash out as well as the evolution of your stack as the game progressed (more on this later).

At the bottom of the screen sits a green chip with a + sign on it. Tapping on it takes you to the Clock screen, which you use to record every buy-in, rebuy, and cash-out.

Poker bankroll management is a must if you want to play poker seriously. There are simpler record-keeping methods out there, but according to the effort you invest will be the benefit you get from record-keeping in the first place. The goal of Poker Stack is to help poker players take bankroll management seriously by providing a simple but slick tool to make the process easy and rewarding.

There are more than 40 different animated graphs available on the app, categorized by cash games or tournaments. You will discover your win rate, monthly results, hourly profit, most profitable location, most profitable type of games (by genre or blinds), best and worst sessions, etc. All these are automatically calculated from the data you enter.

Beyond keeping your lifetime poker stats handy and accessible, this app acts as a very useful resource if you’re a poker professional lives in a country where you need to report your gambling profits/losses to the tax authorities.

The free version of the app allows you to get your total bankroll balance and your monthly profit/loss. The paid version of the app unlocks all the additional features that allow you to start to dig deeper into your statistics. You can purchase each type of graph/feature individually or subscribe to the PRO version which unlocks all the statistics for you, includes filters and offers password protection.

A one-year subscription costs $75 and comes with a free 2-month trial. If, at the end of the trial, you decide to keep the PRO version, you get a 50% discount for life ($38 per year).

Finally, as promised earlier, one of the most intriguing feature of the app is that it facilitates your ability to track your stack during a live game. You can set up a reminder (by default it is set to every 15 minutes) to enter how many chips you’ve got in your stack at that moment in time. Thus, at the end of your session, you can literally use the graphs to witness and reflect on your progress while reviewing your play! Best of all, this feature is included in the free version of the app.

A good night (left) vs. a bad night (right)

At the time of publication, the Poker Stack app is available exclusively on iOS devices. The developer reports that the Android version is scheduled to be released soon.

What you may not know, however, is that there has been a much longer-lived trend away from publicly tracked games, like those you might play on PokerStars or partypoker, towards private online games, like you might play in one of several mobile poker club apps, such as PPPoker or PokerBros. What initially began as a way for people to play with their friends, or people from their local area, has become a booming industry which is quickly gaining ground on the mainstream online poker business in terms of scale.

In this article, I’ll answer some of the most pressing questions about online poker apps, and how you can use them to play poker for real money against friends or strangers.

Image used for illustrative purposes only

How have these poker apps grown so quickly?

One possible reason for the incredible growth of poker apps is their universal availability. Since the games are ostensibly played for play money, the software can be distributed in mobile app stores globally. This gives poker club apps a huge advantage over real money gambling apps which, even in 2020, are prohibited in most countries outside Europe. Some are even available on Facebook, growing their reach still further.

Another possible reason is that the software is often feature-rich and fun. Since the poker club apps don’t need to worry about regulation or developing downloadable software, they can achieve a lot with relatively little development resource.

Finally, for many people, playing in a poker club with friends or with people that you know is a lot more fun than playing against strangers online, and can be a much more social experience.

How do poker apps make money?

The specifics vary from one poker app to another, but generally they are monetised with virtual currencies (which can be played with or spent to unlock features in the app) or via subscriptions. Features allowing you to create and manage a poker club are often the most lucrative sources of virtual currency sales.

If it’s play money, how do you play for real money?

If it’s a game with friends, then you simply settle up afterwards, much as you would with any in-person home poker game.

If it’s a game with people you don’t know, then typically there is a club owner or host who organises games, maintains the club and admits new players. This is where things can get complicated.

Some club owners run clubs with as few as five or 10 people – all people they know in real life, and often organised around a brick and mortar poker club. For these owners, it’s feasible to manage money transfers between players. Other owners, however, run clubs with hundreds or even thousands of members. Sometimes, multiple hosts come together to form unions, encompassing tens of thousands of players. Things can get very big very quickly, and this is where agents come in.

An agent’s role is to take your money and funnel it to the club owner, and vice versa. You might meet the agent in person and hand them some cash, after which they will credit your ‘play money’ balance on the poker app. Or, you might send the agent a transfer using PayPal, cryptocurrency, Venmo or some other digital money transfer service. If you win in the poker games, an agent should also pay out your winnings via the same methods.

