Why we’re excited about BetRivers Poker: Based on the Run it Once Poker platform, BetRivers is the biggest shake-up to the US online poker industry in a decade. It is now live in Pennsylvania!
It is a fully thought out online poker experience, with MTTs, Cash Games, Sit Gos all available at launch. There’s BetRivers’ unique Cub3d, which combines lottery-style “spin” sit and gos with traditional formats.
First seen back in the Run It Once days dynamic avatars, HeroIQ built-in HUD, “fair play” auto-seating and randomized times also feature.
BetRivers Poker has joined the regulated online poker market in US, changing the online poker landscape as we know it. It is now live for players in Pennsylvania!
BetRivers Poker might be new, but its platform is not, using the Run it Once Poker platform created by Phil Galfond’s training site of the same name.
Any poker player in Pennsylvania can join BetRivers Poker today, download the client software, and dive into cash games and tournaments as soon as they go live.
BetRivers Poker delivers a full online poker experience, featuring both Holdem and Omaha options, along with cash games and multi-table tournaments. Players can also enjoy BetRivers’ exclusive Cub3d, blending lottery-style “spin” sit-and-gos with traditional gameplay.
The platform includes a desktop client for both Mac and Windows, and mobile apps for iPhone and Android are reportedly in development. Unique features originally introduced by Run It Once Poker—such as dynamic avatars, HeroIQ’s built-in HUD, “fair play” auto-seating, and randomized timing are available from launch.
While currently only available in Pennsylvania, BetRivers Poker plans to expand further, aiming to enter new jurisdictions as part of RSI’s long-term growth strategy. Expected future states include Delaware, Michigan, and New Jersey.
Read on to find out everything we know about BetRivers Poker.
BetRivers Poker US: Key Facts | |
---|---|
🚀 Launched | October 31 in Pennsylvania |
📍 Available In | Pennsylvania | 🗺️ Potential New Markets | Delaware, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, West Virginia, Ontario |
🕹️ Games on Offer | Cash Games, MTTs, SNGs, Cub3d |
🤑 Welcome Offer | 100% up to $1000 |
🎁 Rewards Program | iRush Rewards Program |
✨ Main Highlight | Low rake coupled with high rewards & innovative features |
🏢 Owner | Rush Street Interactive |
Yes, BetRivers Poker has gone live in Pennsylvania and players can join games now! BetRivers Poker has launched with cash games, MTTs and Sit and Gos. iRush Rewards has been integrated to maximize on the the crossover between live and online poker and currently BetRivers Poker has the lowest rake in the entire PA market.
BetRivers Poker US welcomes players with a very nice 100% match bonus up to $1,000 on their first deposit. It’s worth noting that the poker welcome bonus is available to everyone, including those players who already have an account with the BetRivers Sportsbook and Casino.
To claim the welcome bonus as a new player, you need to do the following:
POKER
during registrationIf you already have an existing BetRivers account, you can still claim the poker bonus by going to the cashier and using the BetRivers Poker US bonus code POKER
on the deposit screen.
Like most poker bonuses, this one isn’t issued all at once, but it is rather added to your bonus balance and unlocked in stages. Every time you make $25 worth of rake playing cash games, tournaments, and/or sit and goes on the site, $5 will be moved from the bonus balance to your cash balance.
You’ll have 120 days to clear the entire bonus. Any amount that remains unlocked after that period will be removed, but all the money you manage to clear up to that point is yours to keep.
With BetRivers Poker being new to the US market, it is still up in the air what their promotions will look like. It is safe to assume the operator will be offering plenty to keep the players happy, as they already have one of the lowest rakes in the state and give poker players full access to its iRush rewards program.
Run it Once Poker used to offer very generous promotions. For example, 101% Week gave back 101% of all rake collected at the tables, providing an additional 50% rake returned to players on top of the regular 51% returned through the Splash the Pot rewards program.
The site also ran direct rakeback promotions, like Splashy Hours, which increased the Splash the Pot during designated hours, bigger pot “splashes,” rake races, and more. The promotions also catered to four-card lovers by running PLO Appreciation Week.
Leaderboards ran for both Hold’em and Omaha variants as well as for SNG Select. RIO also offered free SNG ticket bundles of value up to €100 from time to time.
Whether BetRivers offers the same sort of promotions remains to be seen, but what we do know is that the facility is there in the software already if they want to offer them, and we expect generous promotions out of the gate as RIO looks to build traffic.
