Mobile Phones And Gambling [.co.uk]

Aces Royal is a UK based company offering a unique mobile poker product. Having tried this out (and admitting I’m not much of a poker player!) I noticed a few differences between playing on the PC poker products and Aces Royal’s mobile poker, but overall have to say I was pretty impressed.

The installation, setup and registration was fairly straightforward (UK users can fast-track the install by texting “ACES15″ to 85020 which will also load you up with a free £5) on my Nokia N80 although as with most mobile gambling products, you do need to use a Visa debit card or a credit card to sign up. This is the way the ID and verification process is done - quick and easy to be honest. Note that Maestro wasn’t accepted as I wrote this but will probably be in place by the time you do!

Before I get into the way the poker plays, it’s worth noting that [Aces Royal] have now released a Blackjack, Roulette and a 5-reel slot (”Lucky Diamond”) with free spins bonus feature as options if you get bored with poker. You can choose to download these through the lobby once Aces Royal is installed on your mobile phone.

For a full list of compatible mobile phones, go to the Aces Royal Mobile Phone Compatibility chart (popup).

Okay…to the game itself. Aces Royal is Texas Hold’em only by the way and when you log in to play you are faced with (currently) three type of table, each with limits which are fairly low right now. Don’t expect “no-limit hold ‘em” here just yet. Once you have selected your limits, you are allocated to the first free space at any of the tables in action. Each table holds a maximum of 6 players and follows the usual Hold ‘Em rules. This being mobile, the play is slower than on PC poker software and there is a 30 second timeout limit which is needed because of varying connection speeds. However the game does move at a reasonable pace and remains very playable.

There is no chat function, but you do have a couple of pre-configured phrases and a “nudge” option to gently remind players who are slow that they need to get a move on! despite the limited screen size on mobile phones, the table, cards and player names are all very clear and the graphics very smooth.

Admittedly there are few poker rooms available for mobiles right now, but I’d have to say that Aces Royal Poker is a very entertaining and slick effort and if you want “poker on the go”, it definately comes recommended.

Visit » Aces Royal Poker