Top 10 Poker Sites for Macs
Important: The only poker site we highly recommend, which accepts the entire United States and is compatible with Mac computers is www.Betonline.ag. Otherwise, see below.
This is a complete review of Macintosh compatible poker rooms. Sites listed below primarily use Java via a download .dmg for Mac users -if not a browser version-, so you will need Java which most Macs come with. Free upgrades may be necessary. Read the site reviews for more in depth Mac compatibility issues, reviews and promos.
- Betonline, the US friendly sportsbook, casino site, racebook & poker room recently updated their software.
- The player competition is very poor here, in other words, filled with fish, so it is pretty easy to make money. It is also the #1 fastest poker site for withdrawals and deposits, although the site lacks a lot of poker table traffic while they are currently under the Chico poker network.
- First time poker players will get a free ticket to play in a real money tournament.
- The download software is Java based for Mac users, which is high in quality graphically and featured-wise.
- SB Poker has always paid out to their players; like any room, their timelines fluctuate, but are always good.
- Their Welcome bonus is 200% up to $2,000 with free training school and odds calculator usage.
- Flash based poker room for Mac users; a bit clunky, but really crisp graphics and with live cam tables too.
- Despite the software (Pacific, All American Poker, 888 & Microgaming), this site is home to the fishiest poker players in Europe.
- This site has what I call a “real” bonus because, its very easily released; 100% up to $400.
- You can play at two different platforms here, Ongame or Microgaming software, downloadable for PC or Instant Play (browser) for both PC and Mac users.
- While I’ve never played here, I like how you can change currency bets.
- The welcome bonus is either up to €1000 or up to $2,000 depending on the gaming network you play with (Ongaming in Euro and Microgaming in USD).
If any of these poker sites don’t work on your Mac it is likely to be for any of two reasons:
1. You’re using an old Mac which doesn’t support the sites that require downloading (ones with a green download button next to them).
2. You need to open a port. Contact the tech support at the poker room you choose and they’ll show you how and which port to open up.
You also may just need to download the latest version of Java, which is free. Here is our Mac poker FAQ section.
Besides checking this page often we also suggest viewing our online poker sites for USA webpage periodically. Here you will also be able to find what sites are easiest to deposit at and which poker sites to stay away from. You will also find daily updates at the bottom toward the blog section relating to laws with online poker.
The Java poker programs have restrictions. The graphics are not everything that you’d see in the download versions. This keeps the game running as fast as possible but in general I’ve found poker sites that use Java to be slow.
All Mac online poker rooms have different requirements to play poker on a Macintosh and a lot require Java. Most newer Macintosh’s/Apple models come with Java pre-installed. On the other hand, frequently required browsers include Internet Explorer 5.2 or Apple Safari for Mac OS X, but these are not always necessary. Additionally, Mozilla Firefox usually works just fine but I’ve found bugs when using Firefox.
There are a lot of “pay to play” programs out there to play on your Mac or iPhone. Personally I don’t see the reason to have this except for I did see online poker that was native for the iPad which was pretty cool. Playing on a phone requires a very good bandwidth and WIFI connection.
You can play on poker rooms that are not made for Macs by purchasing Virtual PC software. This software will allow you to play online poker rooms that were built for Windows only. I personally used Parallels which allowed you to use Windows and Mac OS X without having to turn your computer off. It can get slow when switching from Windows to Mac if you’re running lots of applications, but apart from that, it works perfectly to our needs. Visit the Virtual PC poker page for more information. Both options can be costly and somewhat of a pain. There might be some poker sites that will not work using Parallels, so all you can do is test if you’re in this situation.
In an advancement by Apple you can Dual Boot a Mac to play at Windows based poker rooms or sites that only offer a non-Mac compatible software component. See how to Dual Boot a Macintosh to play poker. This is for Intel based Mac computers only.
This issue is relatively new but should be addressed for any Mac user thinking about booting up Windows on their Mac via Virtual PC or by dual booting. Poker rooms are now sending out dll type snooping injectors to watch you while you play poker. These dll injectors hook on to your running applications to make sure you are not running any illegal cheat software. This is a great way to stop cheaters and hackers, but some poker players believe it’s an invasion of privacy. Just know that you are being watched when you play poker at Windows based sites. Java based poker rooms will not allow this however because it is not allowed by Java Runtime.
It really depends on your preference when choosing to play at a download or a non-download poker site. Download sites will offer more accessories and potentially better graphics and features. The downloadable sites will give you options to choose avatars, take notes on players and let you do a lot more things than on the Java sites. On the other hand some players don’t like to download extra software onto their Mac with constant updates needed, and hence choose to use the Java or Flash (no download) poker rooms. It is really up to you to find what Mac poker room suits your playing style and/or convenience.
We have contacted all the major online poker rooms such as Titan Poker, Everest Poker, etc., about becoming Mac compatible. I can say things are slowly changing as Titan Poker are now a Mac friendly site via their instant play browser version, along with many other major poker sites. As for casinos we’re still looking for a native Mac compatible casino. Some poker rooms like 888 have an online casino for Macs.
For now Virtual PC, Parallels or performing a Dual Boot with “Boot Camp” are the main methods to play at some of these sites. Bodog actually released a Flash Mac poker version out of the blue. Other sites will send us an email as soon as they do decide to become Mac compatible, so keep checking in for that.
Articles similar to this page can now be read in FR 
(French) and, DE 
(German).
