Online Poker Software
When you visit online poker sites, you’ll find that some offer a few games that can be played directly online, without a download, but others require you to download and install their software to play their games. With everyone worried about malware, viruses and phishing online, the question is – is the software safe?
Online poker sites work hard to make sure that their software is both safe and easy to use. If you look for assurances that the site itself is “Safe and Fair” such as the eCOGRA symbol displayed on the site, then you can rest easy that the software is safe. Online poker sites need to keep their reputation clean in order to attract players and the sites do make plenty of profit off of the rake and tournament fees. Bad software would simply endanger the legitimate money, so it’s not a good bet for the poker sites.
But there’s another type of software you’ll come across if you start playing poker. Programs to help you track your game or evaluate your opponent’s game. This software is more difficult to evaluate. An astute player might want to check out the poker forums for feedback from other users. Or search on the software in Google by adding keywords like danger, bad, beware, warning or scam after the software name. This will let you know if other users have reported problems with the software, malware or viruses.
Of course before you download any software to your computer, you’ll want to make sure that you have good antivirus software installed. There are a number of these programs available on the market and they offer a variety of features. Remember, if you’re playing poker online, you’re gambling with your money over the web. Even if the software and sites are safe, you need to be sure your computer is safe. A good antivirus program will do that.