No Download Poker Sites
No download online poker rooms are exactly what they sound like - poker rooms that don't require you to download or install any software in order to play. Some rooms offer a no download version of their software as a supplement to the main software package, while others are exclusively no download rooms.
Players like the option because of the flexibility it provides, and rooms like offering no download software because of the new markets it opens for online poker.
We'll start with our top pick among no download online poker rooms, and then wrap up with a quick overview of everything you need to know about playing poker online without having to download software.
USA Players Please Read - There are no poker rooms offering a no download version for US players. Try visiting our US poker page or altnatively, you can visit our Mac poker or Linux page for a list of US sites that operate on these operating systems
It's an incredibly close call between 888 Poker and Party Poker, and to be honest you wouldn't go wrong picking either. Both take a somewhat similar approach to their no download client, using it as a no-frills version of the main software that can be run by just about any poker player, regardless of device or operating system.
Party Poker and 888 offer a similar array of games, formats and stakes across their cash game and tournament lobbies, with roughly similar levels of real money traffic over the last two years. If any one thing separates the two rooms, it's that 888 Poker is a bit more focused on the casual player, while Party Poker caters to a more experienced, higher-volume crowd when developing their bonuses and promotions. As far as no download clients go, however, the rooms are neck-and-neck, making any choice of one over the other pretty much a matter of your personal preference.
No Download Poker: What's The Difference?
The easiest way to think of no download poker as opposed to a downloadable client is to think of pancakes at a diner versus pancakes at a fancy hotel. The latter is more dressed up and might come with a little something exotic or interesting on the side, but both are still pancakes at the end of it all.
Similarly, no download poker sites tend to be stripped-down versions of the downloadable client, but both let you accomplish the same basic function: Playing cards against other people online (and hopefully winning). One other key difference: In some - but not all - cases, no download clients can be a bit less stable than their downloadable counterparts, and playing multiple tables will generally be more resource-intensive using the no download version of the room than it would be using the full version.
Basically, if you can run the full version of the room, you're usually better off doing so. If you can't, however, no download poker rooms have definitely progressed to the point where they are a legitimate alternative to downloading and installing an online poker room.
Different Types of No Download Software
No download online poker sites come in a variety of flavors: Flash-based online poker rooms, rooms powered by Java and (increasingly) rooms written in HTML 5. Each has benefits and drawbacks; for example, HTML 5 is certainly the most forward-looking platform, but simply hasn't been tested as a foundation for an online poker room the way that Flash has. Flash poker sites tend to deliver a superior performance in terms of graphics and aesthetics when compared to Java rooms, but Java is compatible with more devices than Flash.
We could go on and on, but the point is quite clear: Each way of developing a no download poker client has pros and cons, but the relevance of said pros and cons will vary depending on the individual. Your goal should simply be to identify the platform of the no download rooms you choose to use and learn what about it works for you and what doesn't, a process that will make it even easier for you to select another no download poker option in the future.