Why are there so few players at web-based bitcoin poker websites?

[StupidMoron]

Why are there so few players at web-based bitcoin poker websites?

Here are the number of people that are currently playing ring games:
1. nitrogensports.eu: 14 users now playing
2. betcoin.ag: 30 users now playing
3. luckyflop.eu: 1 user now playing

When I used to play at FullTilt and PokerStars (and PartyPoker many years ago), there would always be THOUSANDS of players. Don't those people still want to play?

Why don't the existing web-based bitcoin poker websites market their services more effectively?

Why don't PokerStars and FullTilt offer web-based bitcoin poker websites?

[1715239443]

1715239443

[Rmcdermott927]

Why are there so few players at web-based bitcoin poker websites?

Here are the number of people that are currently playing ring games:
1. nitrogensports.eu: 14 users now playing
2. betcoin.ag: 30 users now playing
3. luckyflop.eu: 1 user now playing

When I used to play at FullTilt and PokerStars (and PartyPoker many years ago), there would always be THOUSANDS of players. Don't those people still want to play?

Why don't these web-based bitcoin poker websites market their services more effectively?

Well, SWC always had a lot of players.   When they closed, about 12 BTC poker sites opened within a few weeks of each other.   There are too many sites currently and not enough players.  Some will close eventually, and the players will migrate to the remaining ones.

[magicmexican]

These sites dont have enough money to offer big guaranteed tournaments, dont have enough trust behind them to offer a sense of security, dont have enough players to lure people in.

Building a succeseful btc site is hard, its not the same as producing yet another dice clone.

Pokerstars have a lot of issues (especcially after the new management came in), but they are still the king when it comes to online poker.. And i dont see btc poker coming anywhere close to their level in the next 10 years or so.

[sherbyspark]

I wonder about the same question and its hard to arrive at an answer.

These sites dont have enough money to offer big guaranteed tournaments, dont have enough trust behind them to offer a sense of security, dont have enough players to lure people in.

Building a succeseful btc site is hard, its not the same as producing yet another dice clone.

Pokerstars have a lot of issues (especcially after the new management came in), but they are still the king when it comes to online poker.. And i dont see btc poker coming anywhere close to their level in the next 10 years or so.

But ultimately Pokerstars does not allow US players to play on its platform. Neither do most of the other big poker sites. Where would all those players play ? Its not easy to find live games in every city and the only option is bitcoin online poker. There should still be enough traffic from those players, but its not there.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

Maybe because poker is a pretty complicated game & playing for money is a serious game, it's a lot tougher than sports gambling & dice imo.
Poker seems to be for slightly older guys too (just what I've noticed) & bitcoin is stereotypically for younger, tech advanced men so maybe it's just that bitcoin isn't the right niche/market for poker.
(These views are my own & based on nothing but a bunch).

[SyGambler]

bitcoin poker is still being developed and  there are about only 3 sites that have built some repu for them
the main problem for bitcoin poker that bitcoin is not supported at all in the big sites
and for me if pokerstars was available in my country , I'm sure that I will play poker there
poker players may be attracted by the digital currency but they need to get to know it first
later if one of the big sites accepted bitcoins , I think we will see more players at least researching about BTC
 

[vennali]

Players from any other country than US usually play on Pokerstars as they have a much better software. Poker players in the States probably don't know much about bitcoin and probably the reason for the smaller crowd.

[Xialla]

I'm not poker expert or something, but I think that serious poker players prefer games IRL over clicking on web..

[waterpile]

Players are not enough plus betcoin.ag and swcpoker.eu owns most of the traffic in bitcoin based poker..

[CarlesPuyol]

Today there is no competition to PS and FT.
If someone really want to do something big in website, he needs to be something like Superman  

[SyGambler]

Today there is no competition to PS and FT.
If someone really want to do something big in website, he needs to be something like Superman  

exactly
They have literally everything that players want
I think if there will be a revolution for BTC sites , this will happen when these two sites start to accept bitcoins
it's hard for any site to compete with these two , and I'm pretty sure more than 70% of the players that don't play at Pokerstars or Fulltilt are forced to use another site , liker Americans and my country too

[tiggytomb]

It is a shame, I have seen a few threads promoting new poker focused sites accepting btc the most recent PM Poker which looks promising but then I was the only player in the whole site for quite a while, it is hard for these sites to get off the ground.

