Is Zynga Poker Worth Your Time?
Online games like Zynga Poker offer complete exploration of freedom from a restrictive environment. Unearthed to offer a casino-like experience to users, this poker game provides addictive gameplay to mobile users across the world. But does it stand true to its reputation? Is it really so good that you won’t feel the need to go to a real casino again?
Well, let’s find out here:
Overview
Zynga Poker is an online game that is played on handheld devices. Zynga originally developed the game for Facebook. Now, the game is available as an app for Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, Tagged, MySpace, and Google plus. The game was launched in the year 2007. In just 4 years, more than 37 million players were using it to kill time. The year 2018 witnessed a further increase in popularity and competition of players in the game. The game had 6.15 shares in the social casino games market.
The basic gameplay revolves around traditional Texas Hold ’em Poker rules with players from different global locations on the same table. Users can choose a lobby and enter it as they progress in the game. They can also join with other friends to create their own table games. There are many other features such as VIP tables, tournaments, daily gifts, etc.
Downloading
The game is fairly easy to download. It is available on Google Play Store and App Library. You can easily find it under categories such as editorial picks or best free games. Having said that, the game is free to play, and though you may need to spend money to get premium features, the basic app costs no money at all. Depending on your network bandwidth, you can easily download the 116MB game in around 5 to ten minutes. The game features over 50 million downloads and has a 3.9 rating on app stores. It is rated suitable for 18-plus players only. The game also comes with in-game advertisements and purchase offers.
Playing Zynga Poker for the First Time
The number of options in this game might appear perplexing for the players trying it out for the first time. But worry not; the app has a tutorial to help you. Before you view your profile dashboard, you will be asked to log in to the game. You have three options for this:
- Log in with a Facebook Account- the game asks you to log in using the Facebook account without posting anything on your Facebook profile. You can always restore your progress from your Facebook account.
- Play as a Guest– in this option, you don’t need to sign up or make an account. You play as an anonymous player and take part in any game. Note that using this option, your progress will not be saved.
- Log in with your Account– While using this tab, you will have to provide your credentials like email ID to create an official account with Zynga. You can use the password and email address anytime to restore your progress or log in the next time.
After logging into the game, you will receive free prize money of $2,600,000 as a start-up welcome bonus. You can use this token money to participate in the games, play at beginner’s tables, and try your luck in the tournaments.
Profile Dashboard
After logging in and receiving your bonus, you can finally see your profile’s dashboard with plenty of options to juggle around. On a red-shaded backdrop, you can see various tabs and sections featuring:
- Your challenges and daily challenges
- Yoru rewards
- Carnival nights events
- Events bar with mega fast cash
- Hold’em table selection
- Email notification
- Settings icon
- Free spin as your daily reward bonus
- Sale icon that will take you to the shop
Zynga Chips Vs. Real Money
Before you get habituated to the game, you need to understand that the game does not include real money. It does not support gambling. The game accepts only virtual money, which is termed as ‘chips.’ However, there is a catch. You need to use real money to get additional features such as entry passes, extra chips, money multipliers, or tournament-free entries. This is just like shopping for extra gear. The money is transferred to the Zynga using a safe payment gateway that offers plenty of options such as credit cards, UPI, debit cards, net banking, etc.
The Zynga Poker Game
By choosing the table, you can experience the actual in-game footage. Your profile picture will stand out against a table where pictures of other players will also be visible. There will be a virtually animated image of the dealer in the center of the table. The image of the player who is playing will be highlighted while other images will be blurred, clearly indicating whose turn it is.
The gameplay is relatively smooth and effortless. The timing bar runs without any lag on every player’s chance. You can see the cards going into butter-smooth transitions. The cards are revealed when it is your turn with well-laid graphics and visuals.
Also, the background of Zynga is animated, which means you can see various animations behind the table, giving you the feel of playing in a real casino. Note that the graphics are in 3d and can immerse you in the game for long hours. The background is alluring enough to distract players from their cards.
Overall, on the gaming screen, the colors are visibly striking, and the information is crisp-clear.
Some important elements of gameplay include:
- Beautiful circular time bar
- Animated background elements
- Creative animation on winning the hands
- A huge variety of in-game gifts
- Crisp and clear letters
- Background elements include moving swings, animated people, other tables, etc.
- In-game player information with details such as league history, game stats, customizations, etc.
- In-game short messages such as ‘all luck, all skill, I had it, bluff, etc.
A Comprehensible Game
Playing Zynga Poker can be a tough scenario for a novice who doesn’t know what the game of poker is. But if you are really interested in the game, a day or two of the ‘win and loss’ scenario will teach you many things. The best part of the game is that you can always take the help of the tutorial. The automated gameplay in the tutorials will help you with different tabs, rules, and ways to play the game. The tutorial will also teach you how to win a hand or socialize with players.
There is also an online guide in the game from where beginners can learn about hand combinations. The guide manual is short and to the point. Reading it and jotting down essential points can help get the hang of the game.
This game is a cakewalk for players who are familiar with any other online poker game. It is actually the ease of play that makes this game so popular. Besides, other elements such as daily games and rewards will help keep your interest intact.
Playing Zynga Poker with Friends
If you are uncomfortable playing with unknown players, it is never a bad idea to invite your friends to this poker game. Arranging and joining such a game is easy using the application. To do this, follow the simple steps:
- Ask all of your friends to be online. Note that to play this game online, all of your friends should have the same version of the application downloaded and installed on their phone or tabs.
- Tap the friend’s icon at the bottom left of the screen in your dashboard.
- You will see the list of your friends who are online under the ‘active buddies’ tab.
- From there, you can select the friends and then click on the invite tab
- When all of the players are ready to join the table, the game will start
The friend’s tab will also show other information such as friend requests you have got, recent online friends, and your referrals. The game gives an extra point if you refer it to a friend, and he installs the app on his phone using your referral request. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Additional Features
The Zynga Poker game is not just a simple application for beginners. It is a whole concept that comes loaded with a spectrum of features. The game does not only revolve around table games but also has so much more to offer. Some of the additional features include:
- Prize on a daily basis from different challenges that automatically finish as you play. You can win tickets and chips from these rewards. Tickets help you get some exclusive rewards in the game.
- There is an option to watch an ad that will give you a lucky bonus. Many people find this a gimmick, but some people get their hands on some amazing gifts by viewing a 30-second advertisement. This is an in-game promotional marketing strategy that almost every mobile game uses nowadays.
- You can view various news and upcoming events by pressing the message icon on the top uppermost corner on the right-hand side of the screen.
- The game allows you to accept and send bonuses as well.
- The VIP point rewards of the game will let you earn more status, which eventually helps you gain access to exclusive benefits in the game. You can gain VIP points by buying more chips from the shop
- You can change various settings from the dashboard like turning off the vibration, changing the sound FX control, toggling the chat bubbles, enabling or disabling quick chat and others. There are plenty of other basic options as well, such as buddy chat toggles, account info, and the log-out tab.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, Zynga Poker is a comprehensive package. Its purpose is to embrace a player into a thrilling ride on the small screen. The only drawback is that the game might become predictable after some time. Many players have complained about how the machine algorithm sequence is identifiable. However, players still enjoy the game with the same fun and excitement. Even if the sequence of cards is repetitive, the different moves and strategies by the actual players make this game interesting.