Agents are nothing new. The agent model is how illegal sports gambling worked in the USA for years (i.e., think “bookies”), and still does in many states. Moreover, the agent model is very common in Asia, Africa and Latin America for online gambling and other payments and money transfer purposes.

How do I find a poker agent?

There probably isn’t an agent on your street corner (although in some neighbourhoods of some countries, perhaps there is). However, you can probably find a local online poker club in your area by browsing Facebook or Twitter, and if you have connections in your local poker scene then almost certainly one of them will know how to find a club to join.

Biggest piece of advice for people considering app poker clubs:

Make sure you trust your agent and know them. There is always a level of risk involved but if you’re sending money to some random from social media – you’re risk level goes up higher & joining a random club higher.

— Joey Ingram #passion (@Joeingram1) March 20, 2020

Is playing for real money on poker apps legal?

The short version is – probably not. In most countries, it is either illegal to operate an online gambling business or it is illegal to operate one without the requisite licence. Thus, operating an unregulated online gambling operation using the agent model is almost definitely illegal and violates not only gambling laws, but also laws around money laundering and payment processing. All businesses in Europe, for example, must follow Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML-CFT) rules, and it is simply impossible that agents follow these somewhat cumbersome rules. It’s also very unlikely that agents carry out some of the ethical practices that are expected in regulated markets, such as ensuring that all users are of legal age, can afford to lose what they are playing with and so on.

Depending on where you live, it might also be illegal for you to play. For example, if you live in China, then gambling is illegal, plain and simple. In most countries though, private games among friends, where you settle up afterwards, are much more likely to be legal, and unlikely to attract the attention of law enforcement in any case unless there is a major dispute between the participants.

When gambling on any unregulated operator’s platform, you should take the fact that they are unregulated into account when making your decisions and should bear in mind that the risk of legal intervention is significant. If the unregulated operator or your agent disappears overnight, most of the time your money will also vanish.

Is it safe to play in online poker clubs?

As with so many questions in poker, ‘it depends’. When playing on a public poker site like Unibet or 888poker, you place your trust in the company to do the right thing. You also know that the site is regulated, and that some of these regulations might help to protect you. Generally, your money is safe unless the company goes bankrupt.

If you are playing for real money against strangers in private club apps, you have to trust not only the company that makes the app, but also the club owner and all the agents in the chain between them and you. There have already been plenty of examples where agents or club owners simply disappeared with players’ money – popular poker forums are littered with examples.

Questions for your poker agent – the more you know about your agent, the better. Find one you trust. Find games you trust. Shop around.

-What kind of rakeback can I get?
-When do I get paid out?
-Who are the people in the club?
-Can I interact w/ the people in the club?

— Joey Ingram #passion (@Joeingram1) April 22, 2020

Public poker sites play an important role by being the impartial arbiter in a game of poker, and taking responsibility for all the liabilities that players incur to each other. When dealing with a club owner, you don’t necessarily have that same protection. Public poker sites like PokerStars spend literal fortunes on ensuring the integrity of the games. You are not necessarily guaranteed the same level of game integrity when playing on a private club app, although there are notable exceptions, such as Pokio (which is regulated by the same Malta Gaming Authority as many other online gaming sites, and eschews the agent model entirely) and PokerBros (which recently hired the former MPN Poker Integrity Team to beef up its collusion and bot protection).

Conclusion

Private poker club apps can be a great place to play for fun against your friends. If you use them for playing real money against strangers, you must make a judgement call. How much do you trust the app’s provider? How much do you trust your agent and those in the chain above them? How much do you trust the other participants in your game? Be aware of the risks you are taking, and you’ll make a well-informed decision.

*Disclaimers, for regulatory compliance:

• PokerBROS is an online social media platform and does not provide any real money service. 
• PokerBROS is not a sponsor of or in any way involved with this promotional activity, nor does PokerBROS endorse it.

The best online poker websites provide you with the opportunity to enjoy these games through the best poker apps – both for iOS and Android, on Smartphones and on tablets. These apps allow you to create or join a poker club, invite your friends to join, and play your favorite poker game at a real money casino or for free.

