Our Black Chip Poker review demonstrates why it is a popular Bitcoin-friendly poker site on the Winning Poker Network – a Network that offers innovative promotions, one of the most lucrative player rewards programs in the world, and the most valuable online poker tournament schedule for players located in the USA.

Black Chip Poker promises to “provide our clients with the best user experience in the industry”. In many ways the site has delivered on its promise since it was first launched in 2008. In January 2014, the site further extended its “best user experience” promise by allowing players to fund their online poker accounts with Bitcoin. The site now accepts more than sixty different crypto currencies including Bitcoin, Monero, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, Zcash and Dash. I’m just naming a few of the more known crypto currencies.

Promotions Headlined by 100% Bonus

Black Chip Poker´s headline promotion is a 100% match bonus on first deposits up to $1,000. The bonus is straightforward to clear and, while you are collecting the Award Points required to clear the bonus, you are also collecting Player Points towards your VIP status, and “Beast” or “Sit & Crush” points towards the site´s two non-contributory weekly leaderboard competitions.

As the first deposit bonus is the promotion that attracts most players to the site, we have compiled a special page providing more information about the bonus, how to clear it, and the combined benefits of the Black Chip Poker bonus and Elite Benefits player rewards program. You are invited to visit our page about the Black Chip Poker Bonus Code for further details.

The two non-contributory leaderboard competitions are permanent promotions at Black Chip Poker and both ensure around the clock action at the site. Currently, the two promotions pay out in excess of $60,000 in cash prizes each week plus hundreds of entries to special Beast and Sit & Crush tournaments (often abbreviated to “SNC”) that awards packages to the site´s Live Cage Weekends in Costa Rica.

Other promotions include the site´s “Spin to GET IN” slot game that gives you the chance to win tournament entries for cents, special PLO series – if you have a preference for the four-card game – and Freebuy satellites for the site´s most valuable online poker tournaments – including the “Million Dollar Sunday” events in which you can win a share of the $1,000,001 guaranteed prize pool.

Games Offered at Black Chip Poker

Black Chip Poker offers a great choice of online poker games for players of all bankroll levels. These include cash games, three-handed, hyper-turbo Jackpot Poker games, regular Sit & Go games, “Sit & Go 2.0” games (in which the prize money and number of players paid is determined by a draw at the start of each game), and the most valuable tournament schedule for players located in the USA.

The site provides comprehensive instructions on how to navigate the games´ lobbies – and the tabs within the games´ lobbies – in order to quickly find a suitable game or tournament quickly. There are also explanations about how rake is deducted from cash games, how points are awarded towards your VIP status, and how the extensive features of the software work.

The Volume of Traffic at the Site

Due to being a popular destination from players from all over the world, the volume of traffic at the site is not only high, it is constant. This means that wherever you are and whatever time of day it is, you will always find a game at Black Chip Poker. Naturally Sunday evenings are the busiest times, but the site does not experience the peaks and troughs in traffic as other USA-facing poker sites.

The standard of competition is also constant. No longer the “soft” site it was once considered, players at Black Chip Poker are allowed to take advantage of third-party software in order to enhance their game. If you are a new player, third-party software can help better understand certain betting actions, but always be careful only to use software supplied by a reputable vendor.

The Software and its Features

In our experience, it is better to download the poker software onto a Windows device or a Mac device using a Windows emulator. Despite what is written in some reviews, there is no fully-functioning Black Chip Poker download for Mac nor mobile product. These are apparently in the pipeline; but, as the site dedicates much of its spare cash to player promotions, don´t hold your breath. The Black Chip Poker download for Windows is feature-rich and exceedingly customizable. With the click of a mouse you can:

• Change the expression of your avatar to indicate your joy at winning a big hand – or disappointment of suffering a bad beat.
• Invite friends to follow your progress via a Flash player that pops up on their computer screens. No need for them to download the software first.
• Select which seat you would like to sit at when you join a cash game or start a tournament – making multi-tabling more manageable.
• Play a “Double or Nothing” game as you leave a cash table to either double up your winnings or recover some of your losses.
• Buy into cash games with a predetermined number of Big Blinds/Big Bets and automatically top up if you fall below the predetermined amount.
• Straddle a cash game hand in order to be the last to act in the pre-flop betting when you are in the “under the gun” position.

Quick and Easy Bitcoin Transactions

Bitcoin Deposits

Using Bitcoin to fund an account is quick and easy. Once in the Cashier´s page, players should select “Deposit” and, when a new Window appears, click where it says “Bitcoin accepted here”. Players will be asked to insert a dollar value for their deposit (a handy live BTC conversion appears on screen). The Bitcoin deposit address where you will need to send your payment to will be provided on the next page.

Bitcoin Deposit Limits

• Minimum Deposit: $10.00
• Maximum Deposit: $25,000.00

Bitcoin Withdrawals

To withdraw Bitcoin from Black Chip Poker, you simply provide a new Bitcoin address for every payout you request. There are no fees for depositing or withdrawing at Black Chip Poker with Bitcoin, transactions are processed almost immediately, and transactions using Bitcoin have much lower minimum limits and much higher maximum limits than transactions using fiat currency.

Bitcoin Withdrawal Limits

• Minimum Withdrawal: $50.00
• Maximum Withdrawal: $10,000.00

Overall Impression of Black Chip Poker

We have played at Black Chip Poker for many years and found it a fantastic place to develop our skills, enjoy a great choice of online poker games and benefit from an amazing selection of promotions. However, do we feel the site delivers on its promise to “provide our clients with the best user experience in the industry”? On balance, probably.

Although not having the best software in the world, there are few online poker sites that can offer such an impressive number of opportunities, such a wide range of deposit options, or such a rewarding VIP program. Furthermore, Black Chip Poker provides around-the-clock client support, meaning that if you ever encounter any problems, there is always somebody available to help. Thoroughly recommended.