How to set up a Bitcoin mining pool account? (Slush Pool)

Understanding Slush Pool Fundamentals

1. Slush Pool is the oldest Bitcoin mining pool, launched in 2010, operating on a pay-per-share (PPS) variant known as the 'Score-based' reward system.

2. It does not require KYC verification for basic account creation, allowing users to begin mining with minimal onboarding friction.

3. The pool uses a deterministic scoring algorithm where each valid share contributes proportionally to a miner’s long-term expected payout, reducing short-term variance.

4. Account access is managed via username and password only—no email confirmation or two-factor authentication is enforced by default, though users may optionally enable it later.

5. Miners receive real-time statistics through a web dashboard showing hash rate, accepted shares, estimated earnings, and historical payouts.

Creating and Securing Your Account

1. Navigate to the official Slush Pool website and click “Create Account” located at the top-right corner of the homepage.

2. Enter a unique username, strong password, and optional email address—email is not mandatory but recommended for recovery and notifications.

3. Accept the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy before submitting the form; no CAPTCHA or human verification step is involved.

4. After submission, the system instantly creates the account—no activation link is sent, and login is available immediately.

5. Once logged in, users should manually navigate to “Settings” → “Security” to enable optional 2FA using TOTP-compatible authenticator apps like Authy or Google Authenticator.

Configuring Mining Hardware or Software

1. Retrieve your worker credentials from the “Workers” section: generate a new worker by entering a descriptive name (e.g., “AntminerS19_01”) and setting a password.

2. Use the pool URL stratum+tcp://slushpool.com:3333 in your miner’s configuration—this endpoint supports legacy and modern Stratum protocols.

3. Format the worker login as username.workername, for example: mybtcuser.AntminerS19_01.

4. Configure the miner to submit shares every 30 seconds; excessively frequent submissions may trigger rate-limiting, while infrequent ones risk stale share losses.

5. Monitor initial connection status in the miner’s log output—look for “Accepted” messages and verify appearance of the worker in the “Live Workers” table on the dashboard within two minutes.

Tracking Earnings and Payout Mechanics

1. Earnings are displayed in BTC with six decimal precision and updated every minute based on live network difficulty and block rewards.

2. Payouts occur automatically once the account balance reaches the minimum threshold of 0.001 BTC; no manual withdrawal request is needed.

3. Transaction fees are deducted from the payout amount—not from the mining reward itself—so the net BTC received reflects the full credited balance minus a fixed fee of 0.00001 BTC per transaction.

4. Historical payouts appear under “Payments” with timestamps, transaction IDs, and confirmed block heights—each confirmed on-chain within one to three blocks.

5. Unpaid balances accrue interest-like value over time due to the score-based model, meaning longer participation increases payout efficiency relative to pure PPS pools.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I mine Bitcoin on Slush Pool using a GPU?A: No. Slush Pool only accepts SHA-256 work from ASIC devices. GPU mining yields negligible hashrate and is rejected by the pool’s stratum server.

Q: What happens if my worker disconnects mid-session?A: Shares submitted before disconnection remain valid and scored. Reconnection resumes normal operation without data loss or penalty.

Q: Is there a fee for creating or maintaining an account?A: Slush Pool charges no account maintenance fee. Its revenue comes solely from a 2% pool fee deducted from block rewards before distribution.

Q: Can I use the same username across multiple mining locations?A: Yes. A single username can manage unlimited workers across different IP addresses and geographic regions without restriction.