Stake Poker Review

Although Stake.com is one of the biggest brands in the gambling world that has been around since 2017, Stake Poker is a relatively fresh addition to the platform. Launched in 2024, it is an integral part of the site, accessible from the main lobby straight from the browser.

The fact that the poker room is a part of the main lobby, right next to other casino games, creates an interesting dynamic at Stake Poker, with many inexperienced players joining the games for a few hands after playing slots or live dealer games.

In this Stake Poker review, we bring you a comprehensive and honest analysis of the site, discussing bonuses and promotions, available games and features, payment options, and everything else you need to know about before signing up.

Stake Poker Welcome Bonus

Stake Poker is giving pokerfuse readers a special welcome offer of $1 per day for 7 days. In order to receive your special welcome bonus you must:

• Signup for a new account using the bonus code pokerfuse
• Verify your identity up to Level 2
• Contact support to claim your bonus

Stake Poker Promotions

Promotions at Stake.com are geared primarily toward casino players and sports bettors. The range of promos designed specifically for poker players is quite limited at the current time, although this might change moving forward.

Right now, there are a couple of major promos running at Stake Poker that all players should be aware of.

The first one is a big $500,000 All In or Fold jackpot. The jackpot is active across all AoF tables on the site, with a small portion of it attributed to each stake level (0.01% at $0.05/$0.10 up to 1% at $5/$10). To claim the jackpot, you need to win a hand on a showdown with a straight flush or better.

Then, there is the Bad Beat Jackpot, which features a total prize pool of $1,000,000. Once more, the jackpot amount is distributed among different stakes, as follows:

• $0.01/$0.02 — 0.22% of the jackpot
• $0.05/$0.10 — 1.13%
• $0.10/$0.20 — 2.27%
• $0.25/$0.50 — 5.67%
• $0.50/$1 — 11.34%
• $1/$2 — 22.68%
• $5/$10 — 56.69%

All game variants participate in the Bad Beat Jackpot (Hold’em, PLO, PLO5, and PLO6), but the minimum qualifying hand differs for each variation, namely:

• Hold’em — quad deuces
• PLO — quad fours
• PLO5 — quad eights
• PLO6 — quad jacks

When the qualifying criteria are met, the allocated jackpot amount is distributed among all players dealt into the hand, with 5.6% going to the bad beat jackpot winner (losing hand), 3.5% going to the winner, and 2.1% distributed evenly to other players.

What’s really important to know for both of these promotions is that all players have to use two hole cards from their hands to qualify.

Stake Poker VIP Club

Stake.com has a VIP club, but it is also geared toward casino players. The qualifying criteria are based on the total amount wager, and the required minimum to reach the first level is $10,000.

Players who manage to wager the required amount unlock special weekly and monthly bonuses, rakeback, and other personalized gifts. As always, the higher your status, the better the rewards.

Stake Poker Software

Stake Poker features a browser-based platform that’s available on desktop and mobile devices alike. No download is required, which makes it extremely easy to access your account on any phone or computer.

For a web-based client, Stake Poker is actually quite rich in features, with things like:

• Run It Twice option across all cash game tables
• Straddles
• Rabbit Hunting

The settings menu is also quite extensive, offering many features that allow players to set things up just the way they like them. Some of the options worth mentioning include:

• Showing stack in big blinds
• Stream mode (helping to hide hole cards)
• Customizable auto-rebuys
• Several table & deck themes
• Configurable betting buttons

At the moment, the maximum number of tables you can play at the same time is six. Stake Poker has introduced this change somewhat recently, lowering the maximum number, but we could see some changes in this department moving forward.

Stake Poker Cash Games

Stake Poker offers cash game action starting as low as $0.01/$0.02 and going up to $5/$10. The site spreads Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, as well as Pot Limit Omaha with five and six card (PLO5 and PLO6)

For Hold’em, there are 6-max and 9-max tables available, while the maximum number of players for Omaha is defined by the variation, namely: 7-max for PLO, 6-max for PLO5, and 5-max for PLO6.

Cash game tables are loaded with interesting and useful features, which is a big plus, especially for a web-based client. All ring games offer the possibility of running it twice, straddling, and rabbit hunting, and they are all included in the Bad Beat Jackpot.

Stake Poker Rake

Stake Poker keeps the rake consistent at 7% across all of its Hold’em and PLO games, with varying caps for different limits and depending on the number of active players at the table. The full breakdown of the Stake Poker rake is shown in the tables below:

Texas Hold’em Rake

PLO Rake

Stake Poker Tournaments

Stake.com Poker offers a decent daily and weekly tournament schedule, although it can’t be compared to that of major, poker-first sites like GGPoker or PokerStars.

