I live in California and i'm wondering where I can play crypto poker online, especially with Bitcoin. Ideally, i'd prefer a site without KYC or annoying document checks. I'm looking for regular cash games, tournaments, No Limit Hold'em and PLO, preferably with enough players to find a game at different stakes. I've seen a few crypto poker sites mentioned on Reddit, but it's hard to know which ones are actually worth trying.

Are there any good options available to players in California? Would appreciate suggestions from anyone who has experience playing on these sites. Thanks.

Why does the United States Congress treat foreign central bank currencies 20x better than Bitcoin?

Under Section 988(e) of the Internal Revenue Code, an American citizen can spend $1,500 worth of Euros or Swiss Francs, realize up to $200 in exchange-rate profit per transaction, and owe $0 in taxes with zero IRS paperwork.

Meanwhile, under the flagship crypto tax bills moving through Congress right now (H.R. 10357 and the ADAPT Act), if a working-class American spends $14.50 over the Lightning Network to buy lunch, it triggers a taxable barter disposition on IRS Form 8949.

Even worse: the much-hyped "$10 de minimis exemption" inside H.R. 10357 only exempts the network transaction fee—not the purchase itself. Congress exempted the postage stamp and kept the letter inside fully taxable.

Why? Follow the incentives:

1. Wall Street got everything it asked for: Institutional lending safe harbors, mark-to-market accounting, and ETF trust protections.
2. Dollar stablecoins got a monopoly: Zero capital gains on spending and immunity from wash-sale rules—because stablecoins force everyday spenders to hold T-bill-backed dollars that silently pay the annual inflation tax.
3. Everyday Bitcoiners got handcuffs: A 30-day wash-sale ban, constructive-sale rules, and permanent taxation of miners on unsold block rewards.

Inside "The $10 Insult"—and why the state is terrified of letting Bitcoin circulate as everyday money

While incidents such as the hugging face incident are scary and OpenAI staff had no clue their own AI agents hacked into hugging face and were so oblivious that they emailed hugging face once a breach was announced and asked, "Are we at OpenAI affected by this hack?" the same day it was announced, AI isn't something you can just point at bitcoin and say, "Break it."

Once the ColdCard hack happened, a movement called "red-teaming bitcoin" got started. For those of you who don't know, red-teaming means basically "white hat hacking" with relevant stakeholders in the know. Anyone can view bitcoin's open source code on github and I have to ask the question, "Has no one already tried pointing to the github page and doing that already?"

Quantum computing's limitations extend to the fact that hardware used in quantum computing must be kept at extremely cold temperatures while performing quantum computations. And one quantum computer cannot just steal millions of wallet addresses' private keys all with the push of one button.

With all incentives in place, there are very real motivations to keep bitcoin protected from these things. I think the announcement of a bitcoin-protection grant from galaxy digital below speaks volumes to those motivations:

https://www.galaxy.com/newsroom/galaxy-launches-bitcoin-quantum-readiness-initiative

EDIT: The red-teaming bitcoin fund is an ongoing project as well find that below.
https://opensats.org/funds/red

This is a graph of Dash’s CoinMarketCap rank since Jan 2021, from CMC’s monthly historical snapshots. It went from #36 to a low of #196 in Jun 2024, then jumped to #68 in Nov 2025 and has held in the #63–#89 range since. Setting aside stablecoins and gold-backed tokens, only about 10 cryptos fell that far and later recovered to #75 or better. Of those, Dash is the only one that had previously been a top-10 coin, and only 2 of the other 9 are currently ranked above Dash: JUST (#58) and Injective (#70).

We still have a good ways to go, but we are far from dead and we are still the best actual cryptoCURRENCY in the world. Faster, cheaper, more secure, optional privacy, innovative, etc.

 BYBIT RUINED MY BIRTHDAY: Froze $5,200 of my life savings over a $54 transfer and drains my account with fees!

UID: 578523636

I am writing this in complete emotional exhaustion. Bybit has destroyed my life.

For a long time, I was saving money to buy myself a gift for my birthday. I bought all my crypto exclusively via Bybit's P2P platform, trusting them completely. All my savings were kept there.

The trigger for this nightmare was ridiculous: I transferred just $54 of my own funds to an external wallet and sent part back. Their automated system flagged this. Instead of asking for documents, on October 15, they froze my ENTIRE account with ~$5,200.

It was my birthday. Instead of celebrating, I received a block. Because I held all my funds on Bybit, I was left with absolutely nothing to live on. No money for food, no money for rent, no gift for myself. I experienced deep psychological stress, which turned into severe, constant headaches. My only close person gave me a gift, but I felt completely empty and couldn't share the joy.

