Stake.us is a sweepstakes poker site that accepts players from most US states and allows them to compete for real-money prizes without breaking any gaming laws.
Super-soft games
5% instant rakeback
Quality web-based software
Great casino offer Unlike many offshore operators that cater to US customers, this is a completely legal way to play poker. Like other similar social poker platforms, it operates on a model that awards users with free tokens (Stake Cash) that can be exchanged for real money prizes.
Stake.us pros:
- Super-soft games
- SC 55 free welcome bonus
- 5% lifetime rakeback for all players
- Quality web-based software
- Low prize redemption threshold
- Great platform for casino games
Stake.us cons:
- Only cryptocurrency accepted
- Fairly high rake
- No Spins (jackpot sit and goes)
Stake.us Poker Highlights
| Welcome bonus | Up to SC 55 completely free |
| Redeemable tokens | Stake Cash (SC) |
| Play-only tokens | Gold Coins (GC) |
| Game variations | Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha |
| Special features | Bomb pots, rabbit hunting, straddles |
| Not available in | MI, WA, ID, NY, NV, VT, and KT |
Stake.us Poker Promotions
Stake.us Poker offers a nice variety of bonuses and promotions across the board. From a generous welcome package over regular rakeback for everyone to various occasional promos, there is a lot of value to be found here.
While social poker sites generally don’t rise to the same level as traditional operators when it comes to promotions, Stake.us certainly comes close.
Welcome Bonus: Get up to 55 SC for Free
You can start playing at Stake.us Poker and win real-money prizes without spending any money.
For all newcomers, the operator has prepared a nice welcome package that consists of 25 Stake Cash (SC) and 260,000 Gold Coins (GC). Gold Coins can’t be exchanged for prizes, but you can use them to practice and get familiar with the software in GC ring games and tournaments.
To claim your free 25 SC, you simply need to verify your account within three days of registering.
After this, you can pick up to 30 SC over the course of the next 30 days. Simply log in to your Stake.us account once every day, and you’ll receive 1 SC. This isn’t a huge amount, but it requires minimum effort on your part to claim, so it’s hard to say anything bad about it.
Promotions
Like every other operator, Stake.us changes its promotions quite regularly, so the best way to stay up to date is to check the site for the latest.
Generally speaking, you’ll usually find one or two poker-specific promos, such as the Weekly Promotion, which gives away 25,000 SC every week through a random draw.
To qualify for the draw, however, you’ll need to rake at least 1,000 SC during the qualifying period, which will require you to play a fair bit of poker.
Stake.us Poker Rakeback: Get 5% Back
All Stake.us Poker players automatically qualify for a 5% lifetime rakeback. You don’t need to achieve any special status or meet any requirements – it’s 5% back for everyone.
Unlike some operators, that award the rakeback daily or weekly, Stake.us takes a different approach, where the rakeback trickles in constantly as you play. So, there is extra money coming back all the time.
The rakeback percentage is certainly not stellar, and it’s a shame that there is no way to increase it through a loyalty scheme, but it’s better than no rakeback at all.
Stake.us Poker Games Variety and Level of Competition
As is the case with most sweepstakes poker sites, the level of competition isn’t very high at Stake.us, and the quality of play is, in general, much lower than what you’ll find at state-licensed US poker sites.
One slight drawback of this operator is that it only accepts cryptocurrency payments, which is a stumbling block for a fair percentage of recreational players who’d otherwise try the site. Still, games on Stake.us are very soft.
When it comes to the variety of games, Stake.us features Texas Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha in tournament, ring game, and sit and go formats. Right now, the operator doesn’t have jackpot sit and goes (Spin and Go), which may be a slight disappointment for the fans of this format, but it’s likely the operator will add something along these lines at some point.
Tournaments
Stake.us offers a much smaller selection of tournaments compared to other sites, but you can still try classic events, bounty tournaments, and shootouts available on the regular schedule.
You won’t find any huge guarantees on the site at this moment in time. The biggest regular MTT on offer is the Sunday SC 55 with a modest guarantee of SC 750.
Speaking of the daily MTT schedule, you’ll find a range of events with entries from SC 0.11 up to SC 11, and there are also quite a few freerolls on offer every day, giving you a chance to boost your Stake Cash balance for free.
Of course, Stake.us is a relatively new platform, so it’s safe to assume its MTT schedule will grow and expand, and its guarantees will improve with time. Building a solid player base takes a little while, and this is all part of the natural development path for a poker site, sweepstakes, or other platform.
Ring Games
Naturally, Stake.us Poker also offers ring games of No Limit Hold’em and PLO varieties, with stakes starting at just SC 0.01/0.02 and going up to SC 2.5/5.
As expected, the player traffic is best during US evening hours and especially on weekends. Higher-stakes games don’t run as frequently, but you should be able to find a couple of tables up to NL 100 running at all times.
As we’ve underlined earlier, the quality of play in these games is quite a bit lower than what you’ll find on state-licensed sites, so even if the traffic gets a bit slower at times, the game softness more than makes up for it.
Sit & Goes
As mentioned a bit earlier in this Stake.us Poker review, the site’s offering in the sit and go department is pretty basic.
You’ll find your regular sit and go games in 6-max and 9-max formats and buy-ins between SC 2 and SC 11. However, there are no jackpot sit and goes (spins), which have become the go-to choice for the fans of the format.