Here are the five of the best apps on which you can play online poker and games with your friends:

1. Appeak Poker App

Appeak Poker has long been among the best free apps for playing online poker games, and it comes with a simple interface that makes online gaming a snap. The app has a Play Now option that allows you to join a quick poker game, in addition to Bingo Bango, sit & gos, MTTs, and Double-Ups.

Appeak also provides several unique features like the Duel functionality, a feature that lets you have a face-off with your friends.

Key features:

• Size: 27 MB
• Platforms: Android, iOS
• Type: Casual Poker Game
• Spam Level: Low
• Pro: Simple Interface

2. World Series of Poker App

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has an excellent app that provides real money poker games, including sit & gos, cash games, and scheduled tournaments. Funding and cashing out are comfortable and secure, and you can use PayNearMe, Neteller, PayPal, e-Check, and cards.

There lots of prizes you can win with your friends while playing at WSOP, such as cash prizes and tickets to live WSOP events. Note that you can only play for real money if you live in licensed, regulated jurisdictions.

Key features:

• Size: 75 MB
• Platforms: Android, iOS
• Type: Casual Poker Game
• Spam Level: Medium
• Pro: Great Prizes on Offer

3. Pineapple App

The Pineapple App looks great, is free, and is entirely secure (it was the first RNG-certified app for mobile). The app hosts several top poker games like Pineapple, regular OFC games, and others.

It is a secure platform where you can enjoy online games with your friends without evening logging in or registering with your Facebook account. Pineapple is the ideal app for people who do not want to share their personal information while playing online games.

Key features:

• Size: 20 MB
• Platforms: iOS
• Type: Open-Face Chinese Poker
• Spam Level: Low
• Pro: Right Way to Pass Time with Pals

4. Zynga Poker App

While new casino sites offer plenty of fun, there’s something to be said for legacy sites too, and everyone’s heard of the legendary Zynga. From casual to competitive poker, you can get a table at Zynga App anytime you want to experience online poker right at home. The app offers you an opportunity to collect up to 100,000 playing chips every day.

You can also buy Play Money when you run out of chips and play several poker titles, including Jump Poker, and sit & gos. You can deposit money using secure methods that keep your data safe.

Key features:

• Size: 97 MB
• Platforms: Windows, Android, iOS
• Type: Casual Poker Game
• Spam Level: Slightly High
• Pro: Some Great Titles

5. Politaire App

Politaire is the app for all poker lovers looking for a way to relax with friends playing a mindless poker game. It is an app that provides the best poker and solitaire games, making it the place to be if you love that combination.

The app has a stylish theme with a minimal color scheme to avoid the distractions common in most poker sites and apps. It is free to play, but you can purchase the double-deck version for $1.99.

Key features:

• Size: 51.1 MB
• Platforms: Android, iOS
• Type: Casual Poker Game
• Spam Level: Low
• Pro: Simple and Stylish

Play Amazing Poker Games with Friends

Playing online poker games with friends can be a blast if you do it the right way. If you have friends who are keen on poker games, it can fuel a healthy rivalry.

As seen above, there are plenty of poker apps that can allow you to play right at home. We have only looked at some of the very best of these applications to help you have an easy time when choosing one.

Both the number of poker apps available, and the number of users has been growing steadily, and Cardplayer Lifestyle decided to review PPPoker, Upoker and Pokerbros, the three current popular choices in the market, to see which option is best for players.

PPPoker was one of the first apps on the market after launching on April 11, 2016, and has since welcomed players from more than 150 countries/regions and launched more than 300 version updates. The site is currently on the verge of celebrating its four-year anniversary, which will coincide with over 2.1 million minutes that the app has been running.

Both Upoker and PokerBros are relative newcomers to the club-based poker app, but they are both striving to take their share of the market as players flock to these apps while currently dealing with the lack of live poker options.

Although these three poker apps are similar in many ways, Cardplayer Lifestyle will break down each app across a number of different factors so that you have all the information necessary to make a decision about which poker app to choose.

Why Choose a Club-Based Poker App?

Club-based poker apps offer a lot of different features that you will struggle to find in conventional online poker clients.

