Texas Hold ’em Poker With Video Chat: The Social Distance Edition

Most everyone is missing their normal social gatherings due to COVID-19 social distancing and making do with video conferencing to maintain contact. The PokerFace app lets users play Texas Hold’em Poker together with video chat built-in. The app allows synchronized video for up to five people—you and your friends can now meet for your poker night, wherever they are, despite the isolation rules in place. Even better: all the features of the application are available with the free download on both iOS and Android.

The application does require access to the camera and microphone (obviously, otherwise video chat is less than effective) and the entire address book. If you have concerns about giving that kind of access (and concerns are certainly warranted in today’s environment), consider yourself forewarned. The developer’s privacy policy does state that they will “only collect Personal Information to the extent necessary to fulfill one or more of the Service’s functions and activities.” PokerFace is obviously intended for an adult audience (and the disclaimers clearly state as much) for amusement purposes only, it does not offer “real money” gambling, or even the opportunity to win real money or prizes based on gameplay.

Gameplay is exactly what you would expect, following the standard rules of Texas Hold’em (one of the most popular variants of poker). Players start with a generous bank of chips, plus the opportunity to spin the bonus wheel for additional chips every four hours, and (of course) you can buy more with in-app purchases. Applications or online games always raise the question of fairness (since the deck does not really exist); the cards in PokerFace are shuffled randomly to provide you the best Texas Hold’em experience!

I replaced an online gathering one night with Texas Hold’em through PokerFace and we had a great time, even though I didn’t win a single hand. The video chat was stable during our tests and made playing far more like playing around a real table… especially for those who have lousy facial tells or can pull off a good bluff.

My new, regularly scheduled poker nights may or may not continue after the social isolation rules are lifted; but I certainly am enjoying the connection with friends, old and new, that has come from the newly popular video chats, and PokerFace definitely has a place in keeping these meetings entertaining.

Direct download links for PokerFace: iOS App Store and Android Google Play Store.