PokerBros from the USA, PPPoker from China and Upoker from Malaysia are similar but also vastly different in their own unique ways. This article will provide an in depth analysis and review of the 3 best independent poker apps in the market right now. Analysis will be made from a player and host’s point of view using a rating system for all 3 apps.

 

A brief history of independent poker clients

PPPoker was first introduced to the market in 2015. It quickly gained a huge following in the online poker industry as it was the first app of its kind. It allowed people to host games and run their very own clubs. It quickly gained traction and people started their own poker businesses from the app. Upoker followed in PPPoker’s footsteps in 2017 with pretty much the same app in terms of functionality but with improvements in design and app performance. It is mainly used by hosts in South East Asia and also South America. In 2019, the Americans gave birth to PokerBros, again a similar app but with certain never been seen before features compared to PPPoker and Upoker.

 

User Interface and Graphics
PokerBros wins this one hands down. If it were a boxing match, PokerBros would win via KO in the first round! That’s how well built their app is in terms of user interface. PPPoker and Upoker uses custom pictures as avatars while PokerBros went for a pre set high resolution 3D avatars similar to Fulltilt Poker in the past. This is a breath of fresh air.

Table layout is another area where PokerBros excels. PPPoker and Upoker have standard table layouts while PokerBros allows users to change table, cards and dealer button appearances to suit their liking. Fully customisable features tailor made to players liking.

PokerBros give players a more modern take on poker apps. Its graphics are more 3 dimensional while its counterparts are still in 2D. It is definitely more pleasing to the eye for anyone who plays long hours on their mobile phones. Having said all that, the graphics on the other 2 apps are still insanely good compared to other poker apps out there. Remember, we are comparing the 3 best apps of its kind!

 

Ratings

PPPoker – 6/10

Upoker – 7/10

PokerBros – 9/10

 

Functionality and Features

They all have very similar flow from logging in to choosing your club and then viewing the club’s lobby. At a host level you get to create a club and create or join a Union. Credit goes to PPPoker for innovating. They were the first to come out with some incredible features such as Union which allows clubs to merge and share tables. All 3 apps allow clubs to give out agent passes to agents for easier management.

One thing that PokerBros might lack here is that players are not able to check their statistics. It is understandable as to why they do this because the app is built to be recreational. Only pros care about statistics. However, this is a drawback as many players at the very least would  want some kind of tracking of their performances.  PokerBros does have a page for general statistics. Players however cannot clearly see how much they have won or lost.

 

From a host’s point of view, PPPoker and Upoker allows a club to join 2 unions while PokerBros only allows 1 union per club. Clubs with 2 Unions means that players in the club gets more choices. PokerBros could definitely do better in this area.

One area that PokerBros has innovated is tournaments. They have enabled different Unions to merge tournaments and share tournament tables and prize pool. More players, increased prize pool. Many of PokerBros tournaments have smashed the guaranteed amount due to this single function. Tournament prize pool goes as high as 300,000 for a mere $10 buy in!

PokerBros have also added a twist to players HUD tracking. PPPoker and Upoker relies on career statistics for players Vpip stats while PokerBros refreshes a player’s Vpip every 10 hands. This is an interesting change to make the games as recreational as possible and to prevent grinders from gathering too much information from players.

Upoker and PPPoker allows players to see table statistics and the winnings of all players on the tables. PokerBros merely uses a Hot to Cold chart on players without exact numbers. Again, statistics and data is for serious players while recreational players do not want to see those numbers. No clear winner here as both has its merits.

PokerBros also does not allow players to sit on a table after observing the table for more than 5 minutes. This is to prevent grinders to go from table to table in search for someone weak to prey on. It’s these little details from PokerBros trying to make the app as recreational as possible that makes its player pool way softer compared to its predecessors.

Ratings

PPPoker – 8/10

Upoker – 8/10

PokerBros – 8/10

 

Software Performance and Gaming Certificates

All 3 apps have one thing in common, they are certified by Gaming Labs. A reputable gaming certification company. Kudos to all of them for passing Gaming Lab’s strict certification tests. This shows that the apps are authentic with proper random card generator. PokerBros goes beyond Gaming Labs by having an iTech Labs certification as well. This is huge because it clearly shows the level of commitment from PokerBros in maintaining a fair poker software.

Performance wise, they out perform any other poker apps in the market. PokerBros’ software is by far the smoothest and loads the fastest of the 3. It could be because they are still new. PPPoker and Upoker might have the occasional lag and timeout but you rarely ever see that on PokerBros. This round clearly goes to PokerBros.

Ratings

PPPoker – 7/10

Upoker – 7/10

PokerBros – 9/10

 

Conclusion

It is amazing to see the evolution of independent poker apps through these 3 apps. If you were to compare it to social media, PPPoker is akin to to Friendster, Upoker to Myspace and PokerBros would be Facebook. As we currently stand, PokerBros edges its competitors due to its superior graphics and software. Its many features to make the app as recreational as possible is also something to be admired. Upoker is not far behind and have taken huge market share from from PPPoker especially in the South East Asia Region. All in all, if you want to find recreational games, PokerBros is for you. If you are a more serious player who rely on stats and data to make decisions, you can opt for PPPoker or Upoker!

Overall Ratings

PPPoker – 7/10

Upoker – 8/10

PokerBros – 9/10