Like poker but live in a state with very few (if any) legal places to play it? Introducing Stake.us Poker, an online poker game where you can play and practice the nationâs favorite casino table game for free.
By the end of this guide, youâll not only know how to play free poker at Stake.us but also how to score our exclusive Stake welcome bonus. Available to new Stake.us players only, this unmissable deal entitles you to 55 SC + 260k Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback when you add code âBALLISLIFEâ during sign-up.
Stake Poker: Everything you need to know
Weâre so excited to bring you the news that Stake.us has finally launched a Stake Originals version of everyoneâs favorite table card game, poker. The Stake Originals collection â which is unique to the Stake brand â is beloved for its pared-back graphics and intuitive controls, so weâre confident that the addition of poker will be a big hit.
So, what can you expect from Stake social poker? How will the game work? And, perhaps most importantly, will you be able to win any prizes and rewards?
What is Stake sweepstakes poker?
If youâve read our
Stake.us review, youâll know that the brand specializes in free-to-play social casino games with the option to enter sweepstakes to redeem real prizes. This approach extends to most titles in the Stake games library, including the all-new Stake Originals Poker.
Yep, you understand right: that means you can play online poker for free, with no purchase, deposit, or real-money betting required. Pretty neat, right?
Stake.us Poker looks set to shake up the world of online poker play, offering an authentic virtual experience that stays as true as possible to the real thing. So whether youâre a total novice looking for a risk-free way to get started or a seasoned high roller trialing new poker strategies, hours of fun are guaranteed here.
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Is Stake.us Poker a real money game?
Nope, no money changes hands when playing poker for free at Stake.us. You wonât need to deposit, pay, or bet to access and play the game, and nor will you be able to win any real money prizes.
We get that this might be a slight disappointment to some players. After all, the prospect of wins and losses at the poker table is what makes it such an exciting casino game.
But there are advantages to accessing Stakeâs free social poker game, including:
You can play for free without risking your own money
For those who enjoy poker as a game and not just a way to gamble, Stake.us Poker promises to be a fantastic addition.
Stake.us is available in many US states
Thatâs right â while very few Americans have access to real-money poker games online, they may be able to access the Stake.us version depending on where they live. Thatâs great news if you live in a state with tight anti-gambling regulations.
Itâs the ultimate place to practice your poker skills
Even the pros and the high rollers need a risk-free place to practice every now and again, so the fact that you can play poker against other players for free provides the ideal environment to polish up your skills.
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Play Stake.us Poker for free
![Stake poker texas holdem]()
Stake Poker Texas hold'em
Can you win sweepstakes prizes playing poker at Stake.us?
You canât win Stake.us Poker cash prizes. Period. But you can play for sweepstakes coins known as Stake Cash, which
can
be redeemed for prizes like crypto tokens, vouchers, and branded merch. Confused? Let us explain.
Stake.us is a sweepstakes casino, which means you wonât be playing with real money as would in a standard casino. Instead, youâll be using a combination of Gold Coins and Stake Cash.
| Stake.us virtual coin type | Details |
| Gold Coins (GC) | Gold Coins are the just-for-fun tokens used at Stake.us. You can use these to access any of the brandâs slots, tables, and live dealer games on a fun-only basis.
GC has no monetary value and canât be redeemed for prizes. You can purchase more in the Stake.us store. |
| Stake Cash (SC) | Stake Cash is the sweepstakes token at Stake.us. When you collect enough of these to meet the brandâs minimum redemption requirement, you can exchange them for a prize.
SC has no monetary value outside the Stake.us platform but it can be swapped for a prize. You canât purchase more SC, as that would essentially constitute real gambling. |
So, when you play Stake.us Poker in Stake Cash mode (sweepstakes mode), you can win more SC tokens that can be redeemed for prizes in the future. You should that youâll need to play any SC you accrue at least three times before it can be redeemed; this is the brandâs playthrough requirement and is standard practice across other like-for-like sweepstakes casino sites.
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How do you play sweepstakes poker at Stake.us?
Getting started with Stake social poker couldnât be easier. Since this is part of the much-lauded Stake Originals collection, you can expect a fuss-free and accessible gameplay experience, with easy controls and game design to make it easy to pick up and play.
With that said, if youâre totally new to Stake.us and online poker in general, you may need a quick primer. Follow these steps and youâll be well on your way to becoming a cunning poker ace in no time.
Step 1: Register with Stake.us
If youâre yet to join Stake.us, registering with the brand is a straightforward process. Just tap the blue âRegisterâ button and add the necessary details before confirming that you live in one of the listed legal states.
