It’s a new type of poker that’s gotten extremely popular over the past few years. Before 2020, you’d probably never even heard of it. Now, though, it’s sort of become a big deal in the online poker community.
So, if you’re interested in playing sweeps poker for the first time — or are already an existing player and simply want to learn more about it — this guide has got you covered. The good news is that it’s pretty much identical to regular online poker, but there are a few differences you need to know about that make it “sweeps” poker. Ready? Grab your deck and let’s play.
What is Sweeps Poker?
Sweepstakes poker is a type of online poker where you play with virtual coins. Yes, virtual. These are called ‘Gold Coins’ and ‘Sweeps Coins’ — you’re not allowed to bet any real money at all. There are now several sweepstakes poker brands on the market, and many of the trusted operators can be seen on the SweepsKings review website.
Outside of that, the rules, gameplay, and strategy are exactly the same as normal poker. For example, if you’re playing sweepstakes Texas Hold’em, absolutely nothing is different except you’re playing with virtual coins instead of real money. It’s that simple.
The reason why this type of poker has become so big is because traditional real-money poker is not fully legal in the US. Naturally, people in different states still want to play, so sweeps poker provides them with this opportunity. Of course, the trade-off is that they can’t bet real money anymore — but there are still plenty of chances to win prizes, which we’ll discuss a little more next.
“Social Poker” Is the New Wave
You’ll often see sweeps poker referred to as “social poker”. This comes from the fact that it’s free-to-play. Yes, you read that right. Sweeps poker is completely free and doesn’t require any type of real-money buy-in, creating a more fun and social environment for all types of players (this is why we’ve seen a huge number of Gen Z’ers and Millennials start to play sweeps poker over the past few years).
At the same time, sweeps poker is big on player-to-player interaction. In most cases, there are live chat features and player forums for players to talk with each other and effectively become friends, which you don’t typically associate with regular online poker. Essentially, it’s become a giant community.
Players also have the opportunity to enjoy regular tournaments and giveaways when it comes to sweepstakes poker. The tournaments are usually free — although you sometimes have to buy-in using Gold Coins or Sweeps Coins — and giveaways happen all the time, too. For instance, it’s normal for social casinos to give out “daily login coins” just for signing into your account every day, so you can then use these coins inside sweeps poker lobbies.
To cap it all off, anyone who collects enough Sweeps Coins — whether it’s by competing in one-on-one matches or winning tournaments — can then redeem these coins for prizes. We’re talking cash transfers, gift cards, and sometimes even cryptocurrencies. There’s a lot on the table, literally. These different factors have turned social poker into the new wave. Simply put, players are hooked. And you can’t blame them, either, as this new type of poker is exactly what the new generation of players have been asking for.
Where to Play Sweeps Poker: A Look at Sweepstakes Casinos
Let’s now talk about where to play sweeps poker. There are three options on the table:
- ✓ Global Poker
- ✓ ClubGG
- ✓ Sweepstakes casinos
The ones you use are entirely up to you. But so that you can understand the choices a little more clearly, we’ll break them down for you one-by-one so that you’re not confused about anything. And don’t worry — all of these options are still free-to-play.
Global Poker
The internet is home to a small number of fully dedicated sweepstakes poker sites. By far, the best one is Global Poker. It offers sweepstakes versions of all the crowd-favourite poker games, including Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and even Caribbean Poker. But what makes Global Poker the must-use site — aside from the fact it has the most players — is because it offers a huge range of weekly and monthly tournaments. One of the most popular is Sunday Scrimmage, which is the site’s premier weekly No Limit Hold’em tournament where the guaranteed prize pool is 50,000 Sweeps Coins, which works out at around $50,000. It’s definitely the place to be.
ClubGG
You also have ClubGG. This platform isn’t a website, though — it’s a “new generation” sweepstakes poker app where players can create their own private sweepstakes poker clubs or join existing ones. You then get to interact with different communities of players, compete in tournaments, and hopefully win prizes along the way. The only slight downside to ClubGG is that you’ll need to pay a monthly subscription fee to access its weekly Sweeps Coins tournaments — but the fee is more than worth it if you’re someone who can win regularly or simply enjoys competing against the best of the best. Just make sure you have a compatible mobile device (iOS, Android) or you won’t be able to access the ClubGG app.
Sweepstakes Casinos
The final option is to join a sweepstakes casino. There are plenty of them around, including Stake.us, Chumba Casino, and WOW Vegas. After joining one of these casinos, all you have to do is navigate to the table games section and choose the type of sweeps poker you want to play. For example, Stake.us offers its own exclusive “Stake Poker” game, a No-Limit Texas Hold’em variant. Just remember that whichever poker game you choose in a sweepstakes casino, you’ll be given the option to play with either Gold Coins (which are just for fun) or Sweeps Coins (providing you an opportunity to compete for redeemable prizes).
Why Sweepstakes Poker is 100% Legal — No Catch
As mentioned a little earlier, sweepstakes poker is 100% legal almost everywhere in the US. Specifically, 48 out of 50 US states, whereas traditional online poker is only legal in a handful of states like Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware. It’s because of this why so many new players have gravitated towards sweepstakes poker instead.
So, why is sweeps poker legal to begin with? It’s simple: sweepstakes games operate under federal and state sweepstakes laws, allowing people to effectively play for free and still compete for prizes. There’s zero real money involved, which is why they can’t be classed as legitimate gambling sites, even though it feels like they are.
Of course, things could change in the future if individual states start to decide that sweeps poker is indeed gambling. However, at least for now, sweeps poker will remain legal across most of the US, allowing popular sweeps poker sites like Global Poker to keep attracting countless new players.
Summary
Sweeps poker has completely taken over. With Global Poker and ClubGG booming with players — while sweepstakes casinos like Stake.us and WOW Vegas also continue to attract new audiences — it’s easy to see why some people believe sweepstakes poker is the future.
The rules are the same. The gameplay and strategies are the same. You just don’t play with real money anymore — and there are still opportunities to win prizes by competing in tournaments like Global Poker’s “Golden Scrimmage” and “Sunday Eleven”.
We highly recommend giving it a try if you’re a non-gambling poker fan. It has everything you need and more, especially if you enjoy interacting and making friends with other players, too. All you have to do is select the type of sweeps poker you want to play — whether it’s Texas Hold’em or Omaha — and you’re good to go.