One of the latest emerging trends amongst online poker players is playing online poker at Bitcoin online poker sites.

Perhaps the main reason why these types of online poker rooms are becoming increasingly popular is the fact that cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, are making it easier for online poker players to deposit and withdraw their funds.

Looking for a Bitcoin online poker room? If so, you have come to the right place. We spent hours looking for the best real money online poker rooms that accept Bitcoin as a payment method and provided a list of the top choices in the online poker community.

We also included a guide to Bitcoin, how you can deposit using Bitcoin, and listed the advantages of this unique payment method.

Top Bitcoin Poker Rooms

Bitcoin Online Poker Sites. You can make secure and fast Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals on many online poker sites. Here’s an in-depth guide to doing that and more (even if you are completely new to Bitcoin poker), including whether playing online poker is. The second step is getting your bankroll in order for online poker. Most regulated online poker sites accept credit cards and wire transfers. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are becoming increasingly popular for online poker. It might be a good time to familiarize yourself with the concept and look into acquiring some crypto.

Contents

• How to Use Bitcoin as a Payment Method
• Frequently Asked Bitcoin Questions

With the growing popularity of Bitcoin in the online gaming industry, several leading online poker sites have opted in to provide Bitcoin as a payment method. If you are keen on the idea of using Bitcoin as your preferred payment method and want to find the top online poker sites that accept Bitcoin, you’re in luck as we at Top10pokerwebsites have narrowed down the list to a handful of fully reviewed online poker sites that support Bitcoin as a payment method.

What is Bitcoin?

Although Bitcoin was established in 2009, it was only in 2011 when this new modern currency managed to hit the mainstream market as the first decentralised currency of the world. Bitcoin, as a cryptocurrency, differs from traditional currencies such as the Euro, Pound Sterling, and US dollar as it doesn’t use a third party.

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Unlike traditional currencies, it has no central bank and essentially functions through a peer-to-peer marketplace. Although Bitcoin initially suffered through a turbulent period due to the contemporary nature of this new currency, over the years its reputation along with its popularity has grown strength to strength. By 2014, thousands of online corporations started offering Bitcoin as an alternative payment method. It wasn’t long until the online gaming industry saw the potential in Bitcoin, and now you’ll be able to find several online poker sites that will allow you to deposit and withdrawal through Bitcoin.

Where Does Bitcoin Come From?

You are able to get Bitcoins in a number of ways. They are often bought from certain sites, received as a form of payment or they can be mined.

Mining Bitcoins involves the use of an application that is installed on computers, which then mines Bitcoins. Miners are connected over a network, which will then adjust the amount of Bitcoins that are being created so that they are predictable and also don’t end up flooding the market.

Once the Bitcoins have been mined an electronic signature is added and the currency is in the network and can be exchanged and distributed.

How to Use Bitcoin as a Payment Method

1. Create a Bitcoin Wallet

   To use Bitcoin as a deposit method at any online poker room that accepts Bitcoin, you will first need to obtain a Bitcoin wallet before a deposit can be made. This can be achieved by visiting the Bitcoin website. Fundamentally, you will have two types of Bitcoin wallets to choose from, including a desktop wallet and a web-based wallet service.

   For your convenience, our experts at Top10pokerwebsites recommend that you choose a web-based wallet service instead of a desktop wallet, as a desktop wallet will require you to download additional software onto your computer. However, if you don’t mind the additional download and installation process of additional software, you are more than welcome to choose the desktop wallet. While registering for a Bitcoin wallet, you’ll be required to provide your email address and a Bitcoin password. Unlike an e-wallet where you’ll be required to provide your home address, Bitcoin does not ask for your place of residence at all.

2. Load Your New Wallet with Bitcoins

   Once you selected the type of Bitcoin wallet you want, and managed to successfully register a Bitcoin wallet, you can go ahead and purchase Bitcoins to add to your Bitcoin wallet. You can buy Bitcoins in several different ways, and the most popular ways include purchasing bitcoins directly through your Bitcoin wallet, or use Bitcoin exchange services such as Bitstamp or BTC China that will allow you to trade several currencies for Bitcoins. In addition, you can exchange your Bitcoins for another currency if you feel like it. Furthermore, you can purchase Bitcoins from other Bitcoin users for a price that’s pre-agreed upon, or mine your own Bitcoins by using special software to solve mathematical problems.

