downloadable Macintosh poker client!

finally someone has done it.. i cant understand why none of the big sites do this. but GamesGrid poker has released an OSX version of their software. PokerRoom (and its skins) have been the only choice for mac users, now there is another. although its a small site, its just good to see them doing this.

GamesGrid is best known for their 1000% bonus, but is otherwise pretty small and not many people know of it. I'm gonna give it a shot to support their support of OSX.

I downloaded the client, and was sad to see a very non-osx like interface, but i think all poker sites pretty much build their own interface, so whatever.

I heard a rumor that fulltilt was doing a mac client.. anyone have any info on that? why doesnt party do this?? seems like itd be so easy for them and they would gain almost all mac poker players as customers.

[CORed]

I want a Linux poker client. For Party or skin.

i'd like that too. hopefully this will inspire others. to support OS minorities

i'd been playing gamesgrid on virtual pc (getting used to to the site for the rgp open) and i was surprised how much better the straight mac application was. the animations -- especially card dealing -- are much faster.

sure beats the hell out of the pokerroom macintosh experience -- i just wish gamesgrid had as many players as they do.

[xadrez]

Interesting...how are the games there?

[JeffSpicoli]

Dude, Pacific works on a Mac.

J

[spicychili]

[ QUOTE ]
I want a Linux poker client. For Party or skin.

[/ QUOTE ]

Run Cross-over office on your Linux machine and you can install many windows applications. I play on stars through crossover office on my Linux machine all the time.

i don't think mr. hand would like that answer, spicoli ...

the thing with both pacific and pokerroom is you're running a java client, not a native macintosh application ... i've played 'em both (actually prefer 'em slightly downloaded and running under virtual pc), but the gamesgrid version is noticably better ... especially in terms of animation and speed.

but hey, don't take my word for it ... they've got free play on there, download the mac client and try it ... see what you think.

i find 'em widely variable.

for the most part, the limit ring games seem pretty tight and sometimes devolve into blind-stealing matches.

the exception to this are the dealer's choice games -- the world's focus is so heavily on hold 'em these days that the players there aren't very good at the other games. there's a lot of money sitting there to be picked up, and you can definitely up your e.v. by *not* choosing hold 'em.

the no-limit ring games are bizarre, and (at least for me) seem to be amongst the easiest on the 'net. there used to be a $300 buy-in that ran constantly that seems to have dried up -- that was my favorite and the most lucrative. now the majority of the action is below that, with occasional games above it. i'm not sure why the limit played has changed, it may have something to do with their leaderboard system.

(as an aside, if you're a high roller, be VERY careful of "stackable" -- i've seen him take, probably, $10k from various victims in just the last week or so. he's the best no-limit ring game player i've ever seen and is a threat.)

as you'd guess the tried-and-true method on those no-limit games is wait wait wait until you've got somethin', then bet bet bet.

play seems to be heaviest in the american night time, although there is a hot spot at around noon eastern time -- i think the euros are poking around on there then.

there isn't much tournament action on there (the good news is they have a $400 guaranteed tourney that usually ends up with $100+ of overlay), but i'd expect that to increase as the rgp open approaches.

the other thing worth mentioning is gamesgrid ran backgammon for years and at least some of those players are leaking onto the poker felt. as a result you see a lot of people making equity plays with their poker hands -- you wanna be damn sure that you're making a bet that is not a good equitable call for someone's drawing hand if you want them to drop, or they'll cook you.

[xadrez]

Thanks for the info Slider!

[pokermac]

Not to be a beast, but...

I think the Games Grid is simply a standalone Java app, just like pacific and bugsy's.

FYI - tons of mac poker resources (http://www.poker-mac.com) on my Poker-Mac site.

I wrote incomplete but working clients for UB and FT, and 80% of a Party client, all native to OSX. I offered to demo them for each of the sites in hopes of selling the software or being employed to complete them, but received no interest. There just aren't enough OSX users who would play poker but who don't have a Windows box they can use.

[ QUOTE ]
Not to be a beast, but...

I think the Games Grid is simply a standalone Java app, just like pacific and bugsy's.

[/ QUOTE ]
It's a downloadable standalone application. Pacific (and Pokerroom, etc.) requires you to play via their Web site.

GamesGrid's app may be written in Java, but it has to be packaged within a Mac app framework in order to stand alone - you couldn't download the Pacific source code and expect it to run from your Mac desktop.

So stop being a beast. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[pokermac]

fourteen 00,

that sucks.

I can't believe they wouldn't make the small investement to get all of the mac users on board. I think they'd be surprised at how many would come out of the woodwork. You should see them all on Pokerroom, etc....

Have you tried Party again after the skin meltdown?

p