The unfairness doesn't stop there. They froze my account, so I couldn't close my open trading positions. I recently managed to close a position, but because I was locked out and couldn't manage my risks properly for 10 days, I had to close it at a $6 loss. Furthermore, I cannot withdraw my tokens from the Earn section or sell them. My deposit has dropped from $5,200 to $4,000. They held my money hostage and caused direct financial damage.

It has been exactly 10 days. Not a single human has contacted me. All their 3-5 day deadlines have passed. To this day, I am only getting replies from automated bots. They haven't requested a single document to prove my funds are clean.

Bybit, stop ignoring me and give me back my money.

Hello everyone.

As the title of this thread says, there is a somewhat finely doctored email coming from a group of nefarious actors pretending to be trust wallet staffers that links people to a fake website telling people to download a malicious update to their trust wallet.

Needless to say, DO NOT CLICK ANYTHING. Legitimate updates are only deployed via apple appstore and Google play. If anything you should be updating through those two device-specific channels.

Stay safe friends.

Honestly it’s becoming a hassle to hold crypto and for novices it must be a minefield. What with exchange hacks and more recently cold wallet exploits, not to mention the seemingly more and more common practice of exchanges freezing transactions and holding funds, demanding proof of funds, history and even having the audacity to ask why the transfer and what the funds will be used for.
Personally I haven’t been affected because I’m holding, but it’s a significant amount and dread if I ever have to convert to fiat. What’s more, I’ve interacted and exchanged via XMR as an investment and because I like the concept,but this will no doubt raise further red flags with exchanges. Yes, I’m aware of DEXs but when the day comes when I want to take profit I will need a CEX for an Australian bank deposit.
Rant over.
Cheers.

I've been thinking about the current AI trend and how the infrastructure might evolve.

Phase 1 was clearly the GPU boom for training the models.

Phase 2 seems to be the inference and edge computing boom for actually running them everywhere.

Does it make sense that Phase 3 could be autonomous AI agents needing a native settlement layer?
Since an AI can't open a traditional corporate bank account or pass KYC to use services like Stripe, crypto seems like the most practical way for them to transact with each other (AI-to-AI) and pay traditional companies for things like APIs, web scraping, or cloud storage (AI-to-Business).
If this scenario actually plays out, do you think networks like ETH, SOL, or LINK are well-positioned to capture this volume? Or is the idea of AI agents driving blockchain adoption still too far off?
Would love to hear your thoughts on this timeline.

Bitcoin is, first and foremost, a secure space to make financial relationships with other people. This video clip, is, in my opinion, the best expression of what blockchain and by extension, bitcoin really is. Although Lei Yang doesn't mention relationships, most of the code is about finance and financial relationships, and it gets across the point, which is that, at its core, cryptocurrency is about security. It's about providing a way to enforce relationships in a world where we cannot rely on governments or corporations to provide fair enforcement.

Bitcoin's security is provided by the miner reward, in the form of new Bitcoin. If the miner reward didn't exist, or more importantly, got low enough, attackers would be able to arbitrarily rewrite the ledger of Bitcoin transactions, by gaining control of the computing power used to validate blocks of transactions. Such an attack recently happened to Monero.

Bitcoin's predictable miner reward schedule also produces the bubbles which follow after a halving. Every time there is a cut in new Bitcoin supply, the reduction in new supply increases the price. However, each reduction in new supply is smaller relative to the amount of already existing supply in circulation. This creates an important collorary. It follows directly from halving theory that each bubble after the halving will me smaller on a relative basis than the previous bubble. From this observation, we can make long term predictions about Bitcoin's long term price.

Order of magnitude is a concept often found in science, where exponential functions are common. One order of magnitude is one zero behind a number, so 100 two orders of magnitude greater than 1. Each percentage increase in gains from the ATH of each halving bubble, is one order of magnitude less each cycle.

https://www.tradingview.com/x/DCWm7BWb/

Approximately speaking, whereas the first to second bubble was a x0,000% gain, the second to third was a x000% gain, the third to fourth was a x00% gain, and the fourth to fifth, was an x0% gain. It follows that the 5th to 6th bubble will be an x% gain.

This trend is even more apparent if we use the log scale fibbonacci levels to compare bitcoin cycles relative to the preceding cycle. Note, I do not actually believe fibbonacci levels have any special meaning. The important part is that they are relatively evenly spaced lines mapped onto a log scale chart. Any chart with log scale spacing should be able to show the same pattern.

