Free Play vs real-money
Stacked has two modes side by side in the same lobby: Free Play and real-money. The poker is identical — same rules, same shuffler, same interface — only the economics differ.
At a glance
| Free Play | Real-money | |
|---|---|---|
| Chips | Play-money, unlimited | Backed by USDC (1 chip = $0.01) |
| Real wins / losses | No | Yes |
| Platform fee | None | A small platform fee per pot. How fees work → |
| Host earnings | None | 25% of the platform fee. Hosting earnings → |
| On-chain activity | None | Per-hand settlement on Base |
How they're the same
Free Play uses the same poker engine that runs real-money tables. Same dealer logic, same shuffler, same betting rounds, same UI. If you've spent time on Free Play and then sit down at a real-money table, nothing about the game itself will surprise you.
The Host model is the same too. Anyone can create either kind of table. Both seat players instantly by default, and on both the Host can turn off Auto-Accept to approve each player by hand.
How they differ
Money. Free Play chips are play-money: unlimited, no value, no real wins or losses. Each session starts fresh; there's no balance to track between visits. Real-money chips are backed by USDC (a digital dollar that holds a stable value) on Base (an Ethereum-based network with very low fees), at a fixed rate of 1 chip = $0.01.
On-chain activity. Each real-money table is its own smart contract — a program on Base that holds the money and follows fixed rules no one can override — deployed when the Host creates the table. When you sit, your USDC moves into that contract; when you leave, it moves back to your wallet; in between, every hand settles on-chain. Free Play has no contract and no settlement — chips are tracked off-chain and forgotten when you leave.
Platform fee and earnings. Real-money tables have a platform fee on every pot, and the Host earns 25% of it. Free Play has neither.
Switching between them
You don't have to choose once. Tables show up together in the lobby with a tag indicating which is which, and you can leave one and join the other in the same session. The only practical step before sitting at a real-money table is having USDC on Base in your wallet — if it's empty, you'll be prompted to deposit before you sit down.
When to play which
- Free Play is for trying the app, learning the flow, or just playing for fun with no risk. A reasonable place to start before your first real-money hand.
- Real-money is when you want the chips to mean something.
What's next
- Your first Free Play hand → — walkthrough.
- Your first real-money hand → — walkthrough including USDC deposit.
- Joining a table →: finding a table and taking a seat.