Playing poker on the BetRivers US platform makes you eligible for their well-known iRush rewards system. This is a loyalty program that encompasses the full suite of operators products, i.e. casino, sportsbook, and now poker as well.
You can learn more about the program in our extensive iRush Rewards guide, but what’s important to know as a poker player is the following:
You can use Bonus Store points to gain access to cash bonuses and various offers to boost your bankroll. Loyalty points can’t be exchanged, but they help you move up in iRush Rewards tiers, and with each new tier you unlock, you’ll gain access to better perks inside the Bonus Store.
Like all operators new to a market, BetRivers Poker is yet to shape its tournament schedule. Following the launch, the operator came out with an interesting spread of events, featuring buy-ins between $0.25 – $100, but with no big guarantees to speak of just yet. The largest tournament available right now is the $100 Sunday Main Event with $15,000 guaranteed.
It is safe to assume BetRivers Poker will be offering a solid daily and weekly MTT schedule, as tournaments are the number one factor that drives traffic to a poker site. In that light, we can probably expect some tournament series in the near future as well.
In terms of game variations, both Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha are represented on the preliminary schedule, which is certainly welcome news for players in Pennsylvania. There is also a decent number of freerolls on the docket, giving players opportunities to both kick-start their bankrolls and test and get used to the software in a relaxed setting.
On the cash game side of things, BetRivers Poker features NLHE and PLO tables, with stakes ranging from $0.01/$0.02 up to $5/$10 at this point in time. For PLO specifically, the lowest stakes are $0.05/$0.10.
The operator uses an automated seating system, which aims to makes the gaming experience fairer across the board and deal with issues such as bum hunting. You simply click a button to join a game at the level of your choosing, and you’re automatically assigned a seat.
For each new table a player joins, they’re assigned a new alias (screen name) and a random avatar, which makes it impossible for anyone to track them across different tables.
This feature also makes it impossible for players to keep tabs of other players by collecting their hand histories, either directly or by the process of data mining.
In addition to all these features, BetRivers Poker US also takes pride in offering games with some of the lowest rake rates in the state. Tables below show rake percentages across different stakes for NLHE and PLO.
Buy-in | Percentage | Cap (2 Players) | Cap (3 Players) | Cap (4 Players) | Cap (5 – 6 Players) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
$2 | 4.5% | $0.30 | $0.30 | $0.30 | $0.30 |
$10 | 4.75% | $0.50 | $1 | $1 | $1.50 |
$20 | 4.75% | $0.50 | $1 | $1 | $2 |
$50 | 4.75% | $0.50 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2.50 |
$100 | 4.75% | $0.60 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $3 |
$200 | 4.75% | $0.75 | $2 | $2 | $3 |
$500 | 4.75% | $1 | $2 | $2 | $3 |
$2,000 | 4.75% | $1.20 | $2.50 | $2.50 | $3.75 |
Buy-in | Percentage | Cap (2 Players) | Cap (3 Players) | Cap (4 Players) | Cap (5 – 6 Players) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
$10 | 4.75% | $0.50 | $1 | $1 | $1.50 |
$20 | 4.75% | $0.50 | $1 | $1 | $2 |
$50 | 4.75% | $0.50 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $2.50 |
$100 | 4.75% | $0.60 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $3 |
$200 | 4.75% | $0.75 | $2 | $2 | $3 |
$500 | 4.75% | $1 | $2 | $2 | $3 |
$2,000 | 4.75% | $1 | $2 | $2 | $3 |
In the SNG Select section of the BetRivers Poker lobby, you can find two types of sit and go games, namely:
Both types are played in a three-handed format where the winner takes all. However, Cub3d games feature random jackpots determined at the start of the game, which represents a multiplier of the base buy-in and can go up to 1,500x.
Right now, BetRivers Poker US features five different buy-in levels of Cub3d, namely:
Cub3d games also come with a “Glitch” feature, which can award random prizes even if a player loses.
When it comes to classic SNG Select tournaments, these are currently available across six buy-in levels. The lowest ones are just $0.60, while the highest buy-in on offer is $18.
BetRivers Poker US uses the Run It Once platform developed by Phil Galfond, which comes equipped with some cool and unique features that really make it stand out from the competition.
Dynamic Avatars are one of the more prominent features at BetRivers Poker. Dynamic Avatars is a system where players are assigned a random avatar with a unique expression based on the player’s recently observed play style. Eight facial features are included — among them, asleep, passive, and angry.
