One of the primary concerns of people who play from their mobile phones is that online gambling can really put an impact into your savings by using up too much data. Thankfully, most websites or apps do not take up much bandwidth to play. Playing poker online does not use that much data.
Poker Sites and Usage
Most poker games online do not use much data. When you use your mobile internet connection, you typically use a very small amount. In fact, certain poker apps will use less than 10MB per hour of active play. Of course, you will have to use more data if you are multi-tabling, and different sites will use different amounts. However, most will fall within that average.
That is a relatively small amount of data, as the most popular data plans give you at least 1 gigabyte per month. If you play for a few hours per day, you should have no trouble with your poker data usage if you have a decent data plan.
Because some websites or apps do use more, it might be wise to get an app that allows you to track your data usage. Getting an app will show you what is using bandwidth, and how much. You can track your usage this way, and find out if it uses more. Another tip is to close background apps since they will add to your data usage. It is important to know this, so that way you don’t go over in your plan. If you are having trouble with your data usage, you might be running apps in the background and not even know it.
These are the basics of data usage and poker sites. Be sure to check how much your app or website uses, and if you are using a website on your phone, make sure you don’t have other tabs open. Also, if there are videos or animations in your app or website, those will use additional data so turn them off if you can. Luckily, the games themselves do not take much data so as long as you are aware of your plan and usage, you can usually play as much as you want!
Data Plans vs Wifi
When playing from your phone, there are two primary ways you can connect to the Internet. The first is to use your WiFi connection. In that case, you are basically using the Internet plan you are paying for your home. Those plans usually have unlimited bandwidth so there is no reason for you to worry about potential expenditures.
But, if you play by using your phone’s data plan, you might want to keep a lookout on how much bandwidth you have to use to play. After all, it might end up costing you a lot of money, depending on your habits.
Usually, your phone plan includes a certain limit for “free” data usage. Different plans and carriers offer different amounts. And, if you go over the limit of your data plan, you will either not be able to continue or you will be charged for more data.
Some plans charge immediately for each megabyte over the limit, but others will offer you a chance to add more in a lump sum at a cheaper price.
Either way, if you are not careful, your enjoyment might be cut short against your will.
Using wifi is generally the better idea when you use a lot of apps or play poker for many hours per day. Doing this will allow you to play as much as you want and use as many apps as you want without worrying about exceeding your data plan amount. In addition, many local coffee shops or restaurants will offer free wifi, as well as some public transit. That allows you to take advantage of the free wifi you can find all around the city instead of using your phone’s data plan and wasting a ton of money.