Poker

What is Stake Poker?

Stake Poker is Stake Casino’s real-money multiplayer online poker room. Step into this virtual room and play against others across cash games, tournaments, and fast-fold formats. The platform offers a wide range of popular poker variants including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Pineapple, and All-in or Fold. These games use standard poker hand rankings, and every round is played against real players.

Unlike casino-style games where you face the house, Stake Poker is all about player-versus-player action. Join ring games at any time, compete in knockout and mystery bounty tournaments, or jump into the fast-paced Next! format.

Learn what this multiplayer online poker room has to offer and how to play it at Stake Casino.

What are the rules of Stake Poker?

Stake Poker is a real-money multiplayer poker room where you compete against others, instead of against the house. Based on the game format you choose, you’ll receive hole cards to build your poker hand. It’s vital to use betting decisions, hand strength, and different strategies to beat your opponents.

There are different poker variants available, each with its own rules.

• Texas Hold’em - In this version of the game, players receive 2 hole cards. These cards can be combined with the 5 community cards to make the best possible five-card poker hand.

• Omaha (PLO4, PLO5, and PLO6) - During this game, players receive 4, 5, or 6 hole cards. Players must use exactly 2 hole cards and 3 community cards to create a winning hand.

• Pineapple - All players start with 3 hole cards at this poker table. Players must discard 1 card before the turn card is dealt.

• All-in or Fold - Players only have 2 options when playing this poker variant: Go all in or fold. This betting option is available on select No Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha tables.

• Next! (Fast Fold) - Available at selected No Limit Hold'em cash tables and qualifying tournaments, players can Fast-Fold their current hand and instantly join a new hand with different opponents. Players are randomly seated for each hand, and play begins once at least 4 players can be dealt in. The Next! Drops feature randomly selects a hand and adds a cash amount to the pot, with the winner of that hand receiving the additional cash.

The stronger your hand, the better your payout will be. The following hand rankings are used to determine your winnings in all Stake Poker variants:

• Royal Flush: Only royal cards of the same suit - A, K, Q, J, and 10.

• Straight Flush: Must contain 5 consecutive cards of the same suit.

• Four of a Kind: Any 4 cards of the same rank with a “kicker” (or other card). In case of a tie, the kicker decides the winner.

• Full House: Contains 3 cards of the same rank and 2 cards of a different rank.

• Flush: Must contain 5 cards of the same suit, but can be in any order.

• Straight: Must contain 5 consecutive cards, but the suits can be mixed.

• Three of a Kind: Contains 3 cards of the same rank and 2 kickers. The highest kicker card decides the winner in case of a tie.

• Two Pair: Two different pairs plus an additional kicker card. If there’s a tie, the kicker decides who wins the round.

• One Pair: Two cards with the same rank.

• High Card: If none of the hands above are available, the player with the highest card wins.

To learn more about online poker strategies, game formats, and tournaments, read our online poker guide.

What features does Stake Poker have?

Stake Poker has a number of handy features, including different variants, cash games, fast-fold features, and more. Take a look at the most common options.

Cash games and tournaments:

Stake Poker supports traditional ring games, sit & go tournaments, mystery bounty events, and knockout tournaments. There are also satellites and multi-flight formats available. You can also register for multiple tournaments at the same time.

Rabbit Hunting:

This feature allows players to see which community cards would have been dealt. It’s only available after a hand ends before all of the community cards are on the table. These cards don’t affect the outcome in any way, but this feature is perfect for curious players.

Run it multiple times:

When exactly two players are all in, they can agree to have the remaining community cards dealt across up to 4 separate boards. The pot is then divided according to the outcome of each board. For example, winning 2 of the 4 boards would award half of the pot, while winning 3 of the 4 boards would award three-quarters of the pot. This feature is not available when 3 or more players are all in.

Bad Beat Jackpot:

Available on Ring Game tables, this feature rewards players who win or lose with a qualifying strong hand. Players who participate in a hand where the jackpot is awarded can also qualify. The total jackpot can be spotted on the Stake Poker page before choosing a table.

