Zynga has created the first online multi-player poker app for the iPhone. Live Poker has social networking features and multi-player functions that will not only make it a hit, but one of a kind.
The app works off other social networking sites like Facebook, and actually allows information from your account to be shared with other users. Upon signing on, your Facebook profile picture will appear next to your name, and you will be immediately sat down and dealt into a live game.
The app has a network of more than 1.4 million people coming not only from Facebook, but also from MySpace, Bebo, Hi5 and Friendster. The app works off the 3G network or Wi-Fi, and if your signal gets lost, don't worry, you will be dealt into the next round as soon as it's recovered.
The interface looks great and has cute add on features that enhance your playing experience. For example, if you feel like saying "hi" to your table, go ahead. You can actually open up a chat window and exchange words with your opponents. If you feel like being sociable, for a few chips, buy someone at your table a virtual beer.
If you're curious about who you're playing with, just click on their picture and a brief description taken from their Facebook page will pop down. Within the network check if your friends are online... and challenge them to a hand.
The video above gives a brief demonstration of how the app works, and shows some of its cool features. If you like what you see, you can download Live Poker now, and the best part, it's free. But they had to make some money off this app somehow, so for $9.99 you can download Live Poker 40K, and get more chips to play with, as well as the ability to compete in live tournaments. But, according to a few negative reviews on iTunes, the app does not work on the Edge network, so if you have a 1st Generation iPhone, I'd go with the free version first.
This game provides a multi-player experience that is not offered from any other poker app. This game is not only a great accomplishment on Zynga's part, but may also be a clue into what other apps will soon be offering. One thing is for sure, with this app, poker on your iPhone will never be the same.
