Since its birth in 2008, Bitcoin has rapidly become the most popular form of crypto-currency in the world, with its legitimacy being emphasised by international giants Amazon and Microsoft who have both recently opened their doors to Bitcoin users. Now with over 2 million owners of Bitcoin in the world, it is no surprise that developers have created Bitcoin poker apps to accommodate the ever-growing market. Whether you own some of the digital currency yourself and are considering playing poker with it in the United States, or rather you are just wanting to know why people play at Bitcoin poker sites, it is useful to understand how it can be beneficial to you as a player to use Bitcoin poker apps as an alternative to poker sites that use regular currencies.

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1. Fast deposits/withdrawals: as Bitcoin transactions occur directly in a peer-to-peer network, deposits and withdrawals are instantaneous as there is no third party involved in an exchange between the depositor and recipient.
2. No conversion fee: where a poker site will usually charge an exchange rate for the conversion of one currency to another, no such charge is made at Bitcoin poker sites as there is no need to convert the crypto-currency.
3. Lower rake: where a poker site will usually enforce a rake charge of around 5% to cover costs of operation and ensure that the company is profitable, Bitcoin poker users can enjoy significantly lower rake (usually around 2.5%) which means more money for the players.

As a partner of the well-known and respected Winning Poker Network, Betcoin is one of the biggest online poker rooms available to Bitcoin users, sharing its player pool with sites such as Black Chip Poker and America’s Cardroom. Catering for Litecoin users too, Betcoin provides a high-quality, expansive poker experience with an array of tables and features on offer.
How to download & promotional offers
As a browser-based poker client for both mobile and tablet users, it is necessary for you to download a browser that supports flash in order to play at Betcoin. Whether you are playing from an Android or iOS device, you can download a flash-supported browser such as Puffin Web Browser (free to download from the app store) to enable you to play at Betcoin. The advantage of a browser-based poker client is that you do not need to download, install, or update anything; you can just head straight to their website and get playing immediately.
The Betcoin team have gone out of their way to make sure that you get good value for money at their site, as shown by the many offers available. On top of a 100% first deposit bonus (and further bonuses when you deposit for a second or third time) where you can double the amount of money in your account, there is a table starter bonus where you can gain up to 150% rakeback by being one of the first players to start the action at a table. This is beneficial for players in two ways: firstly, you can make easy Bitcoin by simply starting a new table; secondly, it encourages table activity so that you don’t have to spend time waiting about for a game to develop.
Features
With a huge variety of stakes – tables start from just 0.01/0.02 mBTC and go right up to 500/1000 mBTC – both newcomers to the game and poker veterans alike are catered for at Betcoin. There is also a choice of games to enjoy: there are tables offering Hold ‘Em, Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo games in cash, sit & go and tournament formats. A real perk of playing at Betcoin is the high number of large tournaments on offer; as the site shares its player pool with other poker rooms from the Winning Poker Network, the tournaments have bigger fields which means bigger prizes. Along with daily freerolls, recorded in-depth stats of your opponents and a VIP scheme to reward loyal players, poker at Betcoin truly is the real deal.
NEWS - Popular online sportsbook and poker room BetOnline have released a U.S. friendly mobile poker client.

With over 200 Bitcoin-supported games on its site, mBit Casino is one of the largest providers of its kind. Rewarding its customers with a giant 110% deposit bonus for first-time users and delivering a licensed, regulated and well-supported poker client, mBitCasino is a great choice for users who are new to Bitcoin poker and have any concerns about its legitimacy. Having a background in casino gaming also means that the competition at the site is much softer, so if you are an experienced poker player you can head to these tables to make some easy money.
How to download & promotional offers
As with Betcoin, the mBit Casino poker client is solely browser-based. However, it can be played without a flash-supported browser which means that you simply have to create an account at BitCasino and you can be playing in seconds. Another perk of the client being accessible by browser as opposed to a downloadable app is that Windows Phone users can get involved, so all tablet and smartphone players can enjoy a game of poker at the same table.
As well as the 110% welcome bonus for new depositors, those putting money into their account on a regular basis are not forgotten; you will receive a 25% bonus every single time! There is also a loyalty program that treats regular players with a range of prizes, from cold, hard cash to luxury vacations. Finally, mBit Casino does not demand a large minimum deposit from its customers, with the lowest amount starting from only 1mBTC (approximately $0.22).
Features
​The best aspect of playing poker at mBit Casino is the provision of fast-fold tables as a default for all cash games. A format where you are dealt a new hand immediately after folding your current one, the developers at the site have clearly recognised the popularity of fast-fold games in making them the standard mode for all cash games. Further catering for action-seeking players who want more hands, more excitement and more money, you can play multiple tables of poker at the same time which will suit those who don’t like waiting around for a big hand. With both Hold ‘Em and Omaha games available in each cash game and tournament formats, as well as regular freerolls and a free play option where you can enjoy the game without having to stress about losing money, mBit Casino is an excellent choice for poker players of all levels.
Conclusion
With so many advantages of playing at Bitcoin poker sites over ones that allow only standard currencies, there’s every reason to consider opening a Bitcoin wallet and depositing today. On top of this, there are many great Bitcoin poker apps that are available to U.S. players which share their player pools with the rest of the world, meaning that if you live in the United States and are struggling to play online due to low player traffic, there are Bitcoin alternatives out there for you. Below our experts review two of the best Bitcoin poker apps available to U.S. players right now