Before you complete registration, be sure to drop our Stake.us Poker promo code, BALLISLIFE, into the bonus code box provided. The code entitles all new Stake.us players to an impressive welcome bonus, including:
- $25 Stake Cash + 260k Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback:
Youâll receive this awesome rewards bundle when you verify your new Stake.us account within three days of opening.
- $30 extra SC for redeeming the Stake Reload Bonus:
For the first 30 days as a new Stake.us player, youâll receive $1 worth of SC every 24 hours, totaling $30 in free loot over your first month with the brand.
Be sure to read our
Stake.us bonus review
for more details on how to redeem and use this unmissable sign-up deal.
Step 2: Choose your preferred style of poker
When youâre officially a Stake.us member, you can jump straight into the brandâs games library and start putting that welcome bonus to good use. To get started, simply navigate to the âPokerâ tab and tap Stake Poker on the game selection screen.
From there, youâll be asked if you want to play Texas Holdâem or Omaha-style poker. Texas Holdâem should be most familiar, although Omaha poker does bring a unique twist to the table. Of course, the choice is ultimately yours on the game style you want to play.
Step 3: Create the winning hand
The objective of social poker at Stake.us is exactly the same as standard poker: you need to create the winning hand or convince other players that you have it. There are myriad different poker hand combinations that you can use to play the game, so youâll need to study up on what these are if youâre completely new to the game.
Whatâs excellent about Stake.us sweepstakes poker is that there are a ton of additional in-game features that players can use to up the ante. From Bomb Pot and Shootout modes to the high-roller-friendly Is Lucky One Hand setting â game customization options take Stake Poker beyond the reach of comparable free online poker games out there.
The pros and cons of Stake.us Poker
Pros & Cons
- Play free Texas Holdâem or Omaha-style poker
- Redeem real prizes by collecting sweepstakes coins
- Customize your table with ten unique in-play features
- There is no Stake.us app for playing poker on mobile
Stake Original Texas Holdâem Style Poker
One of the modes that you can play Poker on the Stake US website is the Stake Original Texas Holdâem Style Poker. Behind the fancy name and the intimidating assumptions, lies the super simple and extremely fun live dealer game, Texas Holdâem. The aim of the game is straightforward, but it requires the knowledge of poker to win here.
While beating the dealer with the best hand is the goal of this poker game, you don't have to worry about other players in the lobby at the same time.
- Knowing the ranks of poker hands is crucial because you must determine when and if to raise.
One of the most played live dealer games at Stake is Live Extreme Texas Hold'em Poker.
- In order to play, you must choose how much to wager on each hand while taking the game's betting options into account.
- An ante and blind bet are placed at the start of the game, and you also have to choose whether to place the Trips Bonus Bet, an optional side wager.
- The side bet is a gamble on how your best hand will consist of three of the five community cards and your two cards.
The game starts once you place your bets, and the dealer deals out the community cards. You have a certain amount of time between deals to choose whether to raise, fold, or wager. You will receive winnings based on your wager and the poker hand you have created if you continue playing and defeat the dealer.
Stake Original Omaha Style Poker
Not straying very far away from its counterpart, the Texas Holdâem Poker, Omaha style Poker has a few very minute differences when compared to the first style of poker on Stake US, as discussed here. Something that you should know is that with Omaha Poker, you have more chances of making a highly ranked hand.
As you might have already realized, Omaha Poker at Stake functions quite similarly to its Texas version, with the exception that you will be dealt four Hole cards rather than two.
- To make the strongest winning hand, you must select two of them and combine them with the Community cards.
- Hole cards are just the technical term for referring to the cards that will be offered to you face down on the poker table.
You can now choose to call or raise the large blind to play your hand after viewing the hole cards. On this round, the action starts to the left of the huge blind, which is regarded as a "live" stake. The player can choose to raise, call, or fold.
- The betting system changes depending on the game's versions in real life.
- Each betting round continues until all active players who haven't folded have wagered the same amount.
The number of possible methods to win is a crucial consideration when evaluating your beginning hand strength. Having a "double-suited" hand is a terrific way to start since it provides you two chances to create a flush in Omaha, where you have to play two of your hole cards. When you add high pairs or connectors to that, your beginning hand begins to look really good.
Stake US Poker Game Modes
Since they have come up with live poker, Stake also offers a ton of different game modes and game types. Talk about spoiling players with choice! Other than the standard Omaha Poker and Texas Holdâem Poker, there are other fun modes and immersive tournaments that you definitely could have a go at. Listed below are some of the game modes that are most popular on Stake Poker. Do not stop reading right here if you want to win big and have a good time while at it.
Rapid Ring Games, probably one of the most popular gaming modes on Stake Poker, is a unique kind of cash table where, after folding the previous hand, you are instantly transferred to a new one to begin a fresh one. On every hand, the players' places at the table move at random. A large blind is placed by the player at the table with the fewest big blinds posted overall.
