In the era of mobile gaming, Android users can find just about any type of game they like at the touch of a screen. Keep an eye on the running list of top games at AndroidPolice.com and you’ll see examples in categories like shooting, action, strategy, role-playing, racing, and more. There are to be sure a lot of fun games to be found in all of these categories. But month to month and year to year, some of the most reliably entertaining games for Android users also come from the poker genre.
Here are some of the best of the bunch.
Zynga Poker
Originally launched in 2007, and with the mobile version now available in 18 different languages, Zynga Poker is a behemoth in the Android poker world. With a huge community of users, this app makes it easy to find a quick of any sort, pretty much whenever you like. Graphics are clear and cartoonish (in a fun way), although we’d point out that sometimes details like dollar amounts on chip stacks are a little bit difficult to discern on smaller screens. This is worth noting in 2021, with some Android devices like the Google Pixel 5 and the Asus Zenfone 8 trending a little bit smaller. Nevertheless, it’s a minor issue, and Zynga remains a reliably enjoyable app.
Offline Poker – Texas Hold’em
As the name suggests, this 2021 app from Hawaiian developers The Othernet doesn’t require an internet connection. With 142 separate AI players in the game, you can encounter plenty of challenges without ever having to go online and find other live players. Another perk of AI opponents is that they allow for a “fast fold” option, whereby you can basically skip right to the next hand if you fold or are knocked out (given that there aren’t other live players finishing up the hand). If there’s any criticism of this game, it’s that only having the option of heads up (1-vs-1), three-player tables or six-player tables feels a little limiting. Still, it’s hard to beat the simplicity or convenience of this app if you don’t want to rely on an internet connection or live opponents.
World Series of Poker
If you like competitive poker in multiple varieties (most notably Omaha and Texas Hold’em), the official WSOP app is a great choice. With more of a focus on tournament play (you can win bracelets as in-game achievements), this is perhaps the Android game most rewarding for long-term play. As of 2021, the real World Series of Poker consists of 88 bracelet events, various satellite games, and what amounts to a massive poker convention in Las Vegas. The app, we should note, doesn’t attempt to imitate all of this with any kind of lifestyle simulation gameplay, the way some sports games named for their events do. But it does capture certain aspects of the real event, and of pro poker in general. The app is also a bit more forgiving than the real WSOP, given that player are given free chips to play with every three hours!
POKER OMAHA
While the majority of Android poker apps focus on Texas Hold’em –– unsurprising as this is the dominant form of poker both online and in card rooms –– Omaha also has its devotees. Slightly different from its more popular cousin, Omaha sees each player dealt four cards, as opposed to two in Hold’em. Five community cards are shown and players must compose their hand from exactly two of their own “hole” cards and exactly three of the community cards. Poker Omaha brings this variety of the game to life in what is strictly a virtual stakes app, meaning it’s just for fun and involves no money on the line.
As you’re no doubt aware, there’s plenty of fun that can be had on Android devices, and in Google Play gaming specifically. But sometimes a tried-and-true poker app like one of these is about as good as it gets.
