Hosted by the Aria Hotel and Casino, the World Crypto Con is a three-day conference that features leading guest speakers and interactive events with a focus on how the blockchain is impacting the world right now. The conference takes place from October 31 to November 2 and marks the 10th anniversary of “Satoshi Nakamoto’s” Bitcoin whitepaper. Venture Beats Director of Marketing Technology Stewart Rogers, along with Joel Comm and Travis White of The Bad Crypto Podcast are set to host the event. Along with the many notable activities planned, the World Crypto Con and Aria Casino will also feature the world’s first live blockchain poker tournament.
Casino Poker on the Blockchain
One of the World Crypto Con sponsors DECENT.bet is set to hold a live Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament using blockchain technology. Though specific details of the use of the technology are yet to be released, the game promises to offer a chance to see the technology working real time, in line with one of the main aims of the conference. It will also demonstrate how cryptocurrency is influencing the gaming industry.
Poker and cryptocurrency enthusiasts can expect to play with “some of the biggest stars in poker,” though no names have yet been confirmed. Rumors link Phil Hellmuth to the tournament due to his associations with the Aria Hotel and Casino. Others rumored to make possible appearances include Daniel Negreanu and Antonio Esfandiari, both of whom live in the Las Vegas area.
Regardless of the format, technicalities and star appearances that the poker tournament may bring, the game is nonetheless historic — it is the first live poker game to include blockchain technology. The blockchain is getting closer to the mainstream, and this is another move that will help to push it there.
The Benefits of Blockchain Poker
Technology continually disrupts the poker world. Take the case of poker bots used for cash games and tournaments. This automated software program is designed to take money from real players. The blockchain, however, is a more positive disruption, and incidentally, can even work against poker bots by identifying strange patterns and removing non-human players from the server.
One of the main benefits often touted by proponents of blockchain poker is increased randomness. Online poker sites rely on pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) to “shuffle” decks and decide outcomes, with the blockchain technology utilizing network hashes combined with quantum strings to create increased entropy. In other words, using the blockchain should, in theory, shuffle the deck better.
Another significant criticism of traditional PRNGs is that they are fully centralized systems. They are controlled by the poker site, and so, it’s hard for the player to know that they are not being cheated. For this reason, legitimate poker sites are often regulated by third-parties for fairness. However, the blockchain offers a promising solution to this problem by making the data from the shuffles and outcomes publicly available and fully decentralized so that every player has an impact on the shuffle and can verify such.
Blockchain poker may also lead to more secure and faster payments using smart contracts. Players are credited when the contract parameters are met and then paid directly into their cryptocurrency wallets.
There are a lot of potential benefits to using blockchain technology with both live and online poker. For now, this concept is young, but it could face broader adoption in the future. The World Crypto Con will start the ball rolling with the first live blockchain poker tournament.
World Crypto Con Line-Up
The World Crypto Con is set to be the most immersive and interactive cryptocurrency and blockchain conference ever. Released on September 6th via Cryptocurrency Wire, the details of the World Crypto Con line-up suggest three days that are set to be jam-packed. Aside from the poker tournament, the following events in the line-up include:
- BLOQchain Smart Vegas Hackathon – Participants are mentored and judged by leading individuals from blockchain and crypto companies. Experts offer five presentations and guidance, along with a unique crypto-prize!
- World of Mining – Mining can be a mystery, but the World Crypto Con is set to bring together the world’s top mining experts and company leaders to drive innovation in this area.
- University Row – Six university teams present their blockchain projects to the attendees, giving them a chance to bring their ideas to a global audience and carve their futures in the crypto space.
- VESA Live Art – Artist and filmmaker VESA showcases his groundbreaking cryptocurrency platform “Art for Crypto.”
- CryptOween – A huge Halloween party with a fancy-dress competition and a $1,000 prize. Entertainment comes from superstar DJ Steve Aoki, who will help attendees to dance the night away at the OMNIA Nightclub in Caesars Palace.
Co-founder of World Crypto Con, Andy Williams, says that the event involves much more than just leading industry speakers and is an involving exploration of the technology and how it is influencing business and even the world right now.
That’s not to say there won’t be a mind-boggling collection of industry leaders ready to share their knowledge. Among the top speakers are the Chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation Brock Pierce, Bitcoin Foundation founder Charlie Shrem, Litecoin founder Charlie Lee, Bitcoin Cash founder Bobby Lee and many more. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear breaking business announcements from enterprising companies, allowing them to get ahead of the curve.
The idea of a live poker tournament using the blockchain may seem trivial, but it demonstrates the capabilities and applications of the technology and introduces it to a broader audience. The World Crypto Con is set to be the cryptocurrency event of the year: interactive, educational and full of opportunities for networking.
Image: Flickr | Infographic: The Crypto University