With a clue in the name, club-based apps focus on allowing their players to create personalized private clubs, perfect for home games with friends, family and even the wider poker community. You can create play-money games and customize the settings to your exact requirements – a feature that is very rare to find across other types of online poker clients.

As your club grows, there are opportunities to expand its reach and join a Union, to enable bigger player pools, prizes, and of course, a broader community.

Now you know the basics of club-based poker apps, let’s take a look at who offers the best experience.

App/Game Design/Gameplay

All three apps are designed fairly similar, including a lobby that provides access to tables. Once at the tables, each app differs slightly. The gameplay is incredibly smooth across each site with quick access to hand histories and summary, chat, and table settings.

Poker Offerings

Between PPPoker, Upoker, and PokerBros, all three poker apps offer No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, and either Short Deck or 6+. PPPoker and PokerBros both offer Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo also. However, it is PPPoker that gives its players the most options as they offer both OFC and a Global Tournament lobby where players can play SpinUp tournament of MTTs with varying buy-in amounts.

PPPoker also announced a new exciting function this year called PPST (PPPoker Super Tournaments), which consists of a series of MTTs that bring together Unions and Clubs to attract thousands of players and create even bigger prize pools.

To add even more spice to the competition for big money prizes, PPPoker has announced the introduction of the PPST Leaderboard, which will see the top five finishers become PPPoker ambassadors and win a bonus live poker fund worth up to $5,000.

Poker club lobbies, from left to right: PPPoker, Upoker, PokerBros

Customer Service Options

Navigating all three poker apps, it is clear that PPPoker is transparent when giving its users information on contacting customer support. Under a user’s profile page, there is a button labelled “About Us” that details information on fair gaming, compliance, terms of service, and four options to contact PPPoker.

Upoker and PokerBros have a virtually identical lobby format that allows users to click a drop-down menu that shows options to review fair gaming and the terms of service. Upoker allows users to access a single email address for contact, while PokerBros doesn’t have that option.

Security and Stability

All three poker apps do provide a notices section that details the latest version of the app and what bug fixes and improvements have been made. For PPPoker and Upoker, the notices section is visible in the lobby, while on PokerBros, it is accessed via the drop-down menu.

PPPoker goes above and beyond when it comes to being transparent. In an effort to help enforce to its users that the poker app is secure and stable, the site provides weekly app updates for continuous improvements. In the blog section on the PPPoker website, the PPPoker System Reliability Report 2020 was recently published that detailed all the efforts PPPoker have made on security and safety. These measures include a dedicated Anti-Cheating team and regular RNG tests.

PPPoker makes it very clear that they take cheating and deception very seriously. Collusion and bots are problems that affect every major poker client around today, and there are several ways that PPPoker combat this. Their Anti-Cheating team monitors tables 24/7 for any suspicious activities. They are able to ascertain whether or not a player at the tables is cheating using several sophisticated solutions.

PPPoker uses over 80 unique key indicators to detect and prevent bots from using their software, including the use of third-party software whilst playing. They do this because the integrity of games on PPPoker is key to the players’ enjoyment, and this is what drives the company going forward. There is an absolute zero-tolerance approach to cheating on PPPoker, with accounts where there is evidence of cheating permanently banned. This hard-line response means that players can rest assured that they are playing against real players and not bots or scripts.

PPPoker also analyzes whether players are playing at the same table with the same GPS information or IP address to ensure that collusion does not hamper efforts to ensure fair play on the app.

Ease of Use

When signing up to PPPoker, Upoker, or PokerBros, you are prompted with a registration or log-in page. For first-time users, the registration process is as simple as creating your username and password. Once complete, you are taken directly to the main lobby page of each poker app.

Both Upoker and PokerBros award new users with 10,000 in gold coins, but PPPoker steps it up by offering 3 million in gold coins as well as an immediate tutorial of the poker app. Following the tutorial gives new users the information to navigate the lobby, and then instructs them on how to join a table – something that Upoker and PokerBros lack.

Poker club offerings, from left to right: PPPoker, Upoker, PokerBros

Promotions

All three poker apps offer VIP privileges that are on a varying scale and can be unlocked with diamonds. Diamonds can be earned through gameplay, and also bought through each app’s shop where 60 diamonds cost $0.99.