Expressions are based on pre-flop play style. The “asleep” expression applies to a player playing extremely tight; an aggressive player gets the angry avatar.
While they are a fun feature, Dynamic Avatars are also useful to help determine a particular player’s tendencies as they are based on three key preflop statistics: PFR, VPIP, and 3-bet percentage.
Six months after RIO debuted, it launched an optional built-in HUD called HeroIQ that integrated seamlessly with Dynamic Avatars. BetRivers Poker brought the feature back upon its launch.
The built-in HUD provides the three most common pre-flop statistics — the VPIP, PFR, and 3-Bet percentages — which have long been considered the “default” heads-up display statistics in third-party software. Similar to Dynamic Avatars, HeroIQ stats are displayed after a minimum of ten hands played at a table.
The VPIP and PFR statistics are shown next to the avatar of all players at the table, including their own. The stats are color-coded with a heat map ranging from green to red. When the player hovers over the display, the 3-Bet percentage is shown, along with two gauges and the number of hands observed.
BetRivers Poker US offers cash games through the blind lobby system of auto-seating. Buy-ins are fixed at 100 big blinds, under a policy to keep games quick to join and fair to play. Seat selection is not possible, as players are presented with a choice of buy-in and automatically moved to an available seat at the select level. The system reduces a player’s ability to look for specific opponents.
A fixed buy-in system also aims to force bankroll management on recreational and professional poker players. With RIO implementing auto seating and fixed buy-ins, it became the first online poker room in the regulated US market to offer a blind lobby.
BetRivers Poker US is fully licensed and regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), which means that players have nothing to worry about when it comes to deposits to and withdrawals from the site. Your money is perfectly safe and fully protected here.
In terms of supported payment methods, BetRivers Poker accepts a wide range of banking options, as shown in the table below.
Method | Deposits | Withdrawals |
---|---|---|
Visa | ✔️ | |
MasterCard | ✔️ | |
PayPal | ✔️ | ✔️ |
ACH | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Paysafecard | ✔️ | |
Online banking | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Play+ Card | ✔️ | ✔️ |
PayNearMe | ✔️ |
BetRivers parent company RSI was selected last year by the Delaware Lottery as its exclusive igaming provider and launched an online casino and sports betting in the state at the end of 2023. The Lottery confirmed it was working with RSI to launch online poker, but did not provide a timeline.
A BetRivers Poker roll out to New Jersey and Michigan could well happen in early 2025 if the Pennsylvania launch goes well.
RSI could also potentially launch the platform in two new markets: Nevada and Ontario. below, we explore the likelihood of a launch in each
BetRivers Poker: Potential Launch States
State | Active online poker? | In MSIGA? | BetRivers Casino? | Likely BetRivers Poker launch |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pennsylvania | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Launched online poker Oct 2024 |
Delaware | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Might launch after PA |
Michigan | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Expected 2025 |
New Jersey | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Expected 2025 |
West Virginia | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ⭐⭐⭐ Likely end of 2025 |
Nevada | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ⭐⭐ Possible later on, 2026 |
Ontario, Canada | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ⭐ Possible long-term |
[Michigan joining MSIGA] reaffirms our belief that the US online poker market is poised for future growth.
Michigan will be among the following states where BetRivers launches online poker after Pennsylvania has gone live. BetRivers already has an online casino licensed in the state, and Michigan is part of MSIGA, meaning that it could form part of a cross-border US online poker network at the start.
There’s no doubt RSI is aware of this opportunity. When Michigan joined MSIGA, Galfond, the founder of Run It Once, said in a statement at the time that he welcomed the development.
“Rush Street Interactive and Run It Once are pleased about the recent developments involving Michigan joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), and we believe more jurisdictions will continue to join the MSIGA over time,” Galfond told us at the time. “This reaffirms our belief that the U.S. online poker market is poised for future growth.”
In Michigan, BetRivers would compete against three more established rivals: BetMGM Poker MI, PokerStars MI, and WSOP MI. Currently, only PokerStars takes advantage of MSIGA in Michigan to connect its MI and NJ player pools together. WSOP is expected to follow suit in 2024.
Like Michigan, launching in New Jersey is an easy decision for RSI: It could connect it with Michigan (and Delaware) to form a multi-state US online poker network from Day 1. BetRivers already has a licensed online casino in the state.
