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First ever blockchain poker tournament this Vegas

Blockchain poker is set to pierce the public’s consciousness in October thanks to the inaugural World Crypto Con in Las Vegas. Part of a three-day schedule aimed at raising the profile of crypto technology, the tournament will give players the chance to experience poker in a new way. The conference will take place inside the Aria Las Vegas between October 31 and November 2 and feature an array of celebrity guests.

Alongside sponsor Decent.bet, who recently signed on Phil Hellmuth as their ambassador, the organizers will be putting on a poker tournament that fuses live action and blockchain technology. Although final details haven’t been released, “some of the biggest stars in poker” are expected to attend.

Given Hellmuth’s association with Decent and even the Aria Hotel and Casino, he could be one of the pros in attendance, as could Vegas residents Daniel Negreanu and Antonio Esfandiari. Regardless of how the line-up looks, the tournament is another example of how cryptocurrencies are influencing the gaming world.

Using decentralized smart contracts, companies such as Virtue Poker have been pushing to revolutionize how sites handle their data. Under the current system, poker sites use random number generators to ensure their games are fair. One of the main criticisms of this software is that it’s not open to the public and, therefore, potentially open to corruption. The counter to this is that all licensed online poker sites have to have their software assessed and monitored by a third-party agency such as eCOGRA.

Despite these verification checks, those in favor of innovation believe blockchain technology offers a better solution. Although the underlying technology is complex and varies from platform-to-platform, the main aim is to process data (card information) through a decentralized rather than a central power.

As well as improving the randomness of games, blockchain-based poker sites claim to be more secure and offer faster payouts. At this stage, the technology is still new and it hasn’t broken through into the mainstream. However, as more events start to show the potential of blockchains, the leading operators will inevitably look to embrace the latest innovations. For those attending World Crypto Con, the conference will be a chance to see the technology working in real-time.

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