In terms of buy-ins, the site offers a decent number of freerolls, with prize pools of up to $250, which is quite generous in this day and age. Otherwise, buy-ins start at $1 and go up to $100.

When it comes to guarantees, you’ll rarely find a tournament with a promise larger than $2,000. The best value comes from named daily events, such as:

• $20 The Octagon – $1,200 GTD
• $20 Hitman – $1,000 GTD
• $10 The Haymaker – $1,000 GTD
• $5 The Uppercut – $500 GTD

While the tournament schedule at Stake Poker isn’t amazing, it is worth noting that these events feature some of the softest fields you’ll find in online poker, due to a high crossover between casino, sportsbook, and poker. This means that experienced players can expect much higher ROIs compared to most other poker sites out there.

All In or Fold (AoF) Games at Stake.com Poker

For all the fans of fast-paced action, Stake Poker also features All In or Fold Hold’em games, where, as the name suggests, you have only two moves: fold your hand or go all-in.

The buy-in for these tables is eight big blinds across all stakes except the lowest ($0.05/$0.10), where the buy-in is set at $1 (ten big blinds).

Games are played with four players at the table, and, in addition to the fast and furious action, their biggest appeal is the possibility of winning a jackpot by showing down a straight flush or better and winning the pot. Both hole cards must be used to qualify.

Stake Poker Banking

Although Stake Poker supports some local banking options, the operator is, first and foremost, a cryptocurrency poker site. This means that depositing using one of many supported cryptocurrencies will be your safest bet.

The list of accepted cryptocurrencies is a long one, and it includes BTC, ETH, USDT, LTC, DOGE, TRX, EOS, and more. All games on Stake Poker are displayed in US dollars, and your funds will be converted accordingly when you join and leave the table.

Stake.com also allows players to have accounts in local currencies, so if you primarily want to play poker and avoid any confusion, the best thing you can do is set up a USD wallet on the site and deposit directly into it using your preferred crypto. That way, you’ll know exactly what your bankroll is at all times, and you won’t have to deal with any fluctuations in value inherent to crypto.

Withdrawing Money from Stake Poker

You can easily withdraw your funds from Stake Poker back to your crypto wallet. To do this, follow these steps:

• Go to the ‘Wallet’ section on the site
• Select ‘Withdrawal’
• Enter the amount you wish to cash out
• Carefully enter your crypto wallet address
• Confirm the request

In most cases, your funds will be delivered in short order, with withdrawals usually taking between ten minutes and two hours to process. For larger withdrawals, you might need to wait a bit longer, but, generally speaking, Stake Poker is one of the fastest operators when it comes to paying players.

How to Sign Up at Stake Poker

Signing up with Stake Poker is quick and painless. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be ready to jump into the action in no time:

1. Visit Stake.com Poker site via this link
2. Click on the blue ‘Register’ button
3. Select your language (English is the default) & click continue
4. On the next screen, enter your desired screen name & email address
5. Input your password & date of birth
6. Complete the registration & check your inbox for the email to complete your registration

Your Stake Poker account is now ready. You can log in and browse the lobby. When you’re ready to make a deposit, click on the ‘Wallet’ button to connect your wallet with your poker account and transfer some money to start playing.

Stake Poker Safety & Fairness

As a poker site completely based on crypto principles, Stake Poker offers a high degree of safety and provides players with an easy way to verify the results of every single game round or hand of poker they play.

The operator achieves this through the combination of a commitment scheme and cryptographic hashing. The commitment scheme ensures that the player has an influence on all results, while hashing makes sure the site remains honest to the scheme.

While all these technical terms can be quite confusing if you’re not that familiar with the world of crypto, the bottom line is that Stake.com offers provably fair games, removing any potential concerns over rigging or cheating.

FAQ

Is Stake Poker available in Canada?

Yes, you can play on Stake Poker from Canada.

Can I play Stake Poker on my phone?

Yes, you can play Stake Poker on your phone, straight from your browser. You don’t need to download a standalone app to play.

Do I need to download any software to play on Stake Poker?

No, you don’t. Stake Poker is entirely web-based, which means that all you need to play is a web browser and a solid internet connection.

Does Stake Poker offer tournaments?

Yes, you can play tournaments on Stake Poker. There is a decent schedule of events every day, with buy-ins between $1 and $100 and guarantees going up to $2,000.

Does Stake Poker have PLO?

Stake Poker offers No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, as well as PLO5 and PLO6.