3. Register with a Bitcoin Online Poker Room

   Once you obtained a Bitcoin wallet and loaded a couple of Bitcoins into your wallet, you’ll be ready to register with one of our recommended online poker rooms that accept Bitcoin as a deposit method. Once you completed the registration process, make your way to the Cashier section and select Bitcoin as your deposit method.

4. Depositing Funds at a Bitcoin Online Poker Room

   Once you completed the steps mentioned above, you’ll be able to deposit funds in your online poker account. With Bitcoin, you won’t be required to provide any card details or personal information to deposit funds at an online poker site. Instead, your funds will be transferred from your Bitcoin wallet to your online poker room through Bitcoin addresses. A Bitcoin address is characterised as a series of numbers and letters that normally range between 27 and 38 characters. Therefore, if you are using Bitcoin as a deposit method, you will only need to provide your Bitcoin address and the online poker room address to make a successful deposit.

Advantages of Bitcoin

Bitcoin provides a fantastic range of advantages for both online poker operators and online poker players, making it an attractive alternative for funding your online poker account. Players that are accustomed to high transaction fees and credit card rejections, like poker players residing in the US in particular, will find Bitcoin extremely helpful. With Bitcoin, there are no credit card intermediaries or banks that take their cut when making an online transaction. In addition, Bitcoin deposits can’t be blocked by anyone, and they are normally free of any additional charges apart from the Bitcoin transaction fee that is usually the equivalent of a couple of cents. One of the greatest benefits for online poker operators, apart from the advantages as mentioned above, is that transactions with Bitcoin are mostly like playing with cash. There’s no likelihood of a ‘chargeback’ taking place as you get on a credit card transaction where a player disputes the charges that were made on their credit card to obtain a refund.

Another great benefit is Bitcoin’s anonymity. Although it is commonly believed that Bitcoin renders a player, as well as their transactions, completely anonymous, it’s better to say that Bitcoin is semi-anonymous. While individual transactions with Bitcoin might be anonymous, that can only be identified by a certain cryptographical generated address for the receiver and sender, the Blockchain maintaining the ledger of all transactions made with Bitcoin can be used to track down the origins of any funds when using Bitcoin. Therefore, someone converting Bitcoins back to cash at any online exchange, for instance, can have their transactions traced back to the point of origin.

The speed of Bitcoin transactions is also one of its biggest assets. Transactions made through Bitcoin are almost instantly received. However, online players that are new to Bitcoin quickly become aware of the confirmations concept that slows down a transaction which greatly depends on a poker room’s policy. To protect against the same Bitcoins being spent again, the receiver can wait for the network to confirm the transaction a couple of times before the funds are credited to your online poker account. This can have a delaying effect on the acceptance of your deposit ranging from 10 minutes up to 1 hour. If you not too sure if the online poker room has a delay, you can simply ask them how many times a confirmation is required before your funds are accepted. Each confirmation roughly takes up to 10 minutes in real-time.

Disadvantages of Bitcoin

Some online poker rooms that offer Bitcoin as a payment method usually don’t hold a gambling license from a specific jurisdiction. It’s widely known that gambling licenses are associated with plenty of application fees, so online poker rooms save large sums of money that would normally be spent on obtaining a gambling license. Therefore, before registering with an online poker room, ensure they have a gambling license from a well-known jurisdiction.

Although the popularity of Bitcoin is increasing, the online poker rooms that accept Bitcoin as a payment method is still somewhat limited. Another disadvantage is that Bitcoin is considered a volatile currency which means the exchange rate can fluctuate very quickly.