PPPoker also has “Missions” available that reward users with gold coins for completing tasks throughout gameplay. These range in difficulty from winning three hands to playing in high stakes. Each reward users with a certain number of gold coins, and helps in keeping users engaged and playing on PPPoker.

There are several other major promotions that PPPoker offer its players – Chip Storm, SpinUp, and EVChop. Chip Storm is all about raining chips! At random times during Chip Storm hours, PP Chips will fall onto club tables giving all players the chance to win. There is also a grand prize worth 10,000 PP Chips. SpinUp is a three-handed Global tournament game where you can win up to 400 million gold coins. Buy-ins range and in each game, there is an opportunity to hit a 10,000-multiplier jackpot. EVChop allows players to combat variance as all-in players are offered the chance to take their share of the pot in relation to their hand’s equity.

Social Media Presence

Social media in the poker industry is the biggest advertising tool for poker companies. Not only does it help with brand awareness in a competitive market, but it helps in attracting new players, and providing customer service to their own club members.

All three poker apps are active on social media and interact with their users. Upoker is nearly non-existent on Twitter with only a handful of tweets and followers, but they have stronger numbers on Facebook and Instagram with 1k and 500+ followers, respectively. PokerBros have no official Twitter and Instagram as of publication; however, their Union agents have created accounts for promotion and communication.

PPPoker stands alone on top of the social media mountain with (as of publication) over 55,000 followers on Facebook and over 14,000 followers on Instagram. With just over 1,000 followers on Twitter, they are significantly more active than Upoker or PokerBros as they are not only producing advertising tweets but are also helping their users with valuable information in multiple languages.

Also, PPPoker has a unique hand forum that allows players to share their favorite hands each day, with comments and likes available. These hands, as well as a selection of the day’s ‘Hot’ and ‘Featured’ hands, can be watched in the app or online.

Worth noting, however, is that for club-based poker apps, the majority of their social media engagement and interaction stems from their agents, in different club accounts, and their ability to recruit new players to the app as well as continuing to provide service to their own club members.

Live Events

Both Upoker and PokerBros currently don’t have any scheduled live events, but PPPoker runs its own live event brand – PPPoker World Championship (PPWC) and PPPoker Festival.

The PPWC tournament brand features a promise of low buy-ins and high guaranteed prize pools with the highlight of the series being the PPWC Main Event. Also, the unique Team Event sees players from all around the globe come together to battle across different poker formats for the overall team title.

As well as this, PPPoker Festivals have been run over 20 events around the world, including South America, Asia and Europe. PPPoker Festivals encourage the app users to expand their relationships into the live poker scene, and an opportunity for the PPPoker community to expand from online to offline.

Overall Product Comparison

Although PPPoker, Upoker, and PokerBros are very similar in gameplay and app design, when you take a deeper look into each app, it is obvious that PPPoker is the leader in club-based poker apps.

PPPoker is a truly global poker app that has welcomed players from over 150 countries and regions while also diversifying their marketing team across five continents in an effort to meet face-to-face with club owners and players from over 50 countries.

The site has been dealing with many challenges following this new wave of competition, but they continue to strive to offer the purest poker experience to their users. Alongside an offering of more promotions to their users, they also offer more game choices along with a Global Tournament lobby. The one aspect that clearly sets PPPoker apart from Upoker and PokerBros are the live events the site runs, which include 20 PPPoker Festivals and the PPWC.

PPPoker is also more transparent in the way they conduct their business from customer support options to notices on updates regarding bug fixes and app improvements. The site has executed over 300 version updates and continue to safeguards the love for poker of their players, and strongly stand behind their core competency to provide a 100% pure poker ecology for players.

These reasons reinforce that PPPoker is, in this publication’s opinion, the worldwide leader in club-based poker apps for 2020.

*Disclaimers, for regulatory compliance:

• PokerBROS is an online social media platform and does not provide any real money service. 
• PokerBROS is not a sponsor of or in any way involved with this promotional activity, nor does PokerBROS endorse it.

