IAV Poker Whitepaper

Version 1.0 — May 2026
Author: InArgentumVeritas
Contact: admin@inargentumveritas.app
Website: https://chat.inargentumveritas.app

Abstract

IAV Poker is a provably fair, zero‑rake, self‑custodial online poker platform that operates entirely on the Ethereum Classic (ETC) blockchain. It combines a built‑in encrypted wallet, cryptographic challenge‑sign authentication, and an on‑chain autonomous swap contract to create the cheapest, most transparent, and most secure poker ecosystem ever built. The platform’s economic model eliminates every unnecessary cost, passing the savings to players in the form of a $0.0089 minimum buy‑in and zero house rake. This whitepaper describes the technical infrastructure, tokenomics, settlement mechanics, and security architecture that make IAV Poker structurally unbeatable on cost, fairness, and trust.

1. Introduction

1.1 The Problem with Online Poker

Traditional online poker rooms charge a 5–10 % rake on every pot, require minimum deposits of $5–$20, and often hold player funds in custodial wallets that expose users to counterparty risk. “Provably fair” claims in the crypto poker space are frequently marketing slogans unsupported by verifiable on‑chain evidence.

1.2 Our Solution

IAV Poker removes the house from the equation. All settlement occurs on‑chain through smart contracts; every shuffle is verifiable with SHA‑256; players retain full custody of their private keys via a built‑in wallet; and the platform charges zero rake – only a 0.3 % fee on voluntary swaps between ETC and the IAV token.

1.3 Key Innovations

• Zero Rake Permanently – no percentage taken from any pot, ever.
• Provably Fair Shuffling – SHA‑256 commitment scheme verifiable by every player after every hand.
• Self‑Custody Wallet – encrypted keystore (scrypt) built directly into the client; no MetaMask, no browser extension, no custodial risk.
• Cross‑Platform – playable across Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, and browsers.
• Fixed‑Supply Token Economy – IAV (ERC‑20) has a hard cap of 2,000,000 tokens; no minting, no inflation.
• Cryptographic Authentication – challenge‑sign protocol (NIST AAL3 level); no passwords, no phishing surface.

2. Technology Stack

2.1 Ethereum Classic (ETC) – The Settlement Layer

IAV Poker is built on Ethereum Classic because Proof‑of‑Work finality, low gas fees, fixed monetary policy, and EVM compatibility.

2.2 Smart Contracts

2.2.1 IAV Token (ERC‑20)

Attribute	Value
Contract address	0x09a9E6D00B07f7C991b98575F75d16811C9c50a4
Compiler	Solidity v0.8.7
Decimals	15
Total supply	2,000,000 IAV (2,000 ETC at swap rate)
Mint function	None – fixed supply
Admin functions	None – no owner, no pause, no blacklist

2.2.2 IAVSWAPv2 – Autonomous Swap Contract

Attribute	Value
Contract address	0xDc9f0C8F72E0C77c11CCB0c91cC809FcbE580c0b
Compiler	Solidity v0.8.17
Exchange rate	1 IAV = 0.001 ETC (fixed)
Fee	0.3% on each buy and sell
Security	noReentrancy guard, onlyOwner admin, overflow checks

The swap contract provides a permanent, autonomous gateway between ETC and IAV. Liquidity is provided by the contract’s reserve; when the reserve is fully absorbed by player demand, IAV must be acquired on secondary markets, creating upward price pressure.

2.3 Game Server

Compiled Node.js binary with Socket.IO over WSS, room‑based messaging, deposit scanner, cashout queue, and Redis scaling.

2.4 Client

Single HTML file packaged for Windows (Electron), Linux (AppImage), Android (Capacitor), and web.

3. Economic Model & Tokenomics

3.1 IAV Token Utility

IAV is required to play poker – each chip is backed 1:1 by IAV in a public deposit address.

3.1.1 Lowest Entry Barrier

Minimum deposit: 1 IAV = 100 chips. At 1 IAV = 0.001 ETC and ETC ≈ $8.91 → ≈ $0.0089 USD. That is less than one US cent.

3.2 Fixed Supply & Scarcity

• Max supply: 2,000,000 IAV (no minting, no inflation).
• Deflationary pressure as player base grows.

3.3 Swap Fee – The Only Revenue Stream

0.3% fee on buy() and sell(). No rake, no deposit/withdrawal fees, no subscription.

3.4 Incentive Alignment

Players keep 100% winnings; platform earns only on entry/exit; token holders benefit from IAV appreciation.

4. Settlement – Complete Lifecycle of Funds

4.1 Entry: ETC → IAV → Chips

Player's Wallet → IAVSWAPv2 → Deposit Address → Game Server

1. Send ETC → receive IAV (minus fee).
2. Transfer IAV to deposit address.
3. Deposit scanner credits chips.

4.2 Playing Poker – In‑Memory Chip Accounting

All actions off‑chain for speed; chips in server memory; periodic disk backup.

4.3 Exit: Chips → IAV → ETC

Game Server → Cashout Queue → ETC Network → Player's Wallet

Total round‑trip cost ≈ 0.6% (0.3% entry + 0.3% exit).

