Bitcoin (BTC) poker sites are now a reality and many of them are letting you play with the most popular cryptocurrency in the world. You would not only be able to play poker but also a large number of other games that would give you hours of fun.
But why did Bitcoin poker games become so popular in recent years? There are some reasons behind this growth of BTC poker that could be related to the benefits offered by virtual currencies over fiat options. Additionally, there are some other benefits linked to the experience offered by these casinos for crypto users.
In the next sections, we are going to make a full review of the best sites to play poker with Bitcoin. There is a large number of BTC casinos offering poker and other types of games that you can play using virtual currencies.
👍 Benefits of playing poker with Bitcoin
There are some benefits of playing poker with Bitcoin that are worth taking into consideration before we start with our guide. Why would a person decide to play poker with BTC rather than with fiat currencies?
Bitcoin as a new form of money
The main reason is related to the fact that virtual currencies are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to money. That means that you are now the owner of your funds and that you handle them as you want. There is no central bank or company that would tell you what to do with your BTC.
Due to this financial sovereignty offered by Bitcoin, people are now moving from a fiat standard to BTC and other digital assets. In this way, playing poker with Bitcoin would give you the possibility to use your coins to enjoy one of the most popular casino games in history.
Fast and cheap transactions
Another thing that you should consider when using Bitcoin to play poker is related to the fast and cheap transactions that Bitcoin offers. Compared to traditional financial solutions, BTC is faster as you are transferring value across borders in minutes. Moreover, you would only have to pay cents for that transfer as long as there is no congestion in the network.
Other virtual currencies could offer you even faster transactions. The most important thing here is that BTC transactions would not have to be confirmed or controlled by a third party. You can be sure that if you send funds to a Bitcoin poker site, the BTC will appear on your wallet in just minutes.
Enhanced Privacy
Bitcoin will also have better privacy compared to traditional payment methods. If you want to use a credit or a debit card, then you will have to share valuable information such as your name, your address, and your card details. This is something that could negatively affect you. Do you know how the platform is protected? Do you know whether the data that you share could be then stolen?
With Bitcoin, you would only have to send the funds to the wallet address they share with you to start playing poker. You would not have to share any private details and the funds would be available to use after some minutes.
It offers a unique gambling experience
Some casinos have also been updated to welcome Bitcoin users in the best possible ways. That means that you will be able to enjoy games and play poker with a crypto-friendly interface.
Although not all casinos have implemented this option, it could be highly possible for users to enjoy a revamped casino experience with bonuses for Bitcoin players and new effects and symbols that would make the whole gaming experience even better.
These are just some of the benefits of using a cryptocurrency casino to play poker. Each user would have a different reason to start using BTC to play their favorite games online.
🃏 What variants of poker can you play with Bitcoin?
If you are a poker lover, then you know that there are different types of poker variants that you can enjoy and play with Bitcoin. Some of these variants include Texas Holdem, Omaha, Five Card Draw, and Seven Card Stud.
Not all casinos offer this wide variety of options, but if you want to play poker with BTC make sure that the platform you have chosen offers support for the variant that you like the most.
Texas Holdem
Texas Holdem is the most popular variant. If you want to play poker with Bitcoin, this would be one of the most popular options that you will find at online casinos. Do you know how to play Texas Holdem and what are its rules?
When you play Texas Holdem poker, the game will be opened by the player on the left side of the dealer. They would have to play first and each turn, the game will be opened by the following person in a clockwise direction.
When it comes to blinds, there will be two forced bets: a small blind and a big blind. The small blind will be half of the minimum bet, while the big blind will be a full minimum bet. This is paid just by two players: the one that would be at the left of the dealer and the following player. Small and big blinds would then move to the following player on each hand.
Each player will receive two cards and they will be able to decide whether to play this hand or not. Once everyone has made their bets, the dealer will show three cards on the table. Players will now be able to start planning their strategies according to the cards they have on their hands and the cards shown by the dealer.