The Preflop Advantage is a mobile app created specifically for tournaments player who are looking to develop solid preflop fundamentals and develop a better understanding of how they should be constructing their preflop ranges. The app is available for both iOS and Android devices and features 625 preflop tournament ranges for 9 different preflop situations. It is intuitively designed, easy to use, and the perfect companion for both live and online play so you can check and see what ranges you should be playing at the poker tables.

How ranges were constructed

The ranges featured by The Preflop Advantage were created using PioSolver, MonkerSolver, HRC, and Poker Snowie and are designed to give you the winning preflop edge so you can go deeper in tournaments and win more money. In other words, this app gives you the same ranges the pros are playing without spending an arm and a leg on a poker training site. Plainly put, if you play tournament poker, this app is for you.

Features and usability

One of the best things about the app is its simplicity and ease of use. The 625 preflop ranges are broken down into the following 9 preflop situations:

• Open Raising
• Flatting / 3 Betting
• Multi – Way
• Rejamming
• Calling Rejams
• Push / Fold
• Blind vs. Blind
• BB Defending
• Advanced Limping

Each situation has ranges for each position and stack size that are accessible by tapping the relevant button on the screen.

Preflop Advantage Range Screenshots

There is also a little button on the top right corner that (when tapped) gives you information about the current preflop situation you are viewing. It gives you the basics of what the situation is, what sizing to use, and some common adjustments you can make.

Who is the app for?

The Preflop Advantage mobile poker app would be a beneficial tool for any serious tournament player who is looking to take their game to the next level. Whether you’ve already got tons of experience under your belt or have just started out on your poker path, The Preflop Advantage can help you become a better tournament player by giving you a solid preflop foundation which translates to easier post-flop decisions and an increased win rate. In short, if you play tournament poker, this app is for you!

Pricing / Availability

The Preflop Advantage app is optimized to be used on both tablets and Smartphones and will run on both iOS and Android devices. All the program’s ranges are stored locally on your device, which means you don’t even need an internet connection in order to use it. Once downloaded from the App Store or Google Play it is available to use anywhere, anytime.

There are 2 different versions of the app, The Preflop Advantage and The Preflop Advantage Lite with the former being a full, paid version ($49.99) and the latter being a limited, free version.

Preflop Advantage iOS Screenshots

Preflop Advantage Android Screenshots

Conclusion

The Preflop Advantage is the perfect tool to help tournament players get a better understanding of solid preflop ranges. The app is well designed with a clean, easy-to-use interface making it easy to check and review ranges in between hands while you’re at the tables. It has a preflop range for just about every spot and stack size imaginable, so you are never left guessing if you made the right decision or not.

At just $49.99 this app is a steal, especially when you consider the relative cost versus a poker training course, which could be even more than 20x as high. If you’re a tournament poker player, there is really no reason not to buy this app. We’re sure  of two things:

• proper use of the app will solidify your fundamentals, enabling you to make deeper tournament runs
• even if you don’t immediately start running deeper into the money immediately, you’ll quickly appreciate the app’s value, in terms of how much better you’ll feel and see you’ve begun to play poker

The Preflop Advantage is one of the best preflop apps on the market and one that will surely pay for itself over and over again. Do yourself and your bankroll a favor and get this app!

Online poker is no different. Although it is a form of entertainment for most people, it is only natural to want to be able to play from your phone whenever you feel like it. After all, if so many other things have been adjusted for mobile use, why should online poker be any different?

The good news is that there are many different poker apps out there that suit the purpose. The not-so-good news is that not all of them live up to the type of standards we’ve become accustomed to with the best gambling apps for real money in general. For various reasons, poker software developers seem to be slightly behind the pace in this particular area, so we’re bringing you some useful tips to find the best poker apps for real money.

1. Make sure the app is available across various devices.

There are three main types of operating systems powering mobile phones and tablets, namely Android, iOS, and Windows. The first thing you should look at when trying to rate a poker app is its availability. Ideally, the app should be available across all different devices so that you aren’t restricted to one particular type.

If this isn’t the case, you should investigate whether they at least offer an instant-play solution. For example, an online poker room might offer an Android app but also have an instant-play site for iOS and Windows phones. This might not be ideal, but it is a decent alternative and definitely beats not being able to play at all.

