For various reasons, not everyone can download a typical poker client to their pc. Whether the pc belongs to another person or a school lab, or whether they are just overly concerned with online security and viruses, for many an online poker, no download solution is best for them. Let’s take a look at a couple of options.

Absolute Poker should be one of your stops in looking for poker online no download. Absolute Poker has a java based poker room that has all the look and feel of their normal website. Once the software loads, you are looking at the typical Absolute Poker lobby, complete with all games and promotions.

All the typical variants of poker are offered on Absolute Poker. Holdem, Stud, and Omaha cash games are spread regularly. You can even find some H.O.R.S.E. and H.O.S.E. games on this site but the action is not as plentiful as the other games. If you are a tournament player, you have plenty of choice at this site as long as your game is Holdem. If you play anything other than Holdem, you will not find any tournaments in the no download version of Absolute Poker.

Absolute does allow for multi-tabling on their no download platform, which is a plus for those wanting to try and maximize profits. However, there isn’t any way to resize the tables, so 2 to 3 screens is about all you will be able to put on your screen comfortably. Otherwise, the site plays just like Absolute Poker, with the standard controls. The speed of game play is also on par with the typical download client, so no worries about lagging behind other players. This is a good site to check out if you are primarily a Holdem or cash game player.

PartyPoker.com is a great site for online poker no download. Like Absolute Poker, Party Poker runs on a java platform and the site is setup to look and act just like Party Poker. PartyPoker offers ring games in all the common versions of poker. The main downside to the site is that if you are a true mixed games players, there aren’t any mixed games on the site. Otherwise, you should find plenty of action on this site.

Tournaments are offered in all variants of poker in the no download client. In addition to tournaments, you can play sit n gos, step tournaments, and even HellKat sit n gos. A HellKat game is one where players play for 15 minutes and the top three players in chips receive a portion of the prize pool The action at these tables can get fast and furious, ergo the HellKat moniker.

The game play of the site is about the same as the fully downloadable client. The software does allow for multi-tabling, so you can maximize profit potential. As has been the case historically with PartyPoker, there are two things you can rely on. First, the graphic and controls are very simple and user friends. Next, the competition on the site is very weak in general. You should have great value for your money at this site. The only downside is that it is not available to U.S. players for real money games. (Free money games can be played.)

Another well designed online poker no download site is Bwin.com‘s instant play. Much like the prior two sites, Bwin.com runs its site in a java environment. However, Bwin far surpasses the other in regards to quality of software.

The site offers all of the typical variants of poker, but also includes 5 Card Draw into the mix. Mixed games are not currently offered, but that does not seem to be a problem as this site draws some of the best traffic for sites that don’t accept U.S. players. Games can be played in either full ring game, short-handed, or heads-up.

Graphics on this site are far superior to most of the poker sites on the web. Instead of cartoon avatars, you have 3-d representations of players. Also, the design and background give the Bwin player a bit better of an experience than many other sites.

Controls are easy to use and speed of play is excellent. Overall, the quality of competition on this site is relatively competent, but there are still plenty of fish in the games. You just might need to be on your toes a bit more.

In the past, if you had to look for an online poker no download option, you were somewhat limited in your choices. The three sites above is just a sampling of what is out there for players looking to play poker, but not wanting to commit to a full installation. Be sure that your computer will support both flash and java before trying to play at any no download site. Take a look at each site and then decide which one works best for you. Good luck to you at the tables.