There will be a new betting round before the dealer shares a new card. There will now be four cards on the table. Once again, there will be a new betting round before the last card is revealed by the dealer.
The final betting round starts. Players will have to reveal their cards as soon as the betting round finishes. The player with the best hand wins and takes all the bets that were already on the table.
Omaha
Omaha is similar to Texas Holdem and it would let users play in a slightly different way compared to the version described above. Omaha Bitcoin poker would start with four cards given to each of the players and five cards shared by the dealer on the table.
Players would then have to use three of the cards present on the table and two of the cards they hold in their hands. The best hand would be the final winner. The same rules apply to the small and big blind. The difference with Texas Holdem poker is related to how the cards are dealt with by players.
In order to show the total of five cards on the table, there will be three betting rounds. Between the first and the second betting rounds, there will be two additional cards shown by the dealer. In this way, players will have five cards on the table and four cards on their hands.
Five Card Draw and Seven Card Stud
There are other types and variants for BTC poker. These are the Five Card Draw and the Seven Card Stud. In general, Bitcoin casinos would offer Texas Holdem and Omaha. Some casinos with a larger number of available games would also have these other two options.
When playing Five Card Draw poker, each of the players will receive five cards when the game starts. Of course, before the cards are dealt, players will have to pay the minimum bet if they want to participate in this round. In this poker style, there will be no cards shown on the table.
After the first betting round, players will be able to discard two of the cards received. The dealer would then give them two new cards. Players would now bet once again and they would be able to show their hands. The best hand wins.
When playing Seven Card Stud poker, players will receive seven cards, however, they would only use five of the cards they receive to place their bets. In these last two varieties, the small and big blind structure applies. Nonetheless, depending on the game provider or casino the betting structure can change. As we can see, in all the poker types, the best hand ends up winning the pot.
💸 Types of Bitcoin poker games
There are also different types of poker games: cash, sit and go, and tournaments. Depending on the type of player that you are, you might prefer to play in different ways.
Cash games
A poker cash game is one of the most popular options that you have. This is the easiest way to start playing if you are a casual player or you just want to have some fun time.
In this type of game, you can buy a hand, test the game and leave as soon as you want. You can play on these tables as long as you pay the bets, no matter if you run out of money. Before playing poker cash games, you would normally bet your BTC as much as you want. You can even deposit a larger amount of Bitcoin and play for a longer period of time.
Sit and Go
Sit and go poker tables would let you play with other players as soon as the minimum number of people is on the table. The number of players would depend on the table settings or the casino in which you are playing.
Players that decide to join sit and go table have to pay a fixed rate to start playing. Depending on the site you selected to play poker with Bitcoin, you will be able to win even if you are not the last player remaining on the table. However, you should read the instructions before playing any type of poker game as rules might change from casino to casino.
Tournaments
Poker tournaments are also very popular among players. If you love playing poker, you would want to participate in different tournaments.
Tournaments are divided by tables. The largest tournaments can have hundreds of tables of players from different countries trying to reach the final. The winner would be the player that beats all the other players at the final.
Most online casinos offer Bitcoin Texas Holdem poker. However, you can find other types of poker styles and tournaments. The rules of each tournament would change depending on the casino.
🔎 KYC at Bitcoin poker sites
As with most cryptocurrency gambling websites around the world, you should know that there are some know-your-customer (KYC) requirements that you should be compliant with. Right now, crypto casinos are usually operating under Curacao’s license. That means that they have to perform regular KYC checks on users.
Every single casino is different. This is why you should read the terms and conditions before deciding to open an account and deposit funds. You want to make sure that the casino you chose would not block your funds if you do not share your private data. Moreover, you should prepare all the necessary documents that the casino might ask you.
KYC verification might take place as soon as you deposit funds, when you request your first withdrawal or when you cross a certain betting limit. In other cases, the KYC process would start when you receive a big win. Providing the information requested by the casino is strictly necessary if you want to regularly play and withdraw your funds without encountering issues.