[sherbyspark]

It is a shame, I have seen a few threads promoting new poker focused sites accepting btc the most recent PM Poker which looks promising but then I was the only player in the whole site for quite a while, it is hard for these sites to get off the ground.

A major part of that for those sites depend on their software . A lot of them who use mavens just like the old Swc haven't been much famous no matter what offers they have. The new sites are just dividing the already less traffic more and more and its hardly generating any one of them any revenue.

Why don't PokerStars and FullTilt offer web-based bitcoin poker websites?

Missed this question before. Actually they are going to be soon including bitcoin as a deposit option. You can still someway play by depositing on neteller with bitcoin and then using that to fund your Stars account.

[twister]

I don't think it's due to the fact that these sites are browser based, it's because most BTC gamblers are not really interested in playing poker ring games, they want to only play freerollsm, either because they don't feel that they're good or they don't want to deposit. And after a while it becomes hard for any site to survive if the players are there only for freebies.

[Xiaoxiao]

These sites dont have enough money to offer big guaranteed tournaments, dont have enough trust behind them to offer a sense of security, dont have enough players to lure people in.

Building a succeseful btc site is hard, its not the same as producing yet another dice clone.

Pokerstars have a lot of issues (especcially after the new management came in), but they are still the king when it comes to online poker.. And i dont see btc poker coming anywhere close to their level in the next 10 years or so.

Actually Betcoin shares its tourneys with WPN.  The tourneys are pretty good because of overlays.  I mean, every day there are $500-$15k guaranteed tourneys with small to medium fields.  Of course it cannot compare to Pokerstars, but it's still around mid level traffic.

[elusive1]

It takes only one person to make a Blackjack game and ten to make a good Hold-em game.

[bitllionaire]

poker is a game that takes many time and it is necessary a big amount of players and tables,it is difficult to triumph

[anderson00673]

I'm not poker expert or something, but I think that serious poker players prefer games IRL over clicking on web..

This is exactly what I was thinking.  I don't play poker all that often, but really there is no substitute to facing your opponents, having a showdown, and going home the victor or loser.  I have tried online poker but it lacks that certain thrill I get from conflicts.  The only advantage to online poker is that i can do it in my underwear.

[grendel25]

I'm not poker expert or something, but I think that serious poker players prefer games IRL over clicking on web..

This is exactly what I was thinking.  I don't play poker all that often, but really there is no substitute to facing your opponents, having a showdown, and going home the victor or loser.  I have tried online poker but it lacks that certain thrill I get from conflicts.  The only advantage to online poker is that i can do it in my underwear.

You have to also take into consideration the unforeseen team play that can factor in unbeknownst to the poker player in online games.  There you are playing poker with 4 other online players but for all you know those other 4 players are in the same room giving away the goat as far as what their under cards are and how they may team up on you to better their own odds.

[bitbaby]

It takes only one person to make a Blackjack game and ten to make a good Hold-em game.

^This. Poker is not a game where you play against the house like you usually do at Dice games or other Casino games, it require players and I guess currently there are not too many players who are interested in it or they don't have the patience to sit and play through it as sometimes it can be a little slow paced, which is why after a while players start going 'all-in' in almost all the hands, it can be argued that it's their tactics but I doubt it is.

And with people coming from all over the world it's hard to get them online at the same time, which could be another factor while you see not so many people on BTC Poker sites. Also, some players on these sites are 'rat-holers' which is frowned upon by some of the poker players.

[GannickusX]

It takes only one person to make a Blackjack game and ten to make a good Hold-em game.

^This. Poker is not a game where you play against the house like you usually do at Dice games or other Casino games, it require players and I guess currently there are not too many players who are interested in it or they don't have the patience to sit and play through it as sometimes it can be a little slow paced, which is why after a while players start going 'all-in' in almost all the hands, it can be argued that it's their tactics but I doubt it is.

And with people coming from all over the world it's hard to get them online at the same time, which could be another factor while you see not so many people on BTC Poker sites. Also, some players on these sites are 'rat-holers' which is frowned upon by some of the poker players.

