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Ladbrokes iOS Poker Review
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Introduction
Ladbrokes are not only one of the oldest bookmakers in the world, but also one of the largest. They have based a reputation on sports betting, but have since then gone on to represent other forms of gambling such as poker, casino, bingo and more. It’s often interesting seeing how companies who are heavily dominated in one area adapt to other forms of gambling and to how much time and effort is spent into making these areas of their gambling portfolio as comprehensive as possible.
The introduction of the iPad has revolutionised the way in which we work and play. The versatility of it all means that so much can be done from one machine and it was only going to be a matter of time before the gambling industry got their grubby mitts on it. One of the biggest developments has come in the form of mobile poker and Ladbrokes are just one of a number of companies to develop a poker app totally geared around working on the iPad.
Promotions
New users to the Ladbrokes iPad poker app can enjoy a massive deposit bonus worth up to £1000. The bonus is synced with your first deposit and it’s this deposit that will be matched by a whopping 200%. Deposit from £10 upwards to £500 will become eligible to get the bonus, with £500 being the maximum amount to qualify. Obviously deposit of over £500 can be made directly from the app, but anything about this number will not qualify for this promotion.
The bonus is also one of the easiest to clear that we have come across with every 32 points earned at the tables releasing $1 of your bonus amount. The bonus will be credited to your account in multiples of 20% of the total bonus. Each payment will be equal and you can even track your progress from the poker client. Note that this cannot be done via the iPad app.
Features
After reviewing the iPhone version of this app previously, we were unsure what to expect from the iPad version. The added screen real estate gave us high hopes after how impressed we were from the iPhone version of this app.
In all honesty, very little has changed. But this definitely isn’t a bad thing. The biggest thing that will grab you – if you are familiar with the iPhone version or are reading this after the iPhone review –is the increased amount of room on the site. It’s pretty obvious really, as the screen is so much bigger, but it really does make a difference and looks even more impressive than on the iPhone. For those of you that haven’t read the iPhone review yet, keep reading.
If you are looking for a wide variety of games and different variants of poker then you are going to be disappointed. To be honest, this could be written for pretty much any poker app. There simply isn’t the range of games available to mobile users that there is if you use their poker client and this is just something you have to live with. For now, at least, we need to remain patient and be thankful that mobile poker is available at all. End of mini rant!
Blaze poker is something Ladbrokes have been keen to push and this is definitely the figure head of their unique selling point when it comes to their iPad app. But along with Blaze poker you also get a really good selection of Texas Holdem tables and also a play money section, which we highly recommend you check out before playing the real money tables; if only to get a feel with how the app works.
Stakes for the games are still pretty low. Blaze poker games include just 2c/4c and 5c/10c games, whilst Texas Holdem range from €4 buy in tables, up to €100 buy in tables. This is actually about as large as these stakes are going to get.
The app is actually a very simple app. You can choose from your games, deposit your money, find out who to get in touch with if things go wrong and then sit down at a table. We actually think the simplicity of the iPad app is a feature in itself. The whole idea of mobile technology is to make things easier and available at our finger tips. If this were to be something that is jam packed with things to miss-click and something that is just plain awful on the eye, then it wouldn’t work. Simplicity is definitely king in the Mobile poker industry, so Ladbrokes definitely get a thumbs up here.
After reviewing the iPhone version of this app previously, we were unsure what to expect from the iPad version. The added screen real estate gave us high hopes after how impressed we were from the iPhone version of this app.
In all honesty, very little has changed. But this definitely isn’t a bad thing. The biggest thing that will grab you – if you are familiar with the iPhone version or are reading this after the iPhone review –is the increased amount of room on the site. It’s pretty obvious really, as the screen is so much bigger, but it really does make a difference and looks even more impressive than on the iPhone. For those of you that haven’t read the iPhone review yet, keep reading.
