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.
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.
Saphire Strike – Another defunct bitcoin casino and poker room
Now that the IRS has ruled that Bitcoins are “property” this really open that gateway for players (USA especially) to feel that they can play poker online without any sort of “retribution”.
There are already many sites that are accepting cryptocurrency for gambling including litecoin and dogecoin.
Thanks for the excellent article.
Jack
Just spoke to a CS agent at FULL FLUSH Poker and they are NOT taking Bitcoin at this time. Said that they hope to at some point though….
Thanks for the correction Mitch. Full Flush did accept Bitcoin at one point but that isn’t the case anymore. If they start accepting it again I’ll add the site back to this list.