BetRivers Poker Review
BetRivers Poker is the latest evolution of an online poker platform first imagined by professional high-stakes player Phil Galfond in late 2016.
Galfond’s vision culminated in Run It Once Poker (RIO) launching in international markets in 2019. Despite introducing multiple innovative features and earning the respect of the poker community, RIO struggled with mainstream appeal.
Rush Street Interactive acquired RIO in 2022, invested significant resources into upgrading the platform, and relaunched it under BetRivers branding in 2024. Read on for our full BetRivers Poker review.
BetRivers Poker
Pros
Based on Run It Once Tech Highly Innovative Features US-Owned & OperatedCons
Limited Traffic Limited Game TypesBetRivers Poker States
BetRivers now offers online poker in Pennsylvania.
Additional state launches are expected soon. The likeliest candidates include MSIGA member states where Rush Street Interactive already holds online gambling licenses and could combine player pools:
- New Jersey
- Michigan
- Delaware
Other potential BetRivers Poker states include:
Nevada: We expect BetRivers Poker to come to Nevada eventually. Although Nevada is an MSIGA member, it has a small online poker market, and Rush Street Interactive doesn’t yet hold any online gambling licenses there.
West Virginia: Online poker is not yet live in West Virginia, but that’s expected to change soon. Additionally, West Virginia is a MSIGA member state, and Rush Street Interactive already offers online gambling in WV.
BetRivers Poker Bonus Code
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
BetRivers Poker Bonus Code | POKER |
| First Deposit Bonus | 100% up to $1,000 |
| Clearing Requirements | $5 bonus funds cleared for every $25 paid in rake/tournament fees |
BetRivers Poker Bonus Details
BetRivers Poker welcomes new players with a 100% first deposit bonus worth up to $1,000.
For example, a $200 deposit will get you $200 extra. Likewise, a deposit of $1,000 or more will get you a $1,000 poker bonus.
This bonus is open to new and existing BetRivers customers alike:
- If you’ve never held a BetRivers account: Sign up for an account and input the bonus code POKER during registration.
- If you already have a BetRivers Sportsbook/Casino account: Log in and make a deposit with the bonus code POKER on the deposit screen.
Once you receive your bonus funds, you can clear it by participating in real money cash games. For every $25 you contribute in cash game rake or tournament fees, you unlock $5 in bonus funds.
Cleared bonus funds are available for use in cash games and tournaments or may be withdrawn.
Players have 120 days to clear the entire BetRivers Poker bonus.
BetRivers Poker Software Review
Players can download the BetRivers Online Poker software for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
BettingUSA tried the BetRivers Poker download on a desktop Mac and an iPhone, and here are our impressions from both.
Most importantly, the BetRivers Poker software includes the most innovative features that made Run It Once a unique poker platform. Although some of these features are now ubiquitous, the RIO team (which is still with BetRivers Poker) was the first to adopt them.
BetRivers Poker’s “Fast and Fair” cash game rules include:
- Automatic Seating: The BetRivers cash game lobby uses a “grouped” view instead of individual table listings. Players choose their stakes but are randomly seated at tables to prevent sharks from preying on and following the fish. Experienced players will miss being able to practice table and seating selection, but automatic seating is undeniably better for the poker economy.
- Fixed Buyins: Players cannot join cash game tables short-stacked – they automatically buy in for 100 BBs ($10 in a $0.05/$0.10 NL game, $200 in a $1/$2 NL game, etc.)
Players receive dynamic avatars to represent them at the table whenever they join games at BetRivers Poker, complete with facial expressions that change based on their play table.
For example, the avatar of an opponent who’s playing extremely tight will take on an extremely sleepy facial expression. Similarly, a very loose-aggressive player’s avatar will look angry and frazzled.
BetRivers Poker prohibits real-time assistance (RTA) and poker heads-up display (HUD) software to ensure an even playing field for everyone and discourage automatic play.
However, BetRivers Poker offers an integrated HUD called HeroIQ for the many players who have grown accustomed to HUDs, especially while multi-tabling.
The built-in HeroIQ HUD displays two percentages next to each player’s avatar:
- VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money In Pot): How many starting hands the player keeps on average – an indicator of how tight or loose this player is
- PFR (Preflop Raise): How often the player raises before the flop versus limping in – an indicator of whether this player is passive or aggressive
Players can right-click or long-tap on an opponent’s avatar for more information:
- Expression Name: A short description of their play style (tight-aggressive if they have a low VPIP and high PFR, loose-passive if they have a high VPIP and low PFR, etc.)
- 3-Bet Percentage: How often they 3-bet preflop (re-raising after another player has already raised before the flop).
- Hands: The number of hands you have played with this opponent at this table
BetRivers Poker Software Screenshots
BetRivers Poker Cash Games
BetRivers Poker offers no-limit Hold’em and pot-limit Omaha cash games at stakes ranging from $0.01/$0.02 ($2 buyin) to $5/$10 ($1,000 buyin).
Help documents and rake tables from the BetRivers Poker website suggest that the platform can also spread $10/$20 ($2,000 buyin) no-limit/pot-limit games if there’s player demand.
Currently, BetRivers Poker spreads 6-max cash games only.
BetRivers Poker SNG Select Tourneys
BetRivers Poker offers two categories of SNGs, each structured as three-handed, hyper-turbo tournaments.
The one difference is that Classic SNGs offer fixed payouts, while Cub3d SNGs offer variable prizes worth up to 1,500x the buyin.
One of the more innovative Run It Once features BetRivers Poker kept intact was its genius solution to low SNG traffic.
BetRivers Poker structures its Classic and Cub3d SNGs identically, except Cub3d SNG winners receive a prize cube to open after the tournament. So, BetRivers can draw from a single player pool to fuel its Cub3d and Classic SNG tournaments.
