To play online poker at most of the top online poker rooms, Macintosh OS users must first install what is called a PC emulator. A PC emulator enables Mac users to play at popular online poker rooms such as Party Poker, Paradise Poker, and PokerStars by manipulating a Windows environment on a Mac.
Most leading poker rooms have chosen to ignore the Macintosh OS community and have failed to offer Mac Poker players any means of playing online poker at their site. Be it platform-agnostic Java solutions or dedicated Mac compatible download poker versions.
The cry for help has been heard and we are hear to help Mac users play at the top online poker rooms such as Party Poker, ParadisePoker, and the other popular online poker rooms.
A PC emulator is a program which enables Macintosh OS X users to install the Microsoft Windows operating system on their Mac. This enables Mac users to execute any software program that is excluively developed for a Windows operating system.
What exactly does a PC emulator do?
A PC emulator simply runs an mimics a Windows computer on your Mac. It tricks the PC programs into thinking that your computer is a PC when in fact it is really a Mac. A PC emulator will allow a Mac user to install Windows, download the online poker software of their choice, and begin playing for fun or real money at any online poker room that is not Mac compatible, but instead PC compatible.
Which PC Emulator Programs are available for my Mac OS X computer?
There are several different PC emulators available for Macintosh users.
Microsoft Virtual PC
Microsoft makes the best PC emulator program for Mac OS X computers. The software is called Virtual PC and it allows Mac users to play online poker at any major poker site after they install it.
Microsoft Virtual PC 7.0 runs Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP, and offers seamless compatibility with Microsoft Office and networking software. Virtual PC simply runs as a window on your desktop. Macintosh owners can switch from their Mac OS and Windows OS by clicking on their desktop. Virtual PC allows users to cut, copy, paste, and drag files from one OS to the other.
Virtual PC is also faster than most other PC emulators and is capable of running multimple instances of Windows simultaneously. Virtual PC runs slower than a standard PC, however it is strangely faster running Windows 2000 than Windows XP, the most popular version of Windows today.
Read the Virtual PC 7.0 Review in Macworld
Purchase Virtual PC 7.0 at Amazon $109.99
Purchase Virtual PC 7.0 with Windows XP Home
Purchase Virtual PC 7.0 with Windows XP Pro
Guest PC
Guest PC is a fairly reliable and stable emulator. However, Guest PC has many more flaws than Virtual PC; it is slower, and lacks many important features such as USB support and the Windows / Macintosh OS integration. The advantage of downloading Guest PC is the price. Guest PC is $40 cheaper than its counterpart, Virtual PC.
If you are simply planning to use your PC emulator for online poker then this is the emulator to purchase. It is significantly cheaper and you will never use any of the advanced features that it lacks if you are only playing online poker with it.
Buy Guest PC 1.4 at RegSoft.net for $69.99
Read the Guest PC 1.2 review at Macworld
iEmulator
iEmulator was developed at the end of 2004 and is a low cost alternative to the above PC emulators. However, you get what you pay for in this world and this is the slowest performing PC emulator of the mentioned emulators.
iEmulator will run Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. Like Virtual PC, iEmulator works better and faster with Windows 2000.
iEmulator is based on the free open-source QEMU X86 emulator. The difference is that iEmulator offers a user friendly interface.
With iEmulator you can access files that are formatted as Macintosh files from the PC environment. You may also create a Windows boot disk as well as desginate up to one gigabyte of RAM to the PC emulator’s environment.
With iEmulator being the cheapest at $23.95, it is a must buy for those who wish to play online poker at the popular sites at the lowest cost. Get started today by downloading an emulator!
Come back after you are done and receive a bonus for playing at the top sites listed on the left hand column of the iMacOnlinePoker.com site! We have over $5,000 in poker bonuses available!
iEmulator Quicktime Demonstration
Buy iEmulator 1.7.6 for $23.95