In the past, playing downloadable games used to be the go-to method of staking money at a poker site. But nowadays, storage space on notebooks and tablets seems to be coming at extra cost. It can end up taking up a lot of space if you decide to play poker on a number of different apps. For this reason, users need to know how to make the most of their browser when they play poker. Playing in this way also allows for more interaction with other players and can work well with live streaming technology.
Devices with Extra Storage are Coming at a Cost
Caption: Is 64 GB of storage enough?
Poker is one of the most popular pastimes in the world, and there are over 40 million regular players worldwide. During the rise of the card game in the 2000s, there was a massive increase in the number of online poker operators which gave people a way of playing instantly for varying stakes ranging from extremely low to high. Originally, this was all done through desktops and laptops, with mobile play coming later on.
Downloading poker apps to computers was never much of an issue, as they didn’t take up a lot of space relative to the storage on offer. But smartphones and tablets have historically had much less space on them, so users have had to be selective with the apps they download.
The original iPhone from Apple which was released in 2007 came with a meagre internal storage of 4GB or 8GB. Looking at some of the poker apps currently on the market, the average size is at least 60MB. When taking into consideration all the photos, videos, and other apps that people tend to have, there will have only been enough space to have one or two poker apps on the original smartphones. Nowadays, the current generation of iPhone has a lot more storage. The iPhone X comes with either 64GB or 256GB of space. With the high-end model, users are able to install any app they need and still have a lot of space left over. But it comes with a hefty price tag. In the USA, the models are retailing at $899.99 for the smaller device and $1049.99 for the model with more storage.
For many users, buying the current generation of phone just isn’t feasible. It makes more sense to go for earlier models. The iPhone 6 with 16GB of storage, for instance, will set people back a mere $199 at the moment. To save money, it is sensible to go for an older unit with less storage and play through browsers rather than download apps. With the introduction of HTML5 in 2014, which is now widely rolled out, playing through the browser is just as good as it is through an app.
Poker Doesn’t Require Sophisticated Graphics Cards
The graphics in poker are typically quite simple. This means there is no need to for state of the art graphics cards or high tech devices. Almost any mobile or laptop is able to run poker games through the browser without much difficulty. The only thing that it absolutely essential is a strong internet connection, as it would be harrowing if the game started to buffer in the middle of a good hand. Imagine slow playing a set of aces right down to the river and milking the opponents of large portions of their stacks, only to be cut off at the crucial point. It would be truly devastating.
In terms of the graphics of poker games, 888poker features fairly straightfoward visuals. There are video streams embedded on the site although there are multi-table options. The not too over the top graphics allow the operator to give players the choice of downloading the desktop or mobile app, or using the instant play feature which lets them play through the browser. Playing through the browser can be a good option for beginners, as it means they can keep a separate tab open to quickly consult poker rules and hand rankings mid-game. This option is also useful for players who want to try their hand at different variants such as Omaha Hi-Lo or Stud Poker. Certainly first-time players can take a bit of time to get a feel for all the different poker hands.
The Game is About Live Interaction – Ideal for Browsers
A lot of live streaming on online poker and casino sites is now done through links in browsers, and this live action way of playing could be the future. There are some sites that now make use of webcams and front-facing cameras on mobile devices in order to let players see their opponents. This adds another element to the game because it means that players can try to read the body language cues of the people they are playing against. This is bringing some aspects of real life poker to the online game, and helping to improve it.
Many poker experts are predicting that live streaming and the use of virtual reality could play a significant part in the next stage of poker’s evolution. If this turns out to be the case, this type of play is likely to be done through browsers and HTML5. This is because traditional downloadable apps could be phased out by this superior markup language. Developers are beginning to realize that there is less need to create separate apps now, when HTML5 makes everything fit to whatever device it is being viewed on.
Poker players should get used to playing through browsers instead of downloading apps. Apps could soon be phased out, and having them on your device takes up storage which could be used by something else.