Halving 1: https://www.tradingview.com/x/qJrWovpu/

Halving 2: https://www.tradingview.com/x/NO2JY7FZ/

Halving 3: https://www.tradingview.com/x/XvXogCuQ/

Halving 4: https://www.tradingview.com/x/Jl0RbEZe/

So what we can see from these halving charts is that bitcoin hits a lower rung each time on the log scale fibbonacci chart. So based on the trend, bitcoin will no longer see substantial gains from halving bubbles anymore.

Now, here's a trick. We can use the same logic and methodology to determine where the bottom of the next bitcoin cycle will be.

Each halving creates a permanent reduction in new bitcoin supply. This creates a new price floor, which increases each halving. But the rate it increases each halving should also decrease, because each permanent reduction is smaller relative to total existing supply.

So to determine where the bottom of the next bitcoin cycle will be based on the physical supply trend created by the halving, all we have to do is invert the chart, and use the log scale fibbonaccie, treating the bottoms as tops and tops as bottoms.

https://www.tradingview.com/x/itw63qRh/

https://www.tradingview.com/x/vb2fnlFV/

https://www.tradingview.com/x/1CSV8t5q/

https://www.tradingview.com/x/QoRTGxry/

As you can see from the above charts, Bitcoin hits a higher and higher rung on the fibbonacci ladder each cycle. And the next highest run is 34K. So it follows that the bottom of the next cycle should be somewhere between 35-40K.

Finally, the fact that bitcoin no longer increases each halving cycle suggests that bitcoin's will start to fail, on a protocol level, relatively soon. The block reward exists to prevent malicious entities from rewriting bitcoin's block history. If bitcoin's history could be rewritten, no one would use it. However, people clearly value a digital currency that isn't controlled by any single corporation or government. Bitcoin clearly shows that the asset class has value.

This suggests that at some point in the future, there will be an enormous financial opportunity. Bitcoin will be supplanted by another cryptocurrency meaning investors today have the opportunity to literally invest in the next Bitcoin, and get Bitcoin level gains.

I believe that Ethereum will be the cryptocurrency that will take Bitcoin's place in the global economy. Ethereum is the most secure, cryptocurrency outside of Bitcoin. It has enormous adoption from all sorts of entities and people around the world. It also has the most number of developers working on it, which is essential in this era of AI hacking and quantum computing.

It follows that as halvings reduce the mining supply which keeps Bitcoin secure, Ethereum will gain prominence. Because halvings no longer produce long term gains in bitcoin's price, this should start to happen within the next 2-3 halving cycles (hence, 10 years). Bitcoin attained a two trillion dollar market cap, and if Ethereum attains that market cap, that is 16K per Ethereum. I think Ethereum goes well beyond that price in the long term.

Welcome to the Daily Crypto Discussion thread. Please read the disclaimer and rules before participating.

Disclaimer:

Consider all information posted here with several liberal heaps of salt, and always cross check any information you may read on this thread with known sources. Any trade information posted in this open thread may be highly misleading, and could be an attempt to manipulate new readers by known "pump and dump (PnD) groups" for their own profit. BEWARE of such practices and exercise utmost caution before acting on any trade tip mentioned here.

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I hate opening my desktop every time I want to swap or do a quick transfer.

So, I use a crypto wallet on my iPhone for regular transactions since it's convenient. When it comes to moving larger amounts, I'm not sure if it is the most secure way.

To approve large transfers, I use a separate laptop and a browser extension paired with a hardware wallet. This keeps my crypto activity separate from everyday browsing and reduces some of the security risks.

I know some crypto iOS wallets have security features like biometric authentication and hardware wallet pairing.

Still, I am not comfortable making high-value transfers from my phone. Mostly because it is my primary phone and I use it for everything.

I want to know how you guys approach mobile wallet security. Is using a hardware wallet with your primary phone secure enough? Or does having a separate phone make a difference?

The Quantum Clock Just Jumped Forward—And Nobody’s Talking About It. 🚨💻

While the public debate over quantum computing "FUD" went to sleep, the mathematics of attacking Bitcoin’s cryptography did something unexpected:

It didn’t just creep forward. It sprinted. 🏃‍♂️💨

Over the course of 2026, a quiet convergence of frontier cryptography and autonomous AI coding agents has completely slashed the mathematical requirements for breaking secp256k1 (Bitcoin’s elliptic curve).

Here’s the wild reality of the Quantum vs. Bitcoin race:

1️⃣ The Algorithmic Crash: Modern estimates used to state that breaking Bitcoin’s cryptography would take ~2,300 logical (error-corrected) qubits. Google optimized that to 1,175. In the latest ECDSA(.)fail study by Jieyi Long, AI agents helped push that requirement below 900 logical qubits. 📉

2️⃣ The Hardware Promise: IonQ’s recent full-stack analysis estimated that breaking a Bitcoin private key would take roughly 20,000 physical qubits. Yet, IonQ’s official roadmap targets 20,000 physical qubits and 1,600 logical qubits by 2028. 🗓️ Yes, just two years away.

