ShareWhen Bitcoin arrived on the scene, it was mooted as a possible saviour for the online poker industry. With online poker in a clear downward trend after the events of Black Friday, insiders pondered if cryptocurrency could be a way to dodge unfavourable legislation in certain parts of the world.
It didn’t really turn out like that so far: the sheer financial might behind the likes of PokerStars prevented crypto sites from getting enough of a leg up to seriously challenge the market leaders. Even so, that’s not to say that crypto poker has been a failure, it’s just that it needs more time.
That said, the future might also be somewhat difficult for poker crypto specialists because some mainstream sites are also now accepting at least Bitcoin, and sometimes a selection of alt coins. Let’s take a look at three of the top poker rooms that accept Bitcoin.
Natural8
Natural8 is not only one of the best places to play poker with Bitcoin, but it is also a part of the fastest growing network that could unseat PokerStars as the largest site in the industry.It offers the usual choice of games in the cash and tournament lobbies on software that also challenges Pokerstars’ status as usually being thought of as the standard to beat. Visually it is superb, incorporating everything that both a recreational and professional player would want in an interface.
Third-party software add-ons are prohibited with the intent to reverse the trend of predatory behaviour that has continued ever since the poker boom began. As a way of meeting the regs who like HUDs half way, Natural8 provides an in-built one that is primitive compared to something like Hold’em Manager, but it still does the job and also gives newer players a helping hand with reading players.
The bonuses and promotions on offer are amazing. Just for starters Natural8 offers a 200% first deposit bonus up to $1,000. And if you’ve already rinsed that one then the crypto promo is still available for any users.
Another $2,188 is up for grabs over three deposits for a range of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin. 5% up to $1,188; 2% up to $500, and 1% up to $500. That is a lot for the average player to shell out for poker but it’s still a bunch of free money just waiting for you.
Finally, the Fish Buffet rewards program is first class. The 25-level scheme allows players to accrue points and move up to a higher level, which on every occasion will give the player a spin on a wheel to see how much cashback they win. The top level pays out an average of 60%, but potentially more for players who aren’t doing so well.
Americas Card Room - ACR
ACR is one of those sites that deserves a huge amount of respect for how it has improved over the last few years. Once upon a time it was plagued with complaints over many issues from ropey software to slow cash outs, but now all that is a thing of the past. CEO Phil Nagy has led a crusade to improve the biggest US-facing site to the level where it is now considered one of the main players.The massive $2,000 sign up bonus is the first thing that catches our eyes when checking out the platform. All new customers receive a 100% deposit bonus that is released in small $1 increments as rake is paid.
When it comes to crypto deposits, ACR is king. After starting to accept Bitcoin, it added more than 60 other alt coins to the deposit options. The ACR website is clear on why crypto is now the best way to fund your account.
- First, it’s the cheapest way to fund your account. With the exception of the miniscule “miner’s fee,” there are no transaction fees whatsoever.
- Second, Bitcoin is faster than any other payment method. There’s no waiting for transactions to clear. As soon as your deposit is verified, your Bitcoins are converted to poker chips in your account.
- Third, you can do unlimited Bitcoin deposits and one Bitcoin withdrawal per day (5 max per week).
The software client is now at a standard rivaling the best out there, with an eye on mobile devices. So many players these days want to play a little while on the move and that is now perfectly possible.
Bovada
This US-facing room is famous for its incredibly soft games. It has a relaxed atmosphere that isn’t found in many other rooms today.For regular players who prefer tournaments over cash games it is almost certainly the place that you need to be. The MTT schedule is rated as the best for players located in the US with a whopping $1,500,000 worth of guarantees every single week just waiting to be won. Cash game grinders can find tables of both NL hold’em and PLO from stakes of 10c/20c all the way up to $10/$20.
One of the main features of the Bovada platform is that the tables are anonymous. You never know who is sitting next to you at any time. This means that players who are skilled in acquiring accurate reads quickly will be favoured, over those who are used to collecting thousands of hands worth of HUD stats.
New users signing up today will receive a 100% first deposit bonus up to the value of $500. If you want to collect more than that then you need to be depositing using Bitcoin. The Bovada website lists five reasons why that is so.
- Fast Deposit
- Fast Withdrawals
- Zero Fees
- 100% Guaranteed
- Bigger Bonuses
From the Bovada website:
As a Bovada member, when you deposit with Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash for the first time you'll be able to cash in on Bovada's biggest Welcome Bonus.
With Bovada's Bitcoin Welcome Bonus, you can score $5,000 for free. You'll get a three-times-redeemable 150% Bitcoin Casino Match Bonus up to $1,500 as well as a 50% Bitcoin Match Bonus up to $500 to bet on sports.