Classic SNG Prize Pools
Classic SNGs offer winner-take-all payouts for the 1st place finisher only.
- $0.90 Classic SNG Prize: $2.62
- $4.50 Classic SNG Prize: $13.10
- $9 Classic SNG Prize: $26.38
- $22.50 Classic SNG Prize: $65.95
Cub3d SNG Prize Pools
Cub3d SNGs offer variable payouts via a prize cube that the winner opens after the tournament.
Cub3d payouts range from 2x the buyin (highest frequency) to 1,500x the buyin (lowest frequency). Additionally, Cub3d tournaments have a chance of paying a “Glitch Prize” to non-winners.
- $0.25 Cub3d SNG Prizes: $0.50 to $375 / Up to $12.50 Glitch Prize
- $1 Cubed SNG Prizes: $2 to $1,500 / Up to $50 Glitch Prize
- $5 Cub3d SNG Prizes: $10 to $7,500 / Up to $250 Glitch Prize
- $10 Cub3d SNG Prizes: $20 to $15,000 / Up to $500 Glitch Prize
- $25 Cub3d SNG Prizes: $50 to $37,500 / Up to $1,250 Glitch Prize
BetRivers Poker MTTs
BetRivers Poker offers daily freerolls with $500 prize pools and paid tournaments with buyins ranging from $0.01 to $100.
Its largest recurring tournament is the Sunday Main Event, which offers a guaranteed prize pool of $15,000. Currently, all BetRivers Poker tournaments are no-limit Hold’em regular, turbo, and hyper-turbo variants with fixed prize pools.
Some BetRivers MTTs offer rebuys and add-ons; others are classic freezeout events. BetRivers Poker also offers the occasional satellite tournament to bigger events.
BetRivers Poker Rake
One of BetRivers’ key competitive advantages in the US online poker industry is unusually low rake.
In fact, BetRivers launched a three-month trial period in which it returns 100% of all rake back to players in the form of rakeback and other benefits. As Phil Galfond put it in a statement when BetRivers Poker launched:
“Shortly after launch, BetRivers Poker will go from having one of the lowest rakes in Pennsylvania to something much more radical. We plan to keep none of it, giving our share of rake away in rakeback, rewards, incentives, freerolls, and more. We will aim to disrupt the way online poker is run in PA and, if successful, many more regulated jurisdictions.
“Much of that rake will be given back via our bonus store. Whether you prefer poker, casino or sports betting, you’ll have flexible redemption options. If you choose to redeem your points in casino or sportsbook instead of poker, you’ll benefit from significantly enhanced rates.”
Standard rake percentages vary by game type, stakes, and the number of players. Although the percentages look decidedly average, BetRivers Poker enforces low caps, or the maximum it will rake in any one pot.
No-Limit Cash Game Rake
BetRivers charges 4.5% to 4.75%, with rake caps ranging from $0.30 at the micros to $3.75 at the $10/$20 NL tables.
Players get a big break at the $0.50/$1.00 NL tables and above, where the rake caps at $3 up to $5/$10 NL and only increases to $3.75 at $10/$20 NL.
SNG Select Rake
BetRivers Poker charges a fixed rake for Classic and Cub3d SNGs:
- $0.25 Cub3d SNGs: $0.01 rake
- $0.90 Classic / $1.00 Cub3d SNGs: $0.06 rake
- $4.50 Classic / $5 Cub3ed SNGs: $0.30 rake
- $9 Classic / $10 Cub3d SNGs: $0.54 rake
- $22.50 Classic / $25 Cub3d SNGs: $1.35 rake
BetRivers Poker Traffic
Player traffic is still a work in progress at BetRivers Poker.
Since it’s only available in Pennsylvania, BetRivers does not yet benefit from multi-state player pools. This is compounded by its late entry into the US online poker market, which is dominated by entrenched and well-known operators like WSOP, BetMGM, and PokerStars.
We expect traffic to improve significantly over time, but right now, traffic is a major weak point.
Players can find several tables at the lower-stakes games up to about $1/$2 NL and a table or two at the higher-stakes games during peak poker hours (evenings).
SNG traffic is similar, with a handful of Cub3d/Classic SNGs running at any given time at all stakes.
Multi-table tournament traffic is picking up, although the majority of the traffic is found in BetRivers’ freerolls and lower-stakes tournaments.
However, the Sunday $15K and nightly $4k guarantee attract a decent number of players. Plus, the guarantee provides a nice overlay advantage if either doesn’t attract many players.
BetRivers Poker Deposit Methods
Players have many options to choose from for funding their BetRivers Poker accounts:
- Trustly Online Banking
- VIP Preferred (ACH Transfer)
- Visa
- Mastercard
- Discover
- PayPal
- Play+ Card
- Venmo
- PayNearMe
- VanillaDirect
- Cash at the Cage
BetRivers Poker FAQ
Final Thoughts: Is BetRivers Poker Legit?
BetRivers Poker is a legitimate online poker site with a long history and a highly respected management team.
From its origins as Run It Once under Phil Galfond to its current status as the official poker site of Rush Street Interactive, BetRivers Poker has maintained a reputation for responsive management, respect for its customers, and innovative features that put players first.
The only question is whether BetRivers Poker will attract the player traffic it needs to become a staple poker site for players in the US online poker market. The BetRivers team seems intent on growing traffic via multiple approaches, including naming 17-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth as its official brand ambassador to introduce in-app poker promos, host live dealer casino events, appear at BetRivers Poker VIP tournaments, and more.
Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher and analyst in the legal gambling industry and is co-founder of BettingUSA.com. As a former professional online poker player, Wes approaches his work from the viewpoint of players.