It also seems that most gamblers here prefer dice sites as you can see in the whole gambling section, mostly because they prefer a fast game, betting fast, poker is not fast, it takes some time and i guess thats why not many people like poker, i personally like poker and blackjack, they have low house edge, 0% if its poker on player vs player.

[magicmexican]

0% if its poker on player vs player.

Its never 0% because every room takes rake. If you put 1$ against the 1$ of other guy, the prizepool wont be 2$, it would be less.

Btc poker could grow in the future, but it will take a lot of time and effort.

Right now, the only reason to search alternatives for stars and fulltilt is being located in US, and even then, i think there are some smaller rooms accept US players.

[erpbridge]

I'm not poker expert or something, but I think that serious poker players prefer games IRL over clicking on web..

This is exactly what I was thinking.  I don't play poker all that often, but really there is no substitute to facing your opponents, having a showdown, and going home the victor or loser.  I have tried online poker but it lacks that certain thrill I get from conflicts.  The only advantage to online poker is that i can do it in my underwear.

None of that are reasons for lack of traffic on Bitcoin poker sites. Pokerstars and Fulltilt usually have over 50,000 players online most of the time, so there is clearly no lack of players for online poker. And a huge part of poker players are from countries where its banned. So that doesn't explain the reason why there is lack of traffic on bitcoin poker sites. I feel the reason is probably alternatives to Pokerstars like Americas Cardroom and other sites that accept players from these countries. They are more prefered than bitcoin poker. Also the price swings of bitcoin probably kills their bankroll management.

[tsoPANos]

Also for some weird reason, bitcoin gamblers really like the classic dice game.
They are free to customise the odds. Maybe it's because of satoshidice, which was
once the biggest gambling site out there.

[ShetKid]

SWC had good traffic before they launched the new software. Most of the players are aware of it as Micon advertised in the WSOP events. But now they don't have online client so traffic is less. I am sure once they have online client we will have lots of new players back in the game.

[ACR Rep]

Hello,

I'm the official Americas Cardroom rep. We are the fastest growing poker site in the U.S. We have been in business since 2001 and we have super fast payouts.

We don't have a web client right now, but we are currently working on one to be launched in the future.

on August 2nd we will have a $1 million dollar guaranteed tournament: The Million Dollar Sundays tourney

You can deposit and cash out using Bitcoin.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need help or have any questions.

The ACR Team

[Betcoin.AG]

Hello please give is a try at www.betcoin.ag as our rake is HALF as much as most conventional fiat websites and you get all the benefits of a bitcoin only website with quick and easy registration, 1 confirmation deposits quick withdrawals and the ability to play in tournaments up to one million gtd.  Check us out today at.

www.betcoin.ag

[Slark]

There is couple of reasons really:

1. Bitcoin Community tends to gravitate towards Dice or other 'single player' casino games where you play against the house.
2. Bitcoin Poker sites are not on the par with the best 'normal' fueled poker rooms, not enough tournaments, players etc..
3. It is as you said OP if bitcoin gambler want to play poker and see that bitcoin poker sites are not populated he would rather go to some place with bigger community.

[panjul07]

Why are there so few players at web-based bitcoin poker websites?

Here are the number of people that are currently playing ring games:
1. nitrogensports.eu: 14 users now playing
2. betcoin.ag: 30 users now playing
3. luckyflop.eu: 1 user now playing

When I used to play at FullTilt and PokerStars (and PartyPoker many years ago), there would always be THOUSANDS of players. Don't those people still want to play?

Why don't the existing web-based bitcoin poker websites market their services more effectively?

Why don't PokerStars and FullTilt offer web-based bitcoin poker websites?

Have you tried bitspoker.com? I see there are a lot of online players play in the ring games (87 online players, 21 active tables when I write this)
I think it is a high stake poker room, the lowest stakes in the ring game is 100/200bits with minimum buy in 4000bits, but it is worth enough to make some deposit and play because there are many active players..even I see there are some players in the waiting list of the ring games.

