Sweepstakes Poker

What is sweepstakes poker?

Sweepstakes poker refers to any online poker site that follows the sweepstakes model. This means that you won’t be making a deposit and using real cash to cover the blinds, checks, and raises; instead, you’ll be using virtual tokens to play in fun or promotional mode.

As our recent Global Poker review highlighted, sweepstakes poker sites are not only fun but also legal. Four major statewide authorities regulate these sites, providing a safe and secure alternative to traditional poker sites. You won’t need to use real money here, and you can visit from just about every US state, bar Washington.

Naturally, sweepstakes poker sites will have a few clear differences from real-money platforms. For instance, the range of available poker tournaments and games will be smaller in comparison. However, one of the perks is that you may find certain sweepstakes poker sites that offer you the chance to play casino-style games, too. In turn, you’ll have one single destination that covers all of your preferences.

As touched upon, online poker sites and online sweepstakes casinos all use virtual tokens. For the most part, these virtual tokens are free-to-release, allowing you to add Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins to your virtual balance without spending a cent. Of course, in-app purchases are part of the extended experience – something that is completely optional to all.

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Your Gold Coins allow you to play video poker games and enter poker tournaments for fun. They act as a great way to test out new strategies, get familiar with a platform, and simply enjoy the experience. Sweeps Coins, on the other hand, allow you to do all of this and more. Should you find that you receive winnings from playing in promotional mode, a prize redemption can take place. Any playthrough requirements and minimum redemption limits must first be met, though. Again, these will vary based on your chosen place to play.

Sweepstakes Poker: Pros & Cons

Legal in almost all US states
No purchase required to play
Potential to redeem real prizes

Smaller range of tournaments

How to find the best sweepstakes online poker sites in August

If sweepstakes poker sounds like it may be the right option for you, then you’ll want to make sure that you get the most out of your chosen platform. These attributes are just a few key things we look out for when building our comparisons.

Simple registration process

Plain and simple, you’ll want to get started as quickly and efficiently as possible. As you will have noticed in our latest Chumba Casino review, this process can often be completed by providing a few basic details, including your name, email address, and DOB, or by linking one of your social media accounts. Once you’ve verified your identity, you’re then likely to find your welcome bonus has been released.

Sizable welcome offers

As already mentioned, you won’t be expected to make a purchase in order to get your sweepstakes poker experience started. In fact, these kinds of platforms are legally required to provide you with ways to continue playing for free. Obviously, the easiest way for this to be achieved is by offering you promotions.

The first of these is released at the welcome stage. You may need to enter a promo code or spin a prize wheel; however, that is about as taxing as things get. You are also very likely to find a first-time purchase promo available to those of you who don’t mind spending some money.

Selection of online sweepstakes poker machines and games

Of course, when it comes to online entertainment, you want to make sure that you are having fun. So, you can guarantee that our comparisons will cover all you need to know about the latest poker tournaments, games, and machines. We would expect most to provide variations of stud, Omaha, and Texas hold ’em. However, we’ve also recently encountered plenty of interesting video poker and live poker alternatives.

Usability and accessibility

It is all well and good having a selection of games and tournaments to enter; however, if you can’t load them up, what is the use?

This is why we take some time to get familiar with all available platforms. You can expect a breakdown of the desktop usability, changes to your mobile browser experience, and a complete overview of where and how to download any dedicated apps.

Ongoing promotions

Beyond the welcome stage, you’ll also want to make sure that you can pick up your Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins freely. Again, the easiest way for sweepstakes poker sites to do this is by providing you with ongoing promotions.

Depending on your chosen platform, you may find a number of different ways to add to your virtual tokens, including daily login offers, spin wheels, rakeback, rewards programs, and referral schemes.

Prize redemption process

Something that helps sweepstakes separate itself from traditional gaming sites is that you’ll also have the potential of walking away with real-world prizes. As you would expect, these prizes will vary but will all come with set terms attached.

For starters, you can only look to play for prizes while using your Sweeps Coins. Once these SC have been played through a set number of times, you’ll find that any winnings will become eligible. These eligible winnings must also meet a minimum redemption limit before you can get things started. We’ve covered the kind of prizes you can expect in this table.

Sweepstakes Prizes	How to receive:
Gold Coins	Added straight to your GC balance
Gift cards	Sent to the email address associated with your account
Cash prizes	After passing KYC, redeemed cash prizes will be sent to an account in your name
Merchandise	Sent to the residential address associated with your account

Comparing the best sweepstakes poker sites in August

Now you’ve got the full rundown of what we expect from top sweepstakes poker sites, let us highlight why we have chosen Stake.us as our monthly highlight.

Stake.us – The best sweepstakes poker site in August

Stake.us: Pros & Cons

No purchase necessary
Huge new customer offer
Complete poker walkthrough

You won’t find too many sweepstakes casinos with a catalog as extensive as Stake.us. Here, you’ll find that you can create your account within seconds, release your new customer offer, and soon begin working through over 750 casino-style games.

In the gaming lobby, you’ll find a whole section devoted to sweepstakes poker. The in-house Stake Poker game is the perfect place to start your experience, providing you with a full breakdown of the rules and a guide on how to play. You can then invite your friends to play with Gold Coins or Stake Cash before putting your newfound strategies to use on the other video poker game found on-site.

Of course, you can kick things off with a pretty sizable bonus using our exclusive bonus code SPORTSGAMBLER, too. As a new user, you can release 260,000 Gold Coins, $55 in Stake Cash, and 5% rakeback – all without making a purchase.

Top tips to get the most out of your online sweepstakes poker experience

Before we let you take advantage of our Stake.us review – or any others you like the look of within our banners – let us take some time to provide you with some top tips to help get you started.

Get Familiar with Game Types

Poker has many different variations. Now, you can find sweepstakes poker sites that have everything from Omaha pot-limit and no-limit Texas hold ’em to Caribbean Stud and Razz. Before you get started, we’d always suggest brushing up on your knowledge first. Fortunately, we’ve got some fantastic guides on-site that will highlight some new strategies and provide you with complete walkthroughs to help get your sweepstakes poker experience started.

Understand the Small/Big Blind

It seems fairly obvious, but you would be surprised how many people go into games completely blind – get it? Moving on… The small blind is a mandatory move completed by the first player to the dealer’s left. If this is you, you’ll be expected to place down your GC or SC before seeing your cards. The big blind will then be placed by the player to the left of you. Both the small and big blind are used across most poker variations and aim to add value to the pot before the game begins.

Test Out Strategies in Fun Mode

Once you’ve bolstered your own knowledge, it is time to dive into the action. As established, Gold Coins are your play-for-fun virtual token, allowing you to enjoy the full gaming experience with entertainment as the sole focus. These coins tend to come in abundance from free-to-release promos or in-app purchases, so you’ll very rarely find yourself short on GC. With this in mind, we’d be quick to suggest testing out your newfound knowledge using GCs.

Invite Your Friends and Check out Facebook

It may not be the first thing you think of, but social poker sites aim to keep things social. So, you can often pick up virtual tokens by inviting your friends or by simply interacting with social media sites. It’s a simple and effective way to boost your GC and SC without having to enter tournaments or games.

Stick with us, and we’ll help you find a top sweepstakes poker site today

There you have it – just about everything you could need to help find a new sweepstakes poker site. Remember to consider the kind of games and tournaments available, look at the range of ongoing promotions, and make sure that your tables load swiftly.

To get you started, you can check out the banners on this page, too. Here, we’ve highlighted some of our favorite platforms that provide the very best sweepstakes poker offering in August.