One of the most thrilling ways to play poker is to participate in tournaments, and online poker tournaments provide you the chance to play against players from across the globe. Players can compete with each other for a piece of the prize pool in stake poker events, and you can even participate in a variety of tournaments at Stake, each with its own set of regulations.
Rapid tournaments operate on the same premise as Fast Fold tables: the player is placed at a different table to begin a fresh hand as soon as he pushes the Fast Fold button at the table. The players' positions at the table are randomly assigned on each hand. The player at the table with the fewest big blinds is posted overall places a huge blind.
Just like it sounds, the Rebuy option pretty much does exactly what it says. When players reach a specific threshold of remaining chips, they can use the Rebuy function to purchase more chips. That barrier is typically quite low, and the rebuy option might not even show up until the player has used up all of his stack throughout the tournament. Rebuys are often offered during a certain tournament time frame known as the "rebuy period", so you might need to stay aware of the time slots.Â
This function is here to spice up your poker game and add an extra dose of excitement and adrenaline. Before the hole cards are dealt, during the blinds posting, straddling is a unique method of raising. It is double large blind and can only be posted by the player seated next to the BB. Before the cards are given, players must straddle the pot by placing the value of two large blinds, which serve as the third blind, in a poker game. Straddling is limited to tables with four or more players.
For the tables with Common RiT mode selected, all of these players on that table should also have the Run It Twice checkbox enabled at the table. In such a situation, you are required to create a hand in each of two different card boards. According to the standard rules of the game, the pot is divided evenly between each winning hand once the remaining cards have been dealt to both boards. One player will win the full pot if he has the winning hand on both boards.
Running it Twice is a strategy used by players to reduce bad beats, adjust variance, and avoid big swings in their bankrolls. If put in simpler words, it basically involves an agreement to deal the remaining streets twice after two or more players go all-in, with the winner receiving half of the total pot in each deal.
A Bomb Pot is a special kind of poker game mode on Stake where all players add a certain number of chips to the pot before the hand starts. This adds extra money and a sense of urgency to the game. Betting doesn't happen until after the flop, in contrast to regular hands.
Because players compete for the entire pot, this style increases tension and strategic maneuvering. Given that receiving four cards rather than two further raises the possibility of large hands and enormous pots, it is especially popular and wanted in Pot Limit Omaha. Bomb pots could be an exciting addition to any of your poker games because they bring a dynamic aspect that calls for aggressive play and strategic adaptability.
Stake poker tournaments have a feature called Bounty. This feature is pretty harsh- meaning that it pays a player for removing another player. A player may receive rewards for removing a particular player or any player, depending on the competition.
What does this mean for you? This rules out that you can win more money each time you defeat an opponent in addition to the standard tournament rewards. Also, since with this feature players may modify their playing tactics to attempt to claim more bounties, this element gives the game an extra strategic component and a good rush of the mind.
In a poker tournament where there is Bounty, a portion of your buy in goes toward the tournament prize pool in the given event, while the remaining portion becomes your reward. Why we called it a bit harsh was because the game runs on one simple motto- you get the other player's bounty when you knock them out.
Stake US Poker Shootout is a unique tournament style that consists of many rounds. The players are divided equally among the tables during the first round, and they continue to play until the final person at his table wins every chip. Some players will have to wait for an empty table if the number of players is not divided by the number of table seats.
A fresh round starts when the winners are chosen and placed at different tables. For the remaining players, the game is restarted with fresh starting stakes and reset blind levels. One must eventually win every table at which they are sitting in order to win a tournament.
If you are one of those players who believe in giving it their all in every round, and if you like the thrill of it, the Stake Poker Is Lucky One Hand game mode might just be perfect for you. This particular lucky one hand tournament mode is unique. The main appeal is that players don't place any wagers. Every round, they simply give it their all.Â
Stake US Poker: Everything you need to know
Stake Original Video Poker
Video poker, which is based on the classic game of poker, allows players to challenge the house in a straightforward one-deck showdown in order to wager and try their luck. Video Poker is an online casino game that offers an engaging wagering experience by incorporating the winning card hands from classic five-card draw poker into a video casino game style.
Stake hardly ever disappoints with their development of games, and this time the skilled team at Stake has created this rather appealing kind of video poker, which uses a single regular 52-card deck so that players may compete against the house and win large.
Stake Original Live Poker
There is no doubt that Poker is a legendary table game that is so popular around the world that there are many variations for you to enjoy when you play it online. On the Stake website, the Stake Original Live Poker was introduced very recently, only a few months ago. But that has not stopped them from gaining a massive fandom pretty quickly.
