Bitcoin Lightning Network No Limit Texas Hold'em Poker
Play real-money cash games instantly using Bitcoin Lightning micropayments – no accounts, low fees, global players.
Lightning Poker is a full-stack real-time multiplayer poker app powered by the Bitcoin Lightning Network. Players buy in with sats, play No Limit Texas Hold'em at cash tables, and cash out winnings instantly.
- Key Features:
- Multi-table cash games (multiple stakes/players)
- Instant Lightning buys/rebuys and cashouts
- Real-time gameplay with WebSockets (betting, folding, showdowns)
- Fair hand dealing and evaluation
- Anonymous play (no sign-up required)
Built end-to-end by me – frontend public, backend private for security.
- Frontend (Public Repo): React + Socket.io for real-time updates
- Backend (Private): Node.js/Scala for game server, concurrency, and Lightning integrations
- Payments: Bitcoin Lightning Network (invoices, webhooks, channel management)
- Real-Time: WebSockets/Socket.io
- Game Logic: Custom Texas Hold'em engine (hand ranking, pot management, betting rounds)
- Infra: Docker, scalable design for concurrent tables
Note: Backend code private to protect payment/security logic – high-level architecture and snippets available on request (highlights my Scala concurrency expertise from professional high-volume systems).
Mirroring enterprise real-time transaction systems:
- Real-time multiplayer concurrency: Managed simultaneous actions across tables (betting races, timeouts) without conflicts – similar to handling 40–50k daily transactions with low latency (Event Dynamic GraphQL/WebSockets).
- Secure & reliable Lightning payments: Instant buys/rebuys with webhook confirmation, failure retries, and dispute-free cashouts – achieved near-100% reliability (like production micropayments in PolloFeed).
- Fair game integrity: Server-authoritative randomness, hand evaluation, and anti-collusion measures – ensured trust in real-money play.
- Scalability for multiple tables: Designed for concurrent games and player spikes – lessons applied to optimizing high-throughput SaaS (query tuning from 17s to <1s).
Metrics/Traction:
- Real Lightning payments processed in testing/production
- Community interest in Lightning gaming space (live site discussions on Reddit/Telegram)
This project showcases full-stack real-time development, transaction reliability, and game architecture
npm install
npm start