Anyone play on their laptop?

KoRnholio

I am looking into getting a laptop for playing away from the house. I am pretty noob when it comes to wireless networks and all that so I have some questions.

How secure is wireless internet? Like say I want to go down to Starbucks or what not to play a bit, should I be worried about punching in my passwords while on their network?

What about reliability? I've been lucky that my home internet is quite stable, but I've heard that wireless can be a lot more.. iffy.

I'm also a cheap bastard... And am looking into getting a small, portable, long battery life EEE PC (something like this: Asus Eee PC 1000HE Blue w/ Atom N280, 1GB, 160GB, 802.11b/g/n, 10in WSVGA, WinXP Home at Memory Express Computers). Does anyone have one of these? I like everything about it except the 10 inch screen. Currently I am running two lcds (22" and 19") and I typically play 4 tables or less at a time. The smaller monitor is just for hand history windows, winamp, etc.

Graham

I play from Starbucks all the time, in fact I am there right now. As for security, I think you should be okay, just make sure you aren't running something like Windows 98 where people can easily connect into your computer. A basic firewall should do the trick. The only potential security risk I could see is if there was a camera over you and someone was watching from there while you typed in your password (though far fetched).

Get a wireless mouse, or some kind of mouse to attach, it will make it way easier than the built-in mouse.

As for battery life, they have plugs, so I wouldn't worry about battery life too much.

I would personally avoid the small laptops as those will be a pain to stare at. Laptops are cheap now, get something with a 16"+ screen imo.

GTA Poker

It's all I play on and I 4 to 6 table pretty easily, I couldn't do any more than that with my resolution. Don't buy a netbook or whatever they are called, you are really limiting yourself.

KoRnholio

Yeah, I will definitely be buying a real mouse for the laptop. I can't use a touchpad for the life of me. It's more frustrating than playing Razz and getting dealt big pairs in the hole!

Any particular brands of laptop to get (or stay away from)?

Graham

I personally don't like Dell, but I am sure there are some people that love them. I am on an HP right now which I have had since Christmas and haven't had any issues yet. Go to a future shop (or electronics store near you) and take a look at them and see which you like. That is the best bet. I don't think the manufacturer makes a HUGE difference if it is a brand name.

trigs

i play almost exclusively on my laptop (although mostly in my home). i also suggest not getting one of those smaller laptops. you can definitely get a regular sized laptop at a decent price, and i am not at all concerned about people "stealing" my password or whatever. that is highly unlikely.

T8urmoney

I play mostly on my laptop I bought last boxing day.......don't know how I lived without one so long.

I went with a 17" HP.

If you're using exclusively for online poker, I would get the biggest screen at the cheapest price.

jdAA88

I play all my poker on an HP laptop with a 17 inch screen and I love it...but trust me, don't get the laptop you're looking at, you won't be happy with it...spend some extra money and buy a better laptop, it'll definitely be worth it! And you will go crazy trying to play any more than 2 tables on a 10 inch screen.
I highly recommend an HP laptop, check futureshop and bestbuy, they have deals on certain models at least once a month....also, I'd stay away from Toshiba, everyone I know who has one has eventually had problems with it.

Wetts1012

jdAA88;191542 wrote spend some extra money and buy a better laptop, it'll definitely be worth it! And you will go crazy trying to play any more than 2 tables on a 10 inch screen.

This.

Times alot.

Even 4 tabling on a 14 inch screen is horrible (If you're tiling - cascading is OK but who prefers that?)

westside8

I've been 4-6 tabling on my 13" Macbook usually just as a bridge from me getting on to my desktop (with a 27" monitor), but sometimes I play it on my laptop as well when I'm at a friend's grinding SnGs or MTTs. I really can't do more than 6 but it is still a 13" monitor.

GTA Poker

I've had nothing but problems with HP/Compaq in the past and would never buy from them again. Support is awful to boot.

actyper

Really? HP sent me a new power supply with no problem. But could be because HP are known for their power issues.

JohnnieH

I've "liberated" my wifes IBM T60 for wireless poker action. LOVE IT. I did have a few problems with disconnects from the wireless network, but Bell sent me a new modem and all has been fine since. Do yourself a favor, and get a wireless (or not) mouse. Makes multi-tabling much easier.

You just can't beat sitting outside, drinking a beer, and playing poker in a deck chair!

jdAA88

Oh yeah another thing is my HP laptop came with an extra-large battery, it basically sticks out of the bottom of the laptop but it provides 6 hours of battery power which is key!