Beyond the financial gain, fun, excitement, and adrenaline rush you can get from playing a regular game of poker, some players decide to play anonymously. The following are some of the reasons why:
1. Promotes Fair Gameplay
Put it this way, suppose you are playing chess online, and Magnus Carlsen, the number one chess player in the world, just so happens to join your lobby; what do you think will happen? Unless you have nerves of steel, chances are that you’d lose your composure, forget some of your strategies, choose the wrong openings, and probably do your best newbie impression in the presence of the chess G.O.A.T.
It is not different when playing poker online. Especially as a newbie, you need to have your wits about you, and that’s what you get with anonymous poker. Geoff Kukard explains that you can visit this page for a list of anonymous casinos that offer the ideal combination of excitement and privacy for players. Online casinos like these offer different poker variants if you are new and want to prop up your confidence; they allow you to register without needing to enter your name; the same rules apply for the Magnus Carlsens on the platform, so you won’t be caught off guard when your favorite poker logs on for an hour or two of poker fun.
2. Reduces Registration Hassles
Besides allowing you to play freely, playing poker anonymously saves you from the usual registration hassle. You know the lengthy KYC process where you have to share more information than you’d be comfortable with, verification processes that require you to divulge information like where you live and scan copies of your government-issued identity card – information that can be quite harmful in the wrong hands.
You’re probably thinking, isn’t the whole process for your safety? Well, yes, it is. But at the same time, it compromises your safety as you are putting your trust in the casino’s ability to safeguard said information. In the event of a hack, which is rare but possible, your information can be accessed due to no fault of your own.
So, how does the casino protect you without getting your information? The answer is just below.
3. The Many, Many Benefits of Crypto and the Blockchain
People promoting crypto when it was still a novel idea were thought to be digital snake oil salesmen out for their own pocket, trying to sell people on an idea that couldn’t work. A decade and some more years later, the world is singing a different tune, with over 23,000 new cryptocurrencies in circulation and many more in the works finding use in crypto casinos the world over; one such use is its ability to keep players anonymous while protecting their money.
How?
In two ways, first, with cryptographic technology, players do not need to register their names on platforms powered by crypto because transactions are recorded using pseudonymous names or tags. The other is the utilization of the blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrency. Basically, an unalterable ledger allows people to access the blockchain to track transactions carried out on it. This level of accessibility makes it very challenging for fraudulent activities to be carried out on anonymous platforms backed up on the blockchain, leaving players safe to enjoy a game of crypto poker.
4. It Encourages Learning
Again, for beginners. It is one thing to learn on YouTube or other resources on your way to being a poker pro, and it is completely different from having practical experience. Having a haven where you can practice all you have learned without fear of judgment will be super handy for players new to the world of poker.
When you think about it, even pros can benefit from anonymous poker gaming. Here, they can experiment with new tips and tricks they pick up and need more confidence to deploy when playing online, perhaps with their ranking or reputation on the line.
This way, anybody can learn at their own pace with nothing at stake.
5. It Mitigates Security Risks
If you think you need to be protected from the Magnus Carlsens of the poker world, then the Magnus Carlsens need to be protected from you, too. If you are a poker superstar, you will be used to fanfare, glamor, and paparazzi, but sometimes, you’d appreciate some peace and quiet — and anonymous gaming affords just that.
Besides the quiet, it reduces the chances of being targeted. People knowing your identity can make you the target of offensive jokes, which can very easily graduate into more offensive acts like stalking or hacking.
When you don’t know who’s online, it becomes more difficult to retrieve their private or financial information. This makes it easy for players on the platform to interact freely without fear of being compromised.
6. No Logs, No Digital Footprint
These days, anonymity is a huge deal for many people. Call them conspiracy theorists, but many people around the world are convinced that the government is listening and mainstream media is being manipulated. Whatever their reasons, they are convinced that one way to stay ahead of the system is to have no logs and leave no digital footprints.
From having no social media to buying items using untraceable crypto, living off the grid, and masking their internet presence with strong encryption technology and their IP addresses with virtual private networks (VPNs), these people are committed to living anonymously. It would be a huge letdown to have all this intentional work undone because they want to enjoy a harmless game of poker.
As a result, people who fall in this very specific category find themselves seeking anonymous online games that afford them the same gaming experience without compromising their anonymity.
Conclusion
There are even more reasons to want to play poker anonymously online, but the six listed above are the most common. Being assured of fair gameplay, not having to worry about headaches associated with registration, enjoying the many benefits of crypto, being able to learn without judgment, putting common security risks behind you, and going a ghost on the internet — these are the benefits of anonymous online poker.