Straddle & Re-straddle:

Available on Hold’em and Omaha tables only. This is a voluntary blind raise placed before the hole cards are dealt. The amount is double the big blind and is added by the player to the left of the big blind. This feature requires 4 players at the table to be triggered.

The re-straddle is only available if the Under the Gun player has already straddled. This doubles the straddle amount and acts as another blind.

Show Card in Player Turn:

The hole cards are shown to the player when it’s their turn to act preflop. This is instead of the cards being visible immediately.

All-in or Fold Jackpot:

With this feature, the player wins at showdown with a Straight Flush or a Royal Flush. This is done by using 2 hole cards and 3 community cards. The current jackpot can be found in the Stake Poker lobby.

Remove Chips:

This feature allows players to remove a certain chip amount from their stack on the table. It is then added back to their balance. There’s also an auto-remove option that lets players set an amount to remove. Remaining chips then equal the minimum buy-in. This feature is only available on All-in or Fold tables.

VIP rewards:

To climb the Stake VIP levels, Stake Poker rake contributes to your total points. Eligible players can earn rakeback rewards while playing and other perks via our VIP Club.

How do you play Stake Poker?

Playing Stake Poker only takes a few steps to get started:

1. Choose a poker table, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Pineapple, or All-in or Fold.

2. You can choose to join a cash game or register for a tournament.

3. Buy in or add your wager as required to receive your hold cards.

4. Use the community cards to build the strongest possible poker hand.

5. Win chips by beating your opponents or by forcing them to fold.

If you’re new to playing online poker, explore our guides about poker tournaments or the 3-bet strategy. You can also visit our blog to learn how to play Next! Fast-Fold Poker or get a better understanding of how Mystery Bounty Poker works.

What strategies can you use for Stake Poker?

Here are basic gameplay strategies you can use to help you make more consistent decisions. Keep these tips in mind, no matter what you’re dealt when playing Stake Poker.

1. Learn one game format first - Each format has different rules. For beginners, Texas Hold’em is generally the easiest starting point.

2. Wait for more information - To have the most important information possible, wait until later in the round before adjusting your strategy accordingly.

3. Manage your bankroll - The variance in tournaments and cash games can be very different. It’s important to understand the difference when choosing a game so that you aren’t constantly losing buy-ins. Choose wisely and manage your budget.

4. Use the Next! format - If you want to play more quickly and turn over more hands, fast-fold tables are a good strategy.

5. Explore tournament structures - Tournaments like Mystery Bounties, Satellities, and Multi-Flight events all require different ways to play. You need to know which one suits your preference before jumping into the action.

How is Stake Poker different from other poker games?

Stake Poker is a real-money multiplayer poker room where you compete against other players. This is instead of playing against the house. Unlike single-player video poker games, this game requires reading opponents, trying different betting strategies, and building the strongest possible poker hand.

There are many different Stake Poke variants available, and each has its own rules and gameplay style. When playing Stake Poker, you’ll also find plenty of different features. These features all provide faster and more flexible gameplay depending on your preferences. This includes Fast-Fold tables, tournaments, multi-tabling, and much more.

To explore even more games in other formats, take a look at our complete poker collection.

How to fund your account to start playing Stake Poker

Here at Stake, you can instantly fund your account with cryptocurrencies or your local currency of choice.

Deposit using popular cryptos such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and many others, with a minimum deposit value based on your coin.

If you prefer depositing local currencies, you can do so using any of our supported options, including Canadian Dollar, Vietnamese Dong, and Indian Rupee. Based on your currency and payment method, minimum deposit requirements will apply.

Stake Poker supports auto betting and offers fast game rounds, so be sure to set your budget, change loss limits, and activate session reminders. We have plenty of Stake Smart tools, including self-exclusion options for players who need a longer break, to help you play responsibly.