Instant Play Poker Rooms

No Download Required Poker Rooms

No download online poker rooms are those that offer a Flash poker client; one that does not require a download to play. These are also referred to as Mac Poker rooms, since most downloadable poker clients are compatible with PC only.

Mac Poker

For many online poker players, instant play poker is their only option. For Linux and Mac poker fans, they are limited to running a PC Emulator – known to be resource hogs – in order to play normal download poker clients. Flash poker rooms make it much easier to play online poker, requiring only the ability to run Flash programs.

Any computer purchased in the last 5 or 6 years should already be Flash-compliant. If it is not, the user is prompted to install Flash as soon as they open the Flash poker client. This takes only a moment, allowing the Linux or Mac poker player to get straight into the game, directly in their browser.

Even online poker players running a Windows PC operating system may not find the downloadable poker client to be convenient. Not every poker fan uses their own personal computer, or laptop, to play online poker.

For those of you who like to play from a shared computer, such a your friend or relatives computer, an Internet coffee house, or even a shared office computer, downloading an online poker room isn't usually an option. We certainly don't encourage playing online poker from work, but let's face facts; it does happen!

How it Works

When you visit an online poker room, you should see two playing options available. One will say “Download” and the other will say “Instant Play”, “Flash Poker” or “Mac Poker”. Some rooms do not advertise the no download online poker software on the main page, so you may have to do a little searching to find it.

Click on the Flash Poker option and a window will appear. You will be asked to login to your current account, or create a new account. If you don't have a poker account, choose to create a new one.

Follow the instructions to create a new account, then proceed to the poker cashier if you want to play for real money and/or claim a bonus.

The poker lobby will be displayed, showing tabs for all available cash poker games and/or tournaments. Choose the type of game you wish to play. If you select cash games, you should see a list of all available poker variants and limits. Again, choose your preferred game and a list of tables will appear.

Scroll down the list until you find a suitable game. Stats for each game should be displayed within the list, including the number of players at a table. If the table is empty, keep looking for a different table, or enter the game and wait for other players to arrive. If the table is full, you can be added to the waiting list. To join the table, click the “Join Table” option, normally found to the right of the games list.

Limitations

Flash Poker clients don't typically come with the same extensive features as a downloadable poker client. Some may be restricted to cash games only (no tournaments). Others may not offer the full selection of poker variants. The statistics displayed in the poker lobby, as well as the in-game, personal stats, may be limited as well.

If you read over the FAQ section of the online poker room, you can usually find a comparison of all features in the download and no download online poker versions.

Below find a list of top poker sites that offer games without downloading. Read our poker sites reviews and compare poker bonuses and choose preferred website for playing online poker.