Poker for Macintosh

Important:  At this current time BetOnline.com accepts new players from the United States that use a Mac.  Click here to sign-up and play now!

This is a complete review of Macintosh compatible poker rooms.  Sites listed below with a green download button denote they require downloading, others use Java which do not.

For screenshots of the poker tables click here. The most recent version of Java is all you’ll need.

Mac Compatible Sites	Bonus	Bonus Code	USA	Review
BetOnline.com	No Max			N/A
CarbonPoker.com	$600			Carbon Poker
Bwin.com	$500		no	Bwin
888Poker.com	$400		no	888 Poker
PartyPoker.com	$200	de200	no	Party Poker
HollywoodPoker.com	$1000		no	Hollywood Poker
Betsson.com	$1600		no	Betsson Poker
FullTiltPoker.com	$600	macintosh	no	Full Tilt Poker
All sites tested using an iMac and Macbook pro

Still having troubles?

If anyone of these sites don’t work on your Mac it is likely to be two reasons.  You’re using an old Mac which doesn’t support the sites that require downloading (ones with a green download button next to them) or 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.

USA Notes

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 sites to stay away from.  You will also find daily updates at the bottom toward the blog section relating to laws with online poker.

Option 1:  Java
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 model Macintosh’s/Apples come with Java pre-installed.  Frequently required browsers are Internet Explorer 5.2 or Apple Safari for Mac OS X but these are not always necessary.  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 is a bit overboard if you ask me.

Option 2:  Virtual PC or Parallels
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.  I personally use Parallels which allows 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.  Visit the Virtual PC poker page for more information.  Both options can be costly and somewhat of a pain.  Some sites like on the Cake network still didn’t work for me using Parallels. Our friend Kendall has a site that lists the best poker sites to play on a PC if you do end up going this route.

Option 3:  Dual Boot “Boot Camp” – Intel Only
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 Macs only.

Privacy Issues to Consider

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 great way to stop cheaters but some 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 because it is not allowed by Java Runtime.

Download or No Download

It really depends on preference when choosing to play at a no download or a non-download poker site.  Download sites will offer more accessories.  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 and choose to use the Java (no download) poker rooms.  It is really up to you to find what Mac poker room suits your playing style.

Future Mac Poker Rooms

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 have released Mac versions 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.

Different Countries

Articles similar to this page can now be read in FR (French) and, DE (German).