Frequently asked questions
Is TypeBag gambling?
No. It's a skill contest. Two typists race the same passage and the faster one wins: there's no random number generator, no reel, no dealer and no house edge on the outcome. Skill-wager contests are regulated differently from games of chance, which is why some jurisdictions still block them and we enforce those blocks.
What does it cost to play?
Nothing to try. The free tier is $0, unrated and open to everyone, with no account required. Paid stakes are $1, $3, $5 and $10 in USDC. The only fee is a 10% rake taken from the pot when you win: no deposit fee, no monthly fee, no cut for holding a balance.
What's the rake?
10% of the pot, taken at settlement. Two $10 stakes make a $20 pot and the winner takes $18. It's shown on the play button before you commit, every time.
How fast does matchmaking find an opponent?
Usually seconds at the busy tiers. If the queue is thin you can duel a ghost, a recorded run from a real player, replayed keystroke for keystroke, or send a private challenge link to a friend and skip the queue entirely.
Do I need a crypto wallet?
No. Sign up with an email address or a Google account and an embedded Solana wallet is created for you: no seed phrase, no browser extension. If you already have Phantom, Backpack or Solflare you can deposit from those, and you can export your embedded wallet's key at any point.
How long do withdrawals take?
Typically under a minute. Withdrawals go out as USDC on Solana (SOL payout is also available). Unusually large withdrawals get a manual review before release as a fraud control; everything else is automatic.
Can I play without signing up?
Yes, on the free tier. You get an anonymous guest session and can start typing immediately. If you sign up later, that guest account is promoted to a real one and your history follows you.
How do you stop cheaters and bots?
Every keystroke is validated on our server, not in your browser, so the client can't lie about your speed. On top of that: inter-key timing below human physical limits is rejected, WPM above the fastest recorded human typists is flagged, runs far outside your own history are flagged, and device fingerprinting catches one person running multiple accounts. Flagged games hold the payout for human review rather than auto-banning.
What happens if I disconnect mid-duel?
The server owns the game state, so a reconnect resumes where you actually were. If a game is genuinely abandoned, a sweeper voids it and refunds both stakes; a crash or a deploy never strands your money.
Where can I play?
Most of the world, including most of the United States. Sanctioned countries and a handful of US states where real-money skill contests are prohibited are blocked at the site level. See the Terms for the current list.
How is my rating calculated?
Paid tiers use Glicko-2 per stake tier plus a global MMR, so your $1 rating and your $10 rating move independently and matchmaking can find someone genuinely close to your speed. Free-tier duels are unrated on purpose: they don't move anything and don't appear on the rated leaderboards.
Can I play on my phone?
Not yet. Duels need a physical keyboard to be fair, so mobile is gated to browsing rather than playing.