Everywhere you turn these days, you can find references to poker. Films, such as Molly’s Game, have catapulted back into the minds of cinemagoers and movie buffs like Rounders did back in the late nineties. In addition, online poker’s presence is growing, not least due to the recent pandemic and the stipulations that physical casinos must close.
Playing for money at home has become as commonplace as going to a location and playing for real, especially with relaxed laws around the United States. For example, Michigan generated $95.1m in only the second month of online legal gaming in the state through online casinos and online poker.
According to Poker.org, it has never been easier to find live poker rooms worldwide or beginner guides to poker to help newbies start their journey into the online game. However, not everybody wants to play for real money. Poker is a fun game, an age-old pastime enjoyed by many through history, and often players wish to all the thrill of raising and folding without worrying about actual losses. That is where the free-to-play and freemium apps come in. They deliver the poker experience, linking with other players and all the excitement that comes with it, but without the risk. Thanks to the improved connectivity of digital devices, there are apps out there that pit players against each other worldwide with little more at stake than pride.
As we explored in our article on the importance of mobile games in the casino industry, mobile apps and games have become a key weapon for providers, with technological shifts allowing better social experiences and immersive gameplay. So, we have selected three of the best poker apps you can download and enjoy for free but still sharpen your skills for any occasion when you wish to compete properly. All apps are available on iOS and Android.
Appeak Poker
Appeak Poker is a great example of a freemium model done correctly. The core game is free-to-play and offers a great poker experience for fans. You can compete with other players worldwide, improve your rating, and enter tournaments and leaderboards to keep the interest alive. It uses Texas Hold’em variety, which Brittanica.com labels the most popular worldwide. You can buy additional chips to play with if you wish to, but they have no cash value and only allow you to play for longer with the 100,000 other registered users.
World Poker Club
World Poker Club is not the best out there, nor the most in-depth, but it does boast a gesture system that we think could become standard with some of the bigger providers. Firstly, it works with both Omaha and Texas Hold’em and has several tournaments and events in which you can participate, but the gesture system is innovative. Rather than relying solely on buttons to call, raise, and the like, you can flick, long press, and drag, too, a system that works surprisingly well.
World Series of Poker
Official licenses always work well for video games and apps; this one for the WSOP is no exception. As you would expect from an official license, it has a great interface and a range of tournaments, some of which even allow you to win virtual WSOP bracelets. There is also a chance to play Pot-Limit Omaha, a nice variant that offers something different from the usual games. Best of all, you get free chips from the offset, and there is no expectation or facility to play for real money.