While sit-and-go games do run on Stake.us, you shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for the games to fill up. A tournament can take a while to start, especially during non-peak hours.
Is Stake.US Poker Legal and Safe to Play?
Stake Poker in the US operates on a sweepstakes model that utilizes free tokens (Stake Cash) that are awarded as gifts to players, and that can be used to play with and redeem real money prizes.
This model is largely legal in the US at this time, which means that you’ll be completely fine playing at Stake.us from a legal standpoint.
That said, there are six US states that banned Stake and other social poker sites, and if you reside in one of these, you won’t be able to play. States not allowing Stake Poker are:
- Michigan
- New York
- Nevada
- Kentucky
- Idaho
- Washington
- Vermont
As far as everybody else, the general consensus about Stake.us on Reddit and poker forums is quite positive, with very few complaints about withdrawals or game fairness. The site has a 4.5/5 rating on Trustpilot with almost 7,000 reviews, which also tells a lot about the operator’s trustworthiness.
One major issue with the players was the site’s decision to increase the rake across the board in 2024. The hike was quite significant, causing some concerns for regular players, even with extremely soft games.
Talking about safety, it’s worth mentioning that Stake.us has been working hard to prevent players from accessing the site via VPNs, making it much harder for cheaters or scammers to get in.
Licensing and Regulations
Although Stake.us Poker is not licensed or regulated in the US, unlike offshore sites that cater to Americans, the operator does not violate any gaming regulations.
The site is lined up with the laws regulating sweepstakes and utilizes this model to award free game tokens (Stake Cash) to its users. These tokens can’t be purchased directly – they can only be given out as gifts for different actions, including buying Gold Coins.
With this setup, like other social poker sites, Stake.us manages to stay within the limits of the law and is able to legally offer its services in most US states without needing a license.
Software Quality and Options
Stake.us offers a web-based software solution, so you can play straight from your browser without needing to download or install anything locally.
Traditionally, web-based poker platforms have been subpar compared to their standalone counterparts, but Stake.us has overcome these limitations and created a modern, visually appealing, and highly functional product.
The software is actually quite rich in features and has some functionalities that many operators that have been around for years still lack or are just getting around to, such as:
- Straddles – available across its ring game tables
- Rabbit Hunting – available for ring games and tournaments
- Run It Twice – available for cash games
- Bomb Pots – special tables where the bomb pot is activated after a certain number of hands
Beyond these special features, the Stake.us Poker software offers the full scope of your standard settings, such as several different deck styles and auto-rebuys for ring games.
There are even features for fine-tuning your experience on the site, such as customizing the betting buttons for different sizes and displaying stack sizes in big blinds.
Stake.us Poker Mobile Play
There is no standalone Stake.us Poker mobile app that you can install on your phone. Instead, just like on desktop devices, mobile play happens through the internet browser.
While this isn’t the perfect solution, the mobile version of the site does a pretty good job overall, and it is easily accessible across different devices.
The mobile site offers all the software’s functionalities and the full range of ring games and tournaments, so the overall experience with Stake.us Poker on mobile is quite satisfactory.
Payment options on Stake.us Poker
As mentioned several times in this Stake.us Poker review, this is a sweepstakes site, which means it doesn’t have traditional deposits and withdrawals.
However, one of the easiest ways to obtain Stake Cash (SC) is through Gold Coin (GC) purchases.
Stake Cash obtained in this (and other ways) can be used to play in ring games and tournaments, and used to redeem cash prizes. So, it is still important to know what banking methods are available to buy Gold Coins.
Stake.us Poker is different from most other sweepstakes sites in that it doesn’t support traditional payment methods like credit and debit cards or bank transfers. The only way to complete purchases and redeem prizes is to use cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and up to 20 other coins..
Buying GC to Obtain Free SC
You can get free Stake Cash by purchasing Gold Coins on Stake.us Poker. Once again, SC can never be bought directly, but every time you buy a Gold Coin bundle, you’ll receive a free SC gift.
In most instances, the amount of SC you’ll get will be equal to the amount spent on the purchase. So, for example, if you buy a Gold Coin bundle worth $100, the operator will reward you with 100 Stake Cash free, in addition to the Gold Coins you are paying for.
The Stake Cash awarded in this way is added to your balance immediately, and you can start playing with it without any delays.
Redeeming Prizes
Just like you can’t make direct deposits into Stake.us Poker, you also can’t withdraw your winnings in a traditional way.
Instead, you’ll need to exchange your Stake Cash for real money prizes following these steps:
- Log into your Stake.us Poker account
- Go to your Wallet
- Select the “Redeem” option
- Enter the amount you want to exchange
- Input your crypto wallet address
The exchange rate for Stake Cash is $1 for SC 1, and the minimum amount you can redeem is SC 46. This is quite player-friendly and lower than most other sweepstakes poker sites.
How to Register to Stake.us Poker
- Visit the Stake.us Poker site using this link
- Click on the “Register” button
- Fill in the basic details: email, username, desired password, and DOB
- Verify your email via the link sent to your inbox
- Log in to start playing
Stake.us Poker requires players to verify their accounts before they can redeem prizes, and the verification is also required to pick up your SC 55 welcome bonus. So, once you register, you should immediately move on to verify your account by sending the required documents to get the bonus and also get that task out of the way so you can play in peace.