Black Chip Poker

I’ve been hearing about Black Chip Poker for a long time, as many fellow poker players have suggested that I check it out. That’s why I finally decided to do so, and, while on the website, I thought to myself — why not also review it?

Therefore, I decided to join the site, make a real-money deposit, claim the welcome bonus, and use the app for a while. I checked available cash games and tournaments, analyzed the site’s traffic and other important metrics, and even did in-depth research of Black Chip Poker’s history. I’ve found a couple of aces up its sleeve that made me love the platform, but some disadvantages made me think twice about Black Chip Poker.

Black Chip Poker Summary

As soon as I set my virtual foot on Black Chip Poker’s site, I had a deja vu of a sort, as if I had already visited the platform a long time ago. As it turns out, I did, in a way, simply because Black Chip Poker is part of the same network as Americas Cardroom — Winning Poker Network. In fact, Black Chip Poker is a skin site to Americas Cardroom, meaning the entire site is almost identical, except for the differences in visual identity. Since AC is one of the leading US-facing online poker sites, I set my expectations high for BCP.

Black Chip Poker has been part of Winning Poker Network since 2012, and it has had decent traffic, mainly because the traffic from AC and its other skins is usually bundled together. Cash games and tournaments are essential for Black Chip Poker, as you’ll find plenty of options revolving around Texas Hold’em. However, Omaha and 7-Card Stud fans are in for a treat as well.

Like AC, Black Chip Poker doesn’t exist in the form of a web-based platform. Instead, you’ll have to download the poker app and install it on your computer to start enjoying its offer for real money. 

I prefer playing poker that way and tend to avoid web-based apps whenever possible. Still, I admit that it’s a slightly outdated approach to online gambling, as most platforms are now available in your browser. The majority of web-based sites are also available on Mac and mobile devices, even if they don’t have a stand-alone mobile or Mac app.

Unfortunately, it turns out Black Chip Poker doesn’t have a mobile app, nor is it available for Mac. Therefore, it’s impossible to play poker on the move with BCP. In other words, you’ll have to select an alternative if you want to play poker on the go. Honestly, this is one of the biggest disadvantages of Black Chip Poker, and I sincerely hope they’ll change their business model and make it mobile-friendly. After all, the number of people using their phones and tablets to play poker has significantly increased over the last couple of years.

Other than the lack of mobile options, I haven’t really noticed any huge disadvantages of playing at Black Chip Poker. The platform accepts a range of payment methods, including cryptocurrencies, which I used to kickstart my playing experience. Moreover, there’s a lucrative bonus offer for new players, in addition to various other promotions and special tournaments with high guaranteed prizes.

Is Black Chip Poker Legit?

Yes, Black Chip Poker is a legitimate and trustworthy online poker platform. That said, I had trouble actually finding any information regarding its licenses. Even though I am almost certain it has some kind of offshore license, I couldn’t find any information on the official site, so I must assume that it doesn’t have one. Still, being a skin to Americas Cardroom and part of the Winning Poker Network family means the site’s fair and legitimate.

Black Chip Poker Bonuses and Promotions

All Winning Poker Network sites have lucrative bonuses, and Black Chip Poker is no exception. Let’s check out the available offers for new and regular customers.

Black Chip Poker Welcome Bonus

BCP offers a pretty straightforward welcome bonus. All you have to do is open an account, make a deposit, and claim a 100% match bonus up to $2,000. In other words, any amount you deposit will be doubled in bonus money, but no more than the indicated upper limit. There’s also the minimum deposit limit that you have to meet to trigger the bonus, and it’s set to $25.

Please bear in mind that the bonus has a lifetime of 60 days, which means you have to meet the wagering requirements and release your funds during that period, but I’ll get to that later.

Black Chip Poker No Deposit Bonus

The platform doesn’t feature a no deposit bonus for new players. Even though it’s always nice to have a little something to start with, no deposit bonuses are not as common in the online poker community as in online casinos. Moreover, BCP already has a pretty lucrative deposit welcome bonus, so there’s really no need to offer a no deposit bonus as well.

Loyalty Program

Black Chip Poker features the popular Elite Benefits program, which starts as soon as you join the platform and start playing online poker for real money. By playing cash games and tournaments, you’ll earn Benefit Points (BPs) at the rate of 5.5 BPs for every $1 spent on tournament fees or $1 spent on the rake in cash games.

There are six different levels:

• Player
• Rounder
• Grinder
• Veteran
• Legend
• Icon

Each new level brings better benefits, higher cash rewards, and overall improved experience on Black Chip Poker.

