Chess.com Deals Into Poker, Minus the Betting
Chess.com, the internet's chess overlord for two decades, quietly launched Gambit, a free poker platform where you can learn to bluff without ever risking a dime. No real-money gambling, ever, says chief growth officer Albert Cheng, who built it with just one other employee using AI to speed up coding. It's got Chess.com's signature bots, ratings, and lesson modes, and it's just the start: go, backgammon, and mahjong are reportedly next.
Because nothing says 'we care about you' like a casino with the cash removed and a subscription fee added.
What's next
Chess.com is building Elo-style rating systems for go, backgammon, and mahjong too, using the same two-person, AI-assisted playbook that got Gambit live in under a year. Translation: your favorite chess app wants to become the Disney of classic tabletop games.