Mac Users Forgotten in Online Poker Explosion

The online poker world is a busy machine, with tens of thousands of people firing up their computers each night and popping on for a few hands of their favorite poker game. Despite the many different kinds of players, from the calling stations to the rocks, most online players have one thing in common. They are connecting to the poker sites on Windows-based computers and not Apple Macintosh machines that have a nearly cult following among those who prefer them.

Poker sites virtually ignored Apple users, making those with the less popular computers finagle their way to their poker rooms using PC emulators, such as Microsoft's Virtual PC. These programs allow Mac users to run Windows-based programs on their machines. The newest version of Virtual PC costs between $130 and $250.

Brian Estadt, a longtime Mac fan who has practically given up on his search to find a good place to play poker online with his Mac, isn't going to shell out the money for Virtual PC anytime soon.

"It's not required for Mac users. I think the people who use it are video game players," Estadt says. "The casual Mac user doesn't need it." But to play on some of the more popular poker sites, he'll either have to buy a cheap PC with a Windows operating system or have to buck up and buy an emulator, something he's not willing to do. He was willing to put a few dollars into an online account and play poker, but he couldn't find anywhere to play without buying the emulator and has basically given up. Some of the most crowded sites, such as PartyPoker.com, EmpirePoker.com, ParadisePoker.com, UltimateBet.com and FullTiltPoker.com, don't offer specific software to run their tables on Macs. They all require a PC emulator like Virtual PC to run their software.

"I've tried going on those a few time, with hopes that after a few months, they would've had Macs as their software, but once I've downloaded it, you realize it's only for Windows," Estadt says. "I've looked a few times and I just can't find anything. You know it's disappointing, but I guess that's how it is."

But there might be a light at the end of the tunnel for poker players who happen to own Macs.

Just last week, 888 Holdings, which owns Pacific Poker, launched Mac-PacificPoker.com, which allows owners of Macs with the OS operating system to play at its site without a PC emulator. It joins PokerRoom.com, which was established in 1999 and supports UNIX as well, and HollyWoodPoker.com, as one of the few sites that support Macs.

Chances are, more sites will begin to offer their games to Mac users, especially since the popularity of the iPod has brought a whole new customer base to the Apple brand. At least that's what Estadt is hoping. As a recreational poker player, he would love to be able to sit down in his study and play a few hands at a site he chooses, rather than one he has to use because of the system he uses. Until that happens, there's always the old-fashioned way to play the game: face to face with real people. "In the meantime, I guess I'll go to those local tournaments here and they'll get my money rather than Party Poker."

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