Poker is one of the most played table games at Stake, where you can find some very popular game Styles like Texas Hold'em, Triple Card Poker, Caribbean Stud, Omaha, and other titles. Stake US also offers a number of immersive live dealer poker games, which let you sit at a virtual table while a real-life dealer deals with your cards. You can even play several live Stake Poker tournaments.
Stake US Poker Tournament Games
Maybe you are one of those players who like the social aspect of sweeps casinos. We get it, you want to experience the fun and thrill of poker the way it was intended. For gamers who would want a rather real life feel of playing with others at a casino, Stake Original Poker also brings to you Stake US Poker Tournament Games, where you not only play against other players but also aim to win a massive prize pool.
You may participate in a variety of tournaments at Stake, each with its own set of regulations. Added to that, there are other variations of poker, each with somewhat different card usage regulations.
The fundamental setup is that each participant starts the event with a certain quantity of chips and earns more chips by winning hands, regardless of the kind of tournament they participate in or the poker version they play. Depending on the event's regulations, there may be minimum and maximum bet amounts as well as pot restrictions. The prize fund is divided among the final few players when tournament participants who run out of chips are eliminated.
Stake US Poker Ring Games
Ring games on Stake are simple to understand- these are cash games that are not part of any tournament. These are your regular poker games where you can enter and leave at your own discretion. You do not need to worry about special rules on the Stake website for Ring Games since the rules are all standard. If there is an exception or a special rule at play, you will find it mentioned in the game.
There are certain basic requirements that you should, however, keep in mind before you begin actively playing the Ring Games on Stake US.
- The large blind is equivalent to the minimum quantity of Gold Coins or Stake Cash wagered in No Limit and Pot Limit ring games. Every ring game is played only for "table stakes."
- A hand may only be played using Gold Coins or Stake Cash that has been brought to the table before the start of the hand.
- Players must be seated with the intention of playing, and buy-in variations may vary per table and be disclosed prior to entering.
- It is anticipated that players who are seated will be dealt into hands more often than those who are not.
A player is further prohibited from returning to the table with a smaller buy-in for at least sixty minutes if they leave with a chip stack larger than the maximum buy in. If the player's leaving stack is less than or equal to the maximum buy-in, this rule is not applicable.
What online users are saying about Stake US Poker
We went online to check what real users have said about the new Stake Original Poker and their encounter with it. Online platforms like Reddit had several users coming together to share their experience with the brand and its latest addition. We could say that it showed a kind of mixed reaction with one section of Reddit praising the Stake Original Poker games, while the other half seemed not very happy with it.
One of the very first and most prominent comments was how much the Stake Poker games were paying. The player who had commented on this also mentioned how this could be a good winning streak that they were up for.
Another player echoed the same thoughts and revealed how they managed to turn their initial wager into a multifold winning. What we could draw from this comment was the fact that Stake is legit and that the Poker games are in fact high paying.
There was one comment that questioned the legitimacy of the game and their payouts and explained how it might not have been aimed at one specific player but devised to gather a larger winning for the brand itself from all the players on its database.
This speculation was then swiftly disregarded by another user who commented in favor of the Stake Original Poker game. They mentioned how the losses were just normal variance in the game and were simple luck on the part of the player. The game, at times, also gives players the same hands back to back a couple of times, but that was normal since it is machine generated. They went on to say how there are good and bad spells where players at times get big wins, while at other times come across big losses.
Stake.us Poker review: How do we rate this awesome sweepstakes game?
We along with countless other casino fans have waited for what feels like an eternity for Stake to drop a sweepstakes poker game. And now that itâs here, we can safely say that it was worth the wait.
Effortless to pick up and play, Stakeâs free poker game promises to be an engaging title for beginners and high rollers alike. But itâs the customization options that impress here, with unique game modes allowing you to create the poker table youâll be proud to sit at.
Donât forget, too, that new Stake.us players can score an epic welcome bonus with our code âBALLISLIFEâ. Be sure to add this at sign-up so you donât miss out.
56 Stake Cash + 560K Gold Coins + 5% Rakeback
Stake Poker FAQ
â Is it legal to play poker at Stake.us in the USA?
Yes, you can play free poker games at Stake in the US provided you live in one of the brandâs legal states. Stake.us is permitted in most US jurisdictions excluding Washington, Nevada, and Idaho.
đ° Can I bet real money on poker games at Stake?
No, Stake.us social poker is a free game only so you canât play with real money. You can, however, play with Stake Cash to redeem real prizes like crypto, vouchers, and merchandise.
đ Is free poker worth playing at Stake.us?
If youâre looking for a free way to play and practice poker online, then Stake.us is one of the best places to enjoy an authentic version of the game.
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