2. Check out the range of games offered on the app.

Although more and more online poker rooms are starting to offer mobile apps, only the best poker apps out there make sure to provide players with the full access to their cash game and tournament schedule. You’ll often find apps that only let you access cash game tables while playing tournaments still requires having access to your computer, even if it is just to register.

3. Test the user interface in play money mode.

It is hard to know if a poker app is right for you unless you try it for yourself. It is always better to test the waters in a play money mode and see if the user interface is intuitive and easy to use. Mistakes due to wrong-sized raises or accidental folds  (i.e., “misclicks”) can be costly when playing for real money, so take some time to test things out when there’s no risk to your bankroll.

4. Check out players’ reviews.

Like with almost all other products, players’ reviews for different poker apps tend to be a pretty good indicator of their actual quality. If there are many complaints about particular aspect(s) of an app, it is more than likely this is a real problem that you’ll have to deal with as well. Of course, people do exaggerate things sometimes and make them sound worse than they are, but if complaints are about important things (e.g., unstable connection, app freezing, or tendency to crash often, etc.), you should probably select an alternative option.

5. How important is multi-tabling to you?

Most people are content to play just one or two tables on their mobile poker app so, for most, multi-tabling isn’t that big of an issue. However, if this is something you care about and feel like playing just a single table would be very boring, make sure to check out multi-tabling options for your selected app. Due to various technical restrictions, many online poker apps these days aren’t particularly accommodating to those wanting to play more than a few tables so it might be challenging to find the app that suits your needs in this regard.

6. Can you deposit and withdraw via the app?

Some poker apps in the market will let you play but things can become difficult when it comes to making deposits and, especially, withdrawals. In fact, even some of the best poker apps out there might not let you withdraw or transfer money from your phone, which is a bit frustrating, but it has to do with precautionary safety measures. Of course, if your phone ever gets stolen, you’d hate for your poker bankroll to disappear as well because someone gained access to your account and moved the money out before you were able to react!

7. Stick to clean apps with no third-party adverts.

With the rising number of real money online poker apps out there, it is no surprise we’ve been seeing some pretty bad ones in the mix as well. If the app you’ve downloaded is showing third-party ads and links to sites other than the one owned by the room, you should probably steer clear. There is absolutely no reason for a serious poker room to employ these strategies, so they’re likely doing it just to squeeze some extra revenue while still charging you rake.

Tell us a little bit about your background in poker. How and when did you first get into the game?

I first got into poker at the age of 18 and started to play online freerolls, where I did pretty well. At the same time, the first poker room opened in Prague, so I started to play some live poker there as well.

Where do you live and usually play poker?

I was born in Prague, but I have been living in Bratislava for the last few years. Coming from a poker room background, I personally tend to prefer them over casinos, with my favorites being the Golden Vegas Poker Club here in Bratislava, and the Montesino in Vienna, which is a short drive from Bratislava.

When I visit my parents in Prague, I like to go to Rebuy Stars Savarin in downtown Prague. I prefer tournaments over cash games. The one thing missing for me is Open Face Chinese tournaments, because I like the game a lot.

How often do you take poker vacations/trips and what are your favorite destinations?

Over the course of the last year my poker vacations have become a combination of poker, fun, relaxation, and business of course. Recently I attended the Battle of Malta, a great event, hosted at Casino Malta by Olympic Casino, which had its €1 million guarantee smashed by more than €800K, which is fantastic. Among the other recent poker trips I’ve taken and have enjoyed are staying and playing in Grand Casino de Namur in Belgium. I plan to visit lots of European poker rooms in the near future, starting with a trip home to Prague in December to take part in the EPT Prague.

What first gave you the idea to create the PokerList app and how did you come up with the name?

Everybody who travels for poker, or plays the game recreationally, knows the struggle, especially in Europe. You have to search for tournaments and cash games all over the place, across multiple platforms, and even then, you sometimes miss the best action or even aren’t aware that there’s a poker room right under your nose! That can be super frustrating.

This is why PokerList was created – credit goes also to my former associate. More than a year ago, there were some changes in our company – I took PokerList under my wings, and with a new team we strive to give poker players and enthusiasts the best service – all the information they need from of as many casinos and poker rooms possible. I think the name PokerList represents the content our app offers, and our values the most.