Is this the end of Bitcoin? No.

A corporate roadmap is not an active cryptanalytic weapon, and continuous 26-day fault-tolerant runs across 20,000 fragile qubits remain a massive engineering challenge that traditional titans like IBM and Google estimate will take until 2033+.

BUT, we can no longer ignore the speed of the math.

Because upgrading a decentralized, multi-trillion-dollar protocol without causing panic takes 5 to 7 years, the clock is ticking for Bitcoiners to begin preparing.

I just broke down:

👉 Why AI and open-source research slashed the math in months.

👉 The "Physical vs. Logical" qubit gap & the real danger of IonQ’s 2028 timeline.

👉 Why modern hashed addresses (bc1q) are safe—but 6.9 MILLION BTC are sitting in an exposed bullseye.

👉 The roadmap to a post-quantum Bitcoin (and what you should do with your own keys right now).

Don't panic—get informed.

Welcome to the Daily Crypto Discussion thread. Please read the disclaimer and rules before participating.

Disclaimer:

Consider all information posted here with several liberal heaps of salt, and always cross check any information you may read on this thread with known sources. Any trade information posted in this open thread may be highly misleading, and could be an attempt to manipulate new readers by known "pump and dump (PnD) groups" for their own profit. BEWARE of such practices and exercise utmost caution before acting on any trade tip mentioned here.

Please be careful about what information you share and the actions you take. Do not share the amounts of your portfolios (why not just share percentage?). Do not share your private keys or wallet seed. Use strong, non-SMS 2FA if possible. Beware of scammers and be smart. Do not invest more than you can afford to lose, and do not fall for pyramid schemes, promises of unrealistic returns (get-rich-quick schemes), and other common scams.

Rules:

• All sub rules apply in this thread. The prior exemption for karma and age requirements is no longer in effect.
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• Intro to r/Cryptocurrency MOONs 🌔
• MOONs Wiki Page
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In 2018, Andreessen Horowitz made a splash in the venture capital world by launching a spinoff dedicated to digital assets called a16z Crypto. Eight years later—perhaps recognizing that the term “crypto” has fallen out of favor—the VC giant announced Thursday that it was rebranding to a16z Frontier, and expanding its scope to back startups developing artificial intelligence, robotics, and other emerging technologies.

Managing partner Chris Dixon will lead the fund alongside Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz, and general partners Eddy Lazzarin and Guy Wuollet. The shift expands the scope of its $2.2 billion fund announced in May, though the firm will continue backing crypto startups and advocating for crypto regulation. 

As more businesses use blockchain technology behind the scenes, the distinction between crypto companies and other businesses is becoming less clear, Dixon wrote in an X article.  

The firm had begun investing beyond crypto before Thursday’s announcement. In June, a16z Crypto led a $33 million seed round for Ornn, a company developing financial products for the AI computing market. In October 2025, Andreessen Horowitz co-led a funding round for prediction market Kalshi.

Read more [paywall removed for Redditors]: https://fortune.com/2026/10/22/venture-giant-andreessen-horowitz-crypto-name-blockchain-fund-rebrands-a16z-frontier/?utm_source=reddit/

Disclosure: this is my own side project. It's free, no signup, no ads, no token, nothing to buy.

I've always found the debate about money systems pretty abstract, so I turned it into a game. In Cantill One you govern a country with its own currency in a world of 24 countries. You set the interest rate, taxes, spending and tariffs, and you pick a monetary system:

- Fiat: full control over rates, and full temptation to print

- Gold standard: you can still set rates, but money growth is limited and your reserves can run out

- Fixed money supply: no new money, and the market sets the rate

- Bitcoin standard: issuance on a fixed schedule with halvings, the market sets the rate, and the exchange rate swings hard

The name comes from the Cantillon effect: new money doesn't reach everyone at the same time. Cheap credit gives you a boom first, then malinvestment, and eventually a bust. Voters feel inflation right away and compare their purchasing power with other countries. Push it too far and you're voted out.

Scoring isn't just GDP. It also counts how the poorer half is doing, inequality and approval. I tried hard not to make any system the obvious winner: hard money protects against bubbles but leaves you fewer tools in a crisis.

There's also a daily challenge where everyone plays the same world, with a leaderboard. The server replays your inputs, so scores can't be faked. Top score gets 10k sats via lightning ⚡

https://cantill.one.btcstack.ing

I'd honestly like criticism. Does the model feel realistic? Which system did you end up with, and why?