Poker Platform Software: The Inner View

Images from Pixabay

The software used on an online poker platform is one of the essential aspects of a gaming experience. While casino players often rank best sites according to the software, poker players rarely think about this aspect, so today I want to cover it from inside.

Some players don't care about how platforms work from the inner point of view.

If they like their games and are quite satisfied, they don’t have a reason to deepen into this issue.

But with plenty of options to choose from downloadable clients, direct play on the website, and mobile apps, it is worth taking a minute to understand how all of that works.

The website mechanics is a complex system, though there is nothing too complicated to understand how it works, so let’s see some examples of different poker platform software types.

What Does a Poker Website Software Do?

While you see only a nice interface where you can click buttons and enjoy the games, the whole process actually happens in the background. To understand how it works, we have to start from the beginning.

The software connects the central server and devices of the logged-in players. Likewise, it monitors the games and tournaments running and displays the games available to join at that moment.

When a player goes for a game, the software shows all the details of a game from the server on the player screen: tables, opponents, the number of chips.

All players see the same screen as their opponents until they get their poker hands dealt.

Then each participant will only see their cards displayed on the screen.

Virtual cards are handed out by chance, and the random number generators (RNGs) ensure this randomness.

This is a program inserted into the poker platform software and is permanently producing random sequences of numbers. These sequences are encrypted and converted into a specific card each time a card is dealt.

Games are considered fair due to this RNG since websites can’t influence the cards in any way, which makes sure that online poker is not rigged.

Ultimately, the poker platform software efficiently runs the games by showing players when it's their turn to act and other nuances.

When a player clicks on a button to take up a specific action, the information is sent back to the server. Next, the server processes the action and updates the game correspondingly.

Players can only see the updated version directly on their screens to know when other players fold or make a bet.

If a player folds, the other players will see the cards removed from the table. If a player makes a bet, the others will see that bet, etc.

The software calculates the number of chips those belonging to each player owns and those being in the pot. Poker website decides who wins according to the poker rules and distributes the corresponding chips to the winners.

Poker Software Types

Today, you can play various poker games without downloading software to your PC, and while some operators still require this step, there are other options at hand.

Some websites let you access their games directly through a web browser, while others develop their applications compatible with mobile devices.

Each of these options has both pros and cons, and while downloadable software is still winning in functionality and many players prefer it, instant play and mobile tools are gaining their ground. Let us learn about these options more.

Downloadable Poker Software

You will find out several reasons why it is the number one for most players.

• Higher quality graphics make a big difference to your overall playing experience.
• Stability lets you avoid crashing or freezing.
• Better functionality implies special features such as player notes, instant hand histories, customizable avatars and tables, and multi-tabling options.
• The game selection and the number of opponents are far more impressive than the alternatives.
• You can easily use Poker Tracker 4 and other third-party tools to get statistics and other vital information.

Instant Play Software

You don’t need to download anything; you log in to the website and access the software directly. Let us mark some important features.

• Instant play software is generally compatible with different operating systems and devices, so it’s standardly powered using Adobe Flash.
• Being a scaled-down version of a download equivalent, it has fewer features, lower quality graphics, and a poorer selection of games.
• It works in pretty much the same way as a downloadable version.

Mobile Poker Apps

Several reasons can explain the tendency of playing poker on mobile devices.

• They are considered a good choice if you want to play a quick game while out of the house.
• These apps are basically compatible with all operating systems, smartphones, and tablets.

Thile downloadable software clearly has more to offer at the moment, but the trend is rapidly shifting to mobile apps.

This will likely speed up the further improvement of mobile applications, so we might play more games later on and see the functionality catch up with downloadable versions.

Conclusion

Now you should have a good understanding of how actual poker rooms work and see which type of poker software works best for you.

Either you want to download a full client or enjoy quick games on the newest poker app, it's all up for grabs.

Since it is clear how important software is when choosing where to play, you should have no problem identifying a reliable iGaming vendor and pick one if you decide to launch your own poker room.

Neglecting this can cause many challenges later on and even cloud your poker experience, so better be safe than sorry.