[Bitus]

Luckyflop.eu is getting busier lately.
Very good site to play poker!
This is the site what I was looking for. (Not rigged)

[Twipple]

Also for some weird reason, bitcoin gamblers really like the classic dice game.
They are free to customise the odds. Maybe it's because of satoshidice, which was
once the biggest gambling site out there.

That in no way should be the reason. Just because you like Dancing as well as Singing, doesn't mean you will leave one of those for the other.

[FanEagle]

Building something trustful like swc is hard, you must work really hard to purpose something good.
Yet, there is still people that thinks that making a poker website in btc is the easiest thing in the world and then puff, they disappear 1 week later.

[apriyani420]

Luckyflop.eu is getting busier lately.
Very good site to play poker!
This is the site what I was looking for. (Not rigged)

well if you play just for some time and withdraw instantly after playing it they wouldnt scam you, but if you want to hold bitcoins i would trust only seals with clubs website

[Bitus]

Luckyflop.eu is getting busier lately.
Very good site to play poker!
This is the site what I was looking for. (Not rigged)

well if you play just for some time and withdraw instantly after playing it they wouldnt scam you, but if you want to hold bitcoins i would trust only seals with clubs website

U are wrong, luckyflop would not scam.
Ive been playing and have a decent amount.
Never had a problem..

[ticoti]

Because poker needs many players to play,and if there are no players, nobody play and everybody goes to other sites

[meadefreling]

More and more online poker websites are opening on daily basis, they are only sharing the existing traffics or players and some people also quited just as you did.

[Twipple]

Because poker needs many players to play,and if there are no players, nobody play and everybody goes to other sites

Not much of a valid reason. People who want to play would sit at a table and wait for the others, and people join soon . Someone always has to start be it any site.

[skathan]

what bitcoin poker site currently has the most users?

[panjul07]

what bitcoin poker site currently has the most users?

There are some sites such as swc, betcoin, nitrogen and bitspoker..but if you're looking for ring games and huge GTD Tourney, you may try bitspoker. More than 140 online players and 17 active tables atm and most of them on ring games including me, and others are playing in 8btc GTD tourney..

[DiscoverCebu]

Personally I don't even play poker, don't know why its such a big deal, I like playing on dice sites. Great house edge and manageable payout for trying out many strats.

[vendetahome]

Personally I don't even play poker, don't know why its such a big deal, I like playing on dice sites. Great house edge and manageable payout for trying out many strats.

dice is not interesting for a lot of people, on it you just have to click the button and the outcome shows up instantly on a screen, no thrilling experience

[DiscoverCebu]

This thread is turning more of an advertisement thread then an explanation(as asked by the author "Why are there so few players at web-based bitcoin poker websites?") .

[wasteman]

If you are a US based poker player check these sites out.. These sites are 100% trustworthy with several benefits to the player.

5dimes.com
Heritagesports.eu

- very nice, big poker rooms. decent promos and daily tournies. btc to usd conversion instantly when you deposit so you are'nt exposed to btc price fluctuation. withdraw via btc within a few minutes.

As always play at your own risk... but these sites have always payed me out when I won.

[DiscoverCebu]

If you are a US based poker player check these sites out.. These sites are 100% trustworthy with several benefits to the player.

5dimes.com
Heritagesports.eu

- very nice, big poker rooms. decent promos and daily tournies. btc to usd conversion instantly when you deposit so you are'nt exposed to btc price fluctuation. withdraw via btc within a few minutes.

As always play at your own risk... but these sites have always payed me out when I won.

Was just talking about unnecessary advertisement in a explanation thread and here comes another advertisement, of a site anyone barely know(at least I don't)

[wasteman]

1 thing I forgot to mention too, these sites allow US players to deposit via btc, mg, wu, etc. This means the pool of players is greater than say a btc only poker room. Which is why I suggested these two sites as btc poker players might want to access a room with a liquid amount of players from all over the world... my post wasn't intended to be an advertisement.

[IanQuinn]

1 thing I forgot to mention too, these sites allow US players to deposit via btc, mg, wu, etc. This means the pool of players is greater than say a btc only poker room. Which is why I suggested these two sites as btc poker players might want to access a room with a liquid amount of players from all over the world... my post wasn't intended to be an advertisement.

B.S.