Bitcoin as a medium of exchange vs in-game currency

One crucial factor to consider when using Bitcoins at any online poker room is to find out whether the online poker site allows you to use Bitcoin as an in-game currency, or if it will convert your Bitcoins into another currency before you can join a cash table or tournament. If the latter is the case, you shall be subject to Bitcoin’s fluctuating exchange rate from Euro to U.S dollar. It is not uncommon for the exchange rate to vary over 5% on any given day, which is an extraordinary event for any of the world’s fiat currencies. For this reason, it would be wise to avoid any Bitcoin currency exchanges at an online poker room, and rather look for one that will allow you to use Bitcoin as an in-game currency.

Frequently Asked Bitcoin Questions

There are more and more online poker sites popping up that accept Bitcoin as well as special tournaments and bonuses. They are slowly becoming popular, but are not yet as widely accepted. Keep in mind that when you withdraw your Bitcoins they might be worth less or more than what you deposited them for.

Bitcoin is independent of banks and there is no middleman involved, which means that a Bitcoin deposit will reflect instantly.

You are able to make withdrawals with Bitcoin and this process instant. You will also not need to verify your identification for the withdrawal.

There is a danger of Bitcoin being hacked because it is a peer to peer network that is open. However, as the currency grows, security will also grow and improve.

Yes, you are able to transfer Bitcoin on your mobile to online poker rooms as well as sell, buy and convert the currency.

Much has changed since I first put this list together. Bitcoin has gone through a bit of a boom and bust but is still popular with poker players and in particular players from the United States. In 2012, there were only a handful of poker sites that accepted the virtual currency. Today the options for players are much better with a handful of dedicated bitcoin sites and mainstream sites offering the currency.

These sites below are have a good track record and, most importantly, accept Bitcoin deposits.

#1 Best Bitcoin Poker Site for US Players – BetOnline Poker– BetOnline’s poker room has experienced a lot of growth over the past few years due to the their popular sportsbook. The site has added a bunch of new payment options, including Bitcoin in 2015, to make depositing and withdrawing to your account easier. This is my top choice for US Players because the site offers sports betting, casino, and really is the whole package. Sports bettors frequent the poker room which makes the action a bit softer then other rooms.

Runner Up –Ignition Casino – Ignition Casino has an online poker room that is the biggest mainstream poker site that accepts Bitcoin to play poker with. It has the most cash games going and tons of tournaments. If you want to use BTC to play poker, this is the site for you.

#1 for Canadian Players – Bodog – Bodog is back for Canadian players and better than ever. The site offers great poker software and uses the same platform as Ignition above meaning there are lots of players and games going at any time of the day.

SWC Poker – The former Seals With Clubs, SWC Poker is a bitcoin only poker room. Players at this room don’t need to verify account information or provide their personal details to play poker which has lead to a cult like following. Seals With Clubs was the highest trafficked bitcoin only poker site before closing their doors on Feb 20, 2015.

Betcoin – Betcoin is a poker room, casino and sportsbook that only accepts bitcoin and litecoin. If you want to have one account where you can bet on sports, play casino games and poker with bitcoin, this is the place to play.

Defunct Bitcoin Poker Sites

In the past three years a number of bitcoin only poker sites have come and gone. The dust has settled after the initial bitcoin rush and there have been a few sites that have not made it. The sites below are closed or don’t have enough traffic worth playing at posing a risk to potential players.

Seals With Clubs – As of February 20, 2015 Seals with Clubs is no longer in operation. SWC Poker has taken over operations and launched a new poker room.

Infinity Poker – Infinity has suffered numerous setbacks with payment issues and software launches. The site is still technically active but with very limited traffic there are no signs it will become a viable option anytime soon. Players should be cautious when approaching this site as it could be shuttered at any time.

Switch Poker – Another Bitcoin poker site that had a good run but is no longer in operation.

Bitcoin Poker Site Us Player

Satoshi Poker – Satoshi Poker has long since closed it’s doors. The business was put up for sale but so far no one has come forward to buy it.

BTC on Tilt – This site is completely gone.

Play Online Poker With Bitcoin

Saphire Strike – Another defunct bitcoin casino and poker room