Party Poker has quietly released a Mac and Linux compatible no download Beta version of their Online Poker Room. The new software uses java, which allows it to be displayed on any java enabled web browser, like Safari and Firefox.
Until now, Party Poker showed no signs of developing Mac poker software. I’ve emailed them several times with requests for Mac poker software, but they’ve always sent the same response, “Our software does not support Apple MAC machines. However, you can download a cross-platform application, **Virtual PC**.
My first thought when opening up party poker on my safari web browser was, “wow, this works really goodâ€. It’s like night and day compared to running Party Poker on virtual PC. The lobby opened in about 10 seconds, the table stats and player count were constantly updating, navigation was snappy, and it’s not hogging ram.
So I logged into my account and opened up a play money table to test out. Again everything is running great. Not flawless, but really good. The action moves from player to player swiftly, and there isn’t any lag when betting or folding. I was able to run multiple tables at once, as well.
I’m excited that all the main features are working, but there’s still some undeveloped / missing features. Some of the lobby menu items weren’t cooperating, table options don’t seem to be available yet, blackjack isn’t set up, and they don’t have a tournament lobby. This *really* is a beta test that requires bug hunting.
Test the software out, and show your support by sending Party Poker feedback. If they see that there’s a demand for Mac poker rooms, and maybe they’ll target promotions towards Mac users. This is what we need for other poker sites to start thinking about Macs.
We’ll continue seeking out Mac Party Poker information, and posting updates as it’s released. The no download Party Poker url is, partypoker.com/nodownload.
Have you tried the new Parellels Workstation to see how some of the rooms run while using that. I heard it is supposedly the program is as crisp as natively running windows but haven’t tested it. I am a recent mac convert, but have to use windows a majority of the time to play my favorite rooms.
I haven’t tried it out yet, but I actually read a good review about Parallels on a poker forum earlier. It’s supposed to be a lot better then virtual PC , because it doesn’t have to emulate the intel processor.
The drawback is that you need one of the new intel Macs to run it. I have a G4, so i’m out of luck.
Ah yes…I forgot about that. I have a new black macbook. SO maybe I will try it an let you know.