It’s being called “One of the most absurd updates in poker history.”
Under the guise of satisfying your curiosity, one of the biggest poker brands in the world has released a new feature. Let’s talk about ClubWPT Gold’s new Hand Reveal, where you can reveal hole cards (for a price). It isn’t new in the Asian poker market, but this is a fresh feature for America.
There’s a bit of chaos and confusion about this feature, so let’s give you the facts.
What is ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Reveal Feature?
Before we get into the community’s backlash, we must explain ClubWPT Gold’s new card reveal feature. Take a quick look at their promotional release first (only 30 seconds long), then we’ll walk you through the feature.
Here’s how ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Reveal works:
- You reach the river in one of ClubWPT Gold’s cash games
- The hand ends, either because you folded, or your opponents did
- A Reveal Hands icon pops up, plus a price equal to 2-3 big blinds
- You click it, and every player’s hole cards are revealed
So if you suspect a bluff, or you want to see what hands players folded to your bet, now you can. Whatever cards you see are entered into the Hand History recording, and you can also Reveal Hands from the past, by going into Hand History or the Hand Replayer.
Now you know how ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Reveal feature works, let’s see what people are saying.
Why is ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Reveal So Controversial?
“Greedy” is one word people are using to describe Hand Reveal. “Money grab” is another description. It’s not tough to understand why people are feeling this way. Let's see a few pros and cons of Hand Reveal.
Negative aspects of ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Reveal:
- Previously unseen information is revealed
- 2 to 3 big blinds could make or break a player’s win rate over 100 hands
- Calling bets to know if someone was bluffing will no longer be attractive
- Recreational players will use the feature more, reducing their bankrolls, taking money out of the poker ecosystem
Positive aspects of ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Reveal:
- It could be a learning tool
- It could help players sniff out collusion
When GGPoker introduced paid time banks, people weren’t exactly pleased, but that was different. In that case, you paid for time, and the price was split among players. In this case, your payment for Hand Reveal goes straight in ClubWPT Gold’s bank account, and you gain tons of information.
Now, hear what the poker community is saying.
Nearly Unanimous Backlash Over Hand Reveal Feature
Those feelings you have about this feature—are unanimously felt by the poker community. If you cruise Twitter for opinions, you'll see sweeping outrage over this feature. Let's see what some professionals have to say.
First we have Brian Rast’s take, which carries some extra weight due to his status:
Even Martin Kabrhel weighed in, wondering if this was an April Fools prank:
Negreanu wondered the same thing:
Phenom Poker speculated about the root cause of the problem, but didn’t miss the chance to grab at a bit of market share either
Shaun Deeb might not use punctuation, but his point about Hand Reveal still stands:
Rob Kuhn has gone on a Twitter crusade about the Hand Reveal issue, holding nothing back. He’s already described ClubