Why Play Poker Anonymously?

Online poker offers a great alternative to poker rooms and casino poker tables, especially for those who don’t have easy access to these venues. While a lot of online poker rooms require players to register personal details to play, there is an ever-increasing number of anonymous poker rooms.

These rooms generally use cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal methods, although some fiat poker rooms offer the same feature. They offer greater privacy and a level playing field, and they are preferred by some players.

Anonymous Poker

While a lot of traditional casinos require the submission of personal and financial details to play at their tables, there is an increasing number of sites that enable you to play poker anonymously. According to casino expert Djordje Todorovic, many of these sites offer anonymous registration, too, which means you don’t need to submit personal or financial details when you sign up with the site.

At the very least, your player stats are not displayed on the site, and you aren’t assigned or can’t choose a player name or avatar. The same goes for all players at the table, which means every player is in the same boat.

Why Play Anonymously?

With so many poker sites and online casinos to choose from, why should players choose an anonymous site?

It Offers Privacy

In the US alone, there are 50,000 cases of identity theft reported every year. If a thief does manage to get hold of your details from a poker site, they will have your name and address as well as your bank account or credit card details: worse, even, than having your poker account cleared out. Using these details, thieves can set up accounts in your name and they can potentially use your details to access your bank accounts or get copies of credit cards sent to their address.

Anonymous poker sites enable you to register without submitting these details, and because they typically require the use of digital wallets or cryptocurrencies, they can’t get hold of your banking information, either. Cryptocurrency payments are sent by you directly to the site, and payments do not include any personal information, which makes it impossible for data thieves to get hold of your information from these transactions.

Don’t Get A Reputation

Some poker sites offer extensive details and statistics on players at the table. While it is beneficial to know your own win/loss stats, as well as information such as how often you fold the flop, you don’t necessarily want others to know this information. It can help them to formulate a strategy to beat you. Even knowing the size of the pool you typically play for can give away some information.

By playing anonymously, other players will not be privy to this kind of information. Bear in mind, however, that all players at the table enjoy the same anonymity, so you won’t know anything about the other players, either.

Avoid Stereotypes

Unfortunately, there are a lot of stereotypes at the poker table. Players consider factors like age, gender, nationality, and experience, and they treat players accordingly. This can lead to negative experiences during poker games.

Anonymous poker means that nobody around the table knows your gender or other demographics. They can only judge you based on how you play and how well you perform. Similarly, you won’t be able to make assumptions based on these factors, which may help sharpen your game and help improve your game stats while playing.

Anonymous Access

Online gambling is heavily restricted in some parts of the world. Because anonymous poker sites do not need Know Your Customer (KYC) details, they are used by people in these jurisdictions.

Payments are also virtually anonymous, which means players can retain their anonymity even when sending payments and receiving withdrawals from the poker site.

Extensive Features

Anonymous poker sites offer most of the same features as other poker sites. They provide access to a range of games, enable cash table and tournament play, and many of them provide access to other popular casino games.

Like other poker sites, anonymous poker rooms also provide bonuses and offers. New players can enjoy deposit match bonuses and some rooms even offer no-deposit bonuses. To retain players, you might find poker rooms that also offer reloading and ongoing bonuses to loyal players.

Provably Fair Games

Crypto poker rooms use blockchain for their transactions, and every transaction is recorded on the blockchain. This means that it is possible for you, and third-party verification services, to check the validity of the games and prize money paid out. This enhances trust between players and casinos and it means that tournament winnings can even be verified.

Everybody likes to know they are being treated fairly and that the services they use are delivering on their promises, and blockchain can help achieve this level of accountability.