If you are looking for a wide variety of games and different variants of poker then you are going to be disappointed. To be honest, this could be written for pretty much any poker app. There simply isn’t the range of games available to mobile users that there is if you use their poker client and this is just something you have to live with. For now, at least, we need to remain patient and be thankful that mobile poker is available at all. End of mini rant!
Blaze poker is something Ladbrokes have been keen to push and this is definitely the figure head of their unique selling point when it comes to their iPad app. But along with Blaze poker you also get a really good selection of Texas Holdem tables and also a play money section, which we highly recommend you check out before playing the real money tables; if only to get a feel with how the app works.
Stakes for the games are still pretty low. Blaze poker games include just 2c/4c and 5c/10c games, whilst Texas Holdem range from €4 buy in tables, up to €100 buy in tables. This is actually about as large as these stakes are going to get.
The app is actually a very simple app. You can choose from your games, deposit your money, find out who to get in touch with if things go wrong and then sit down at a table. We actually think the simplicity of the iPad app is a feature in itself. The whole idea of mobile technology is to make things easier and available at our finger tips. If this were to be something that is jam packed with things to miss-click and something that is just plain awful on the eye, then it wouldn’t work. Simplicity is definitely king in the Mobile poker industry, so Ladbrokes definitely get a thumbs up here.
Table mode
After reviewing the iPhone app, it was always going to be interesting to see how well the iPad version of the same app faired up. And the deciding factor was definitely going to be whilst at the table.
The design is very similar. The table looks stunning and the design is really clear. The lack of four coloured deck once again eludes us, but the bigger screens make it much easier to see the suit of cards in comparison to the iPhone. I ability to upload an avatar to the site is something e found to be quite neat and also the ways in which the tables function whilst playing is super smooth. Whilst we haven’t tested this on the 3G connection – only Wi-Fi – if it’s anything like the iPhone version, then there shouldn’t be any issues.
Verdict
Ladbrokes have always been a company who have been one of the leading lights at whatever they do. But their poker room hasn’t always been like this. Unlike sports betting and even casino, within the poker community they are still very much small fry when compared with the likes of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Their early emergence of a mobile poker app was one that was intriguing, if only to see how well they could turn out their hand to it.
Turns out, pretty well! The app looks, runs, handles and looks (have we mentioned that?) brilliantly! In fact, we tried so hard to find things that are ‘wrong’ with the app, but in the end gave up. It has its niggles, the lack of games on offer, the number of tables running and the lack of game selection is something that is, as yet, unavailable. But then again, very few poker apps offer this and we fully expect features such as these to be integrated as the app develops.
It’s an app we can very comfortably highly recommend and we would probably give the iPad version the edge over its smaller iPhone cousin.
After reviewing the iPhone app, it was always going to be interesting to see how well the iPad version of the same app faired up. And the deciding factor was definitely going to be whilst at the table.
The design is very similar. The table looks stunning and the design is really clear. The lack of four coloured deck once again eludes us, but the bigger screens make it much easier to see the suit of cards in comparison to the iPhone. I ability to upload an avatar to the site is something e found to be quite neat and also the ways in which the tables function whilst playing is super smooth. Whilst we haven’t tested this on the 3G connection – only Wi-Fi – if it’s anything like the iPhone version, then there shouldn’t be any issues.
Verdict
Ladbrokes have always been a company who have been one of the leading lights at whatever they do. But their poker room hasn’t always been like this. Unlike sports betting and even casino, within the poker community they are still very much small fry when compared with the likes of PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Their early emergence of a mobile poker app was one that was intriguing, if only to see how well they could turn out their hand to it.
Turns out, pretty well! The app looks, runs, handles and looks (have we mentioned that?) brilliantly! In fact, we tried so hard to find things that are ‘wrong’ with the app, but in the end gave up. It has its niggles, the lack of games on offer, the number of tables running and the lack of game selection is something that is, as yet, unavailable. But then again, very few poker apps offer this and we fully expect features such as these to be integrated as the app develops.
It’s an app we can very comfortably highly recommend and we would probably give the iPad version the edge over its smaller iPhone cousin.
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