Casinos that do not have any regulation (are not licensed), would have no KYC checks in place. This has some positive and negative things. You might not have to share your private data with the casino, but you do not know whether the casino is not a scam or if they don’t pay the highest wins.
Although casinos that are not regulated might have some risks, you would also have some benefits. Your private data would not be shared with parties that you might not want and it would not be hacked as it would remain in your possession. There have been some cases in which platforms were hacked and information got stolen.
Before playing at any casino site, you should know which is their approach to KYC verification and which data they can request from you.
🚀 Bonuses and wagering requirements
An exciting aspect of Bitcoin poker sites is related to the bonuses they offer and the wagering requirements in place. As you might already know, casinos offer a wide range of bonuses to attract a larger number of users. However, not all bonuses offered by these online gambling sites are worth taking, as they might have several wagering requirements.
At the moment, the most common bonus for poker is a match bonus on your first deposit. If you make a deposit of $100 in BTC, then the casino would double that amount and let you use the funds to play different games.
However, not everything is as easy as that. There are some restrictions that casinos apply not to lose money and to avoid users from exploiting these benefits by creating multiple accounts. One of the easiest ways for casinos to regulate the bonuses is by applying wagering requirements. But what exactly are wagering requirements?
Casinos would require you to wager (bet) a minimum amount of time the bonus received to be able to withdraw possible profits from these games. This is something that is usually against users as wagering requirements are very high. The higher the wagering requirement, the more difficult it would be for you to register any wins on your bets.
You should try finding poker sites with welcome bonuses that have low wagering requirements for Bitcoin deposits.
Another bonus that BTC poker sites are currently offering is rakeback. Rakeback is a reward that you get after playing for a while on a wide range of games. The rakeback would be calculated from the games that you play. Basically, you are given back a percentage of your rake. Usually, casinos pay rakeback once per week or after a few days.
There are many other types of bonuses that you can get from poker casinos. You should try comparing different welcome bonuses and selecting the one that is the most favorable to you.
👉 How to choose the best Bitcoin poker site?
There are some things that you should consider before opening an account at a BTC poker site. Some of these things include the poker types offered, whether the platform has other players to bet against and if the withdrawals are free from additional fees, among other things.
Select a casino with different poker styles
If you are searching for a good casino to play poker with Bitcoin, you should choose a platform that would not only offer a Texas Holdem style but also other varieties such as Omaha.
This would make the whole gaming experience even better. If you get bored from playing just one of these styles, you can change at any moment for another one. It would be even better if they also offer tournaments, sit and go, or cash options. The larger the offering and the options available the better for you.
In general, licensed casinos have a larger variety of games due to their partnerships with game providers. Casinos without a license would not only have fewer games but the only games they could offer would also have a lower quality compared to licensed casinos.
Make sure the casino has players
Another thing you should look for is poker sites with players. You don’t want to wait for hours or several minutes before a player would appear. Sometimes, after waiting for a long time, the player would simply disconnect and you would not be able to experience a smooth game.
How to select a good casino to play poker with BTC? Simply check which are the most popular casinos. If the platform has been released not so long ago, then you might realize that there are no players to play against. Thus, it would be impossible for you to play Bitcoin poker.
Avoid casinos with withdrawal fees in Bitcoin
We mentioned in this post that one of the reasons to use Bitcoin to play at online casinos was related to the low fees linked to BTC. However, if we are not able to enjoy these low fees to process transfers, then it has almost no sense to use Bitcoin at online casinos.
Some casinos would not only request you to pay the network transaction fee when you request a withdrawal, but some of them would even add a fee to this withdrawal. In the end, you would not only pay the transaction fee but also to the casino. This is not a fair thing and you should avoid those casinos with large withdrawal fees.
Make sure the promotions are beneficial to you
When choosing a casino to play poker with Bitcoin, you should check whether the promotions and welcome bonuses offered are fair. That means that you should avoid those casinos and platforms with large wagering requirements.
Casinos would want you to lose as much money as possible before they give you an actual bonus. Hence, make sure that the casino you select has a favorable welcome bonus policy.