New Jersey is also a more crowded market than either Delaware or Michigan for online poker. BetRivers would face PokerStars NJ (connected to Michigan), but would also get competition from WSOP (which connects NJ with Nevada), BetMGM Poker, Borgata Poker, and partypoker. These last three all combine to share a single player pool in New Jersey.
However, the increased competition won’t stop a BetRivers Poker NJ launch. If they want to launch online poker, then they need to go live in as many states as possible to create a large enough player pool to complete.
So we are very confident that BetRivers Poker will be a two- or three-state online poker network from Day 1, and it will include New Jersey.
RSI will probably launch multi-state poker when it brings a platform to market, and Delaware would be one of three states where that could happen first. That’s because Delaware is a member of the MSIGA, and BetRivers has exclusive access to the state.
The Delaware Lottery selected RSI as its exclusive igaming vendor in August 2023. The operator launched an online casino and online sports betting at the end of 2023. Although both the Lottery and RSI say they are planning to launch online poker at some point, they did not provide a timeline for when that could happen.
The main reason Delaware may not be among the first states is that it is so small, its contribution to a US online poker network would be minor. Therefore, in terms of priority, it does not raise to the same level of Michigan or New Jersey.
However, it would keep the lottery happy (it has promised online poker would return), it has a monopoly position, and it has the license. It has had outstanding success with its relaunched online casino in Delaware. Every little helps with online poker liquidity, which is why we think a BetRivers Poker DE is likely.
West Virginia has legal online poker. It is a member of MSIGA. However, unlike every other state mentioned here, there are no online poker sites live in WV yet.
BetRivers could be among the first to go live there. While WV is small, it would help BetRivers establish its multi-state online poker network and would be a differentiator from the competition. The company already operates its online casino in the state, so it would be a natural extension.
Nevada is an entirely different animal — the state is a member of MSIGA and has online poker, but it also only has one operator active in the state: WSOP NV.
That could be changing. BetMGM has teased that it will launch online poker in the state one day. Other operators have been reluctant to move forward because, despite being home to Las Vegas, Nevada is a small market for online gambling.
It could be an attractive option for BetRivers to help grow its online poker network. However, there is no online casino gaming in Nevada, so there is less benefit to the company operating there. That factor has so far discouraged other sites launching in the state.
Ontario isn’t a US state but is the most populous Canadian province with a growing online poker market. BetRivers was one of the first operators to launch in Ontario back in April 2022, and it has operated an online casino and sports betting there.
While Ontario is a segregated market, RSI could be interested in its cross-selling opportunities with online poker running alongside its casino and sportsbook products.
Jason Senti, Head of BetRivers Poker, told Poker Industry PRO in an exclusive interview in March 2022 that RSI was focused on US states but added that a launch in Ontario would also be considered.
Galfond and his team won legions of fans in the global online poker community when RIO was first announced as a project back in 2016. The site’s innovative and unique features generated significant buzz among players when the platform finally went live in 2018. At the time, RIO stood out from the crowd.
Despite its best efforts, RIO failed to gain enough traction with players to remain open. Galfond cited decreased traffic, development problems, and mounting costs as reasons to shut the site down on January 3, 2022. All real money games and sit & gos were suspended.
Two months later, RSI announced that it had acquired RIO for $5.8 million and would integrate the poker platform into its existing gaming vertical.
Rush Street Interactive (RSI) is a Chicago-based gaming and entertainment company. It has online casinos in five US states, conducts online sports betting in 15 states and runs retail sportsbooks in eight states. RSI also has online casino and sports betting operations in Ontario, Colombia, and Mexico.
BetRivers is RSI’s flagship brand in Ontario, and most US states where it operates.
Rush Street Gaming is an affiliate of RSI that owns and operates two brick-and-mortar casinos in Pennsylvania and one each in Illinois, New York, and Virginia.
As poker players, we designed this platform from the ground up to be for the players — all players
Phil Galfond is an American professional poker player and entrepreneur. Galfond is well known for high-stakes cash games, primarily $200/$400 stakes and above. He is considered by many as one of the most successful online poker players of all time, with over $10 million in lifetime earnings.
His biggest achievement came in March 2010 when he won a staggering $1.6 million in online poker in a single day. Galfond also had success in live poker, with nearly $3 million in total live earnings and three WSOP gold bracelets to his name.
In 2012, Galfond founded Run It Once Training, a poker training site. Over the years, this platform has flourished, with a remarkable roster of 125 coaches contributing valuable content as of September 2019. Galfond went on to create Run It Once Poker which ran in the international online poker market for three years.