Other Promotions

BCP’s Promotions page features plenty of options for regular players, including freerolls, jackpots, guaranteed prizes in tournaments, enhanced cash games, and more. Make sure to keep an eye on the Promo page, as these offers are usually time-sensitive and expire after a while.

Black Chip Poker Wagering Requirements

Once you receive the welcome offer, your bonus funds will be locked in your bonus balance. They will be unlocked in increments of $1; mind you, though — you need to collect 27.5 Award Points for each dollar you unlock. Award Points are earned when you play cash games and tournaments on the site. 

Black Chip Poker Payment Methods for Deposits and Withdrawals

Black Chip Poker offers the same deposit and withdrawal methods as Americas Cardroom, so let’s check them out and help you select the best one for you.

Deposit Options, Fees, and Limits

BCP features a range of deposit options. As a US player, you can use most of them to transfer your funds onto your BCP account in an instant.

Method	Minimum Deposit	Maximum Deposit	Speed
Cryptocurrency	$10	$25,000	Instant
Person 2 Person	$50	$500	Up to eight hours
E-wallet	$10	$25,000	Instant
Credit and debit cards	$10	Varies	Instant

Withdrawal Options, Fees, and Limits

In most cases, Black Chip Poker will process your withdrawal requests within 48 hours. I even managed to cash out my funds in less than 12 hours, which is great for an offshore poker platform. The only downside is that there’s a timeframe during which you’re allowed to request withdrawals. I really have no idea why they’ve made it that way, but I have to be honest — it’s mildly frustrating.

Method	Minimum Withdrawal	Maximum Withdrawal	Speed	Fees
Cryptocurrency	$10	$25,000	Up to 24 hours	No fees
Person 2 Person	$50	$500	3–5 business days	No fees
E-wallets	$10	$25,000	Up to 72 hours	No fees
Credit and debit cards	$10	Varies	Up to 72 hours	10% fee for Visa
Checks	Not stated	Not stated	Up to eight weeks to arrive	$65

Available Poker Games

The game offer at BCP revolves around cash games and tournaments, but there are some other interesting options, such as hybrid tournaments, lottery Sit & Gos, and more. Simply put, the popular poker platform has a wide range of options even for those players who like to experiment with various tournament forms. Still, it all revolves around three types of poker — Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and 7-Card Stud.

Cash Games

I encountered a wide range of cash games on BCP, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since Winning Poker Network is overall regarded as a premier network for this type of poker. Some of the cash game options you’ll find available are No-Limit and Fixed Limit Hold’em, Fixed, Pot-Limit, and No Limit Omaha, and Omaha Hi/Lo.

Of course, NLHE and PLO are the most popular options, with games ranging from micro-stakes to $25/$50.

Tournaments

Tournaments play the most important part of BCP’s offer, as round-the-clock competitions offer huge guaranteed prizes. They come in all shapes and sizes, and some of the most popular options are:

• Sunday Warmup — $250K GTD prize pool with buy-ins starting as low as $109
• Sunday Special — A series of events that offer $15 million in guarantees, with the main event offering $1 million GTD
• Sit & Crush — Eligible tournaments where you can earn points and rank on the leaderboard

Of course, it would take a long time for me to list all the available options. For now, it’s important to know that there are plenty of them, so feel free to browse the available ones and pick the tournament based on your budget.

Black Chip Poker Mobile App

The fact that you can’t use BCP on your mobile is a serious drawback of this platform, as I think all online gambling operations should be available for phones and tablets. Therefore, if you only like playing on your mobile device, you should definitely skip Black Chip Poker.

Black Chip Poker Customer Support

You can get in touch with one of the available support members by sending an email. Alternatively, you can use the live chat feature, which is powered by a robot that will try to answer your questions. Of course, the site has great help pages, which I recommend checking out before contacting the support team.

• Live chat: AI-powered
• Email: [email protected]

Conclusion — Should I Play at Black Chip Poker? 

Yes, Black Chip Poker is definitely worth your time. It may not be available for mobile players —  still, PC users really have a lot to look forward to, including various tournaments, a great welcome bonus, a fantastic loyalty program, and more. 

If you have some experience with Americas Cardroom or other platforms that are part of Winning Poker Network, you’ll definitely love Black Chip Poker. Ultimately, the platform is just a skin for Americas Cardroom, so it won’t matter whether you choose one or the other. What matters is that both sites provide a decent online poker experience — but only for those people playing on their PCs.

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