5. Security Architecture

5.1 Authentication – Cryptographic Challenge‑Sign

Property	Implementation
Protocol	Server sends random 32‑byte challenge → client signs with private key → server verifies
NIST Level	AAL3 (highest)
Replay protection	Challenge expires after 60s

5.2 Wallet Security – Encrypted Keystore

ethers.Wallet.encrypt() – scrypt + AES‑128‑CTR; stored in localStorage; never transmitted.

5.3 Network Security

TLS 1.3, compiled server binary, anti‑spam module.

5.4 Smart Contract Security

IAV token has no admin functions; IAVSWAPv2 uses reentrancy guard; audited (SolidityScan 87.28/100).

6.1 Two-Sided Commit-Reveal with a One-Hand Lead

Every hand is a deterministic function of two inputs: a server seed (32 bytes of crypto.randomBytes, hashed with a timestamp and process.hrtime for additional entropy) and one client seed per seated player (derived locally on each player's device). Neither input is revealed to the other party until after the hand has started, and both are cryptographically committed to before either side can influence them. The shuffle and every card dealt are a pure function of these inputs plus two public counters — roundNumber (the hand number) and nonce (a monotonically increasing value that guarantees different shuffles even if seeds repeat). Nothing else affects the outcome.

Server side. When hand N-1 starts, the server generates a fresh serverSeed and computes SHA256(serverSeed). That hash — the commitment — is broadcast to every player in provablyFair.pendingServerSeedCommitment for the entire duration of hand N-1. When hand N actually begins, the pending seed is promoted to the active serverSeed, and its commitment becomes provablyFair.serverSeedCommitment. The server cannot change serverSeed after the commitment is public — if it did, SHA256(serverSeed) would no longer match, and any player could prove the substitution by hashing the revealed seed at showdown. It also cannot read the seed from the hash — SHA-256 is one-way. The server's contribution is locked but hidden for the entire duration of the hand.

Client side. Each player's browser generates a per-hand seed using one of two modes:

• Custom mode — the player sets a master seed in the lobby. The browser derives a fresh per-hand seed locally via SHA256(master:handNumber:poker_v1), prefixed with c_. The master seed never leaves the device.
• Auto mode — the browser generates 32 bytes from crypto.getRandomValues per hand, prefixed with a_.

The browser computes SHA256(derivedSeed) — the client commitment — and sends only that hash to the server via commitClientSeed. The server stores it keyed by address with the target hand number. The raw seed stays in the browser's sessionStorage (pokerPendingCommit) until the reveal window opens. The client cannot change derivedSeed after committing — the reveal will be rejected if SHA256(revealedSeed) does not match the commitment. Critically, at the moment it commits, the client has not seen the server's seed for hand N — only the hash, which is a one-way function of the seed the server committed to during hand N-1.

Why the one-hand lead matters. Both commitments are made before either side reveals anything:

• The server committed serverSeed_N during hand N-1, before it knew any client's contribution for hand N.
• The client committed clientSeed_N during hand N-1, before it knew the server's seed for hand N (only its hash).
• Neither side can look at the other's input and then change its own. Both inputs are sealed.

This is what separates the mechanism from the industry standard, which commits the server seed first and lets the client pick a seed in response — an asymmetry that allows offline grinding against a known server commitment.

6.2 Client Seed

Players may set an optional client seed in the lobby – included in the commitment hash.

6.3 Verification UI

Clickable verification link in chat; uses crypto.subtle.digest client‑side.

7. Competitive Analysis

Dimension	Traditional Rooms	Crypto Poker Giants	IAV Poker
Minimum entry	$5–$20	$5–$20	$0.0089
Rake	5% per pot	5% per pot	0%
Custody	Platform holds funds	Platform holds or MetaMask	Self‑custody built in
Fairness	"Trust us"	Proprietary	SHA‑256 verifiable
Cross‑platform	Separate apps	Web only or separate	Win, Linux, Android, web
Token supply	N/A	Inflationary	Fixed 2,000,000
Authentication	Email/password	Wallet connect	Challenge‑sign (AAL3)
Revenue model	Rake + fees	Rake + fees	0.3% swap fee only
Operating cost	$500k–$2M/month	$50k–$500k/month	~$30/month

The platform’s cost structure is structurally impossible for competitors to replicate without abandoning their business model.

8. Roadmap

Phase 1 – Launch (Completed)

• ERC‑20 IAV token deployment
• IAVSWAPv2 contract with fee collection
• Cross‑platform client (Win, Android, Linux, Web)
• Real‑time Texas Hold’em engine with chat
• SHA‑256 provably fair system
• Self‑custody wallet (scrypt encryption)
• Challenge‑sign authentication

Phase 2 – Growth (Current)

• Organic marketing and player acquisition
• Bug fixes and performance optimisation

9. Conclusion

IAV Poker is a vertically integrated, self‑custodial gaming platform with the lowest entry barrier and only permanent zero‑rake policy. Every hand is verifiably fair. Every transaction is on‑chain and auditable.

References

• IAV Token: 0x09a9E6D00B07f7C991b98575F75d16811C9c50a4
• IAVSWAPv2: 0xDc9f0C8F72E0C77c11CCB0c91cC809FcbE580c0b
• Ethereum Classic: https://ethereumclassic.org
• Blockscout Explorer: https://etc.blockscout.com