The site closed in January 2022 to focus on the newly rejuvenated US market. A few months later, Rush Street Interactive (RSI), a leading igaming operator in the US, announced it had bought the company to use the poker platform to integrate into its existing gaming vertical, BetRivers. And today it is now BetRivers Poker.
“As poker players, we designed this platform from the ground up to be for the players — all players. From the amateur playing their very first hand to the sophisticated pro, everyone was kept in mind as we focused on fairness, excitement, and generous rewards that truly benefit the player,” Galfond said via launch press release. “I’ve been heavily involved in the game design, promotions, and policy decisions, and, more importantly, in building an incredible team that sees online poker the way I do.”
RSI acquired of Poker Night in America — a popular TV series that features cash games and Sit & Go action and airs nationally on the CBS Sports Network — in August 2022. At the time, CEO Richard Schwartz lauded Poker Night for its “deep library of poker TV content and media creation capabilities that will help to further build out the BetRivers network.”
Schwartz added that the Poker Night and RIO acquisitions represented “two tuck-ins [that] will position us well for when we eventually launch online poker, and the associated strong cross-sell opportunities that poker will bring to our casino and sportsbook verticals.”
It has been confirmed that BetRivers Poker will appear across Poker Night in America’s platforms, including social media, streaming, and its TV show, with plans to increase its presence over time. “This exposure will help introduce BetRivers Poker to a broader audience of poker enthusiasts, leveraging PNIA’s established reach and influence in the poker community,” RSI said via press release.
Per the RSI 2024 Q3 report: Poker Night in America amassed 54 million minutes watched in Q3 2024 on YouTube, a 228% increase over Q3 2023 and an all time high. It was reported that over 117 million Poker Night minutes have been watched in 2024, which is more than all of 2022 and 2023 combined — meaning this is going to be a key platform for BetRivers to leverage when getting the news out that their poker site has launched!
BetRivers has launched in Pennsylvania! Players can sign up now to play MTTs, cash games, SNGS and Cub3d today!
Yes, you can download the BetRivers Poker App and play online poker in Pennsylvania.
Yes, BetRivers has launched its online poker arm with fully fledged game types such as MTTs, cash games and Sit and Gos.
No, online poker at BetRivers is exclusively for US players. The site operates under BetRivers branding but on the Run It Once Poker platform. Currently it is only available for players in Pennsylvania.
BetRivers Poker went live in Pennsylvania on October 31, 2024. Michigan and New Jersey should be the next states to follow, and potentially Delaware as well.
Initially BetRivers Poker US will not be part of the multi-state agreement that allows the sharing of player pools across state lines. This is because BetRivers Poker first launched in Pennsylvania, which is a ring fenced market. However, Pennsylvania is making steps to join MSIGA so joining player pools may not be that far away.
While the primary focus would be the US market, it has also considered Ontario, Canada’s largest province. Down the road, it could also make a return to the international dot-com market, but that is unlikely to happen any soon.
Yes, it has been confirmed that Galfond will have a similar role to his previous one. The company has stated Galfond will be the brand ambassador of the room and will be involved in all decisions involving the product, game features, and policies.
Yes, the 3-handed lottery-style sit-and-go, more commonly known as “Spins,” will be part of the game offerings under the name “Cub3d.”
Run It Once Poker ceased operations on January 3, 2022. At the time, Phil Galfond, the professional poker player who founded Run It Once Poker, said the platform was being shut down as a necessary step before launching in regulated markets in the US. RSI acquired Run It Once Poker two months later with plans to integrate it into its existing platform.
Yes, RSI operates online casinos in Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia under the BetRivers Casino brand.
BetRivers Poker is live in Pennsylvania! It has the lowest rake out of all the online poker operators in the market and went live in October 2024.
BetRivers is RSI’s flagship brand for online casino gaming and sports betting. BetRivers is live in 17 US states, including five for online casinos. North of the border, you’ll find BetRivers Casino Ontario and BetRivers Sports Ontario.
The BetRivers brand is active in over a dozen US states plus the Canadian province of Ontario. BetRivers also runs online casinos in five states (DE, MI, NJ, PA, and WV). In Ontario, BetRivers offers online casino and sports betting.
Yes. BetRivers Poker is a brand owned by RSI, a legitimate and well-respected gaming company. The appropriate authorities license it in all jurisdictions where it has operations, and like all gaming companies, it is under intense regulatory oversight at all times.