How long did it take to create the app from the first time you conceptualized it until it was published on the major app stores?

Like I mentioned in the previous answer, about a year ago there were some changes in ownership of our company. You could say that the app has been around in its present form for a little over a year, then. We’re also constantly working to improve PokerList. With every new visit we make to European poker destination, we get new ideas and inspiration because every country has his own poker specifics, and the needs of the players, casino venues, and poker rooms also vary. We try to implement all improvements as quickly as possible so that the app gives players what they want and provides the most up-to-date information available from poker rooms and casinos.

Did you create the app by yourself or did/do you have a team of people working on it and helping you?

The fact that I studied IT in university turned out a huge advantage when creating and editing the app. I understand the principles and I can “speak the language” of the programmer. Whoever has worked with IT developers will know what I am saying here. Our head IT developer, who is also responsible for the iOS, is a true expert in his field. We are constantly debating new ideas and every time we come up with something, he knows how to devise a solution so that our ideas work also on the programming side of things.

Important to note, we also have to deal with rules, regulations, and legislation, which is slightly different in every European country. Unfortunately, most of the government institutions seem to believe that there is no difference between promoting/running an online poker site as opposed to promoting live casinos and poker rooms. On multiple occasions we have had to explain to government officials that one cannot actually play poker on the PokerList app, nor does it facilitate online gambling. Of course we are also very careful to only provide information about licensed brick and mortar poker rooms and licensed land-based casinos.

My associates, who are lawyers, have mastered the ability to explain all of this very simply, so that the legislators and other officials in various countries who don’t know the difference, understand. To that end, we also had funny conversation with Google and Facebook, trying to explain to them how we work… We’re glad that is behind us!

It takes a lot of time and effort to develop a high-end poker app, yet you allow people to download it for free. How does PokerList generate revenue?

You’re right Robbie! It took lots of time and effort, so that everything works in the way like it is today. There is lots of data out there, so the work is not easy and it’s obviously time consuming. It is our policy that poker players and enthusiasts will always be able to download the app (via the App Store and Google Play) for free, nor will they ever be bombarded by non-poker related advertising. To specifically answer your question, then, our revenue is generated by the ones who profit most from our app – casinos, poker rooms, and poker-related event agencies.

Cardplayer Lifestyle readers learned all about PokerList in a previous article from back in August, which I linked to at the beginning of this piece. Since then, you have added tons of new casinos and poker rooms from two additional countries, Belgium and the Netherlands, to your lists. What other new developments have there been in the last few months?

Well, your readers and our app users in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Malta may be aware that numerous Cardplayer Lifestyle articles are syndicated to our app. I feel that your content is very interesting, so that’s some added value we can give our users.

Currently we are active in 14 European countries, and we are focusing not only on the big poker markets such as Germany and France, but also on the smaller ones, like in Belgium and in the Netherlands. A great feature of our app is the built-in navigation. Some poker rooms may be a bit difficult to locate, so this feature quite literally helps bring more players to the tables and get all the information about the games in their neighborhood. This is especially useful for tourists who would otherwise get lost in an unfamiliar city.

In the Events section of our app, we also list the full tournament schedule and live cash game updates from all poker festivals running in Europe.

What new developments can PokerList users expect in the near future?

As mentioned, we are always coming up with new ideas and implementing user feedback to improve the app. Specifically, we are planning to roll out a big update after New Year’s, so until then, we will continue visiting poker rooms, casinos, and events. There are, of course, many other countries in Europe where live poker is played, so we hope to eventually add them into the fold along to join our current list of 14 nations. In short, there is a lot to get excited about, so stay tuned for further information.

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

Like Cardplayer Lifestyle readers, I am also a poker player, and I like to have fun while playing poker. Lately, I see that some of us have started to take the game too seriously, which diminishes the amount of fun and excitement in the game. That’s really a shame. Live poker should be about fun, meeting people, and having a good time. There’s no reason why every live session I play in shouldn’t be enjoyable, even if I don’t end up winning.

I’d like to recommend that poker players and enthusiasts try to travel to other countries and in general get out and play poker in different locations than usual. You would be surprised how different and interesting the game could be in different locales.

READ MORE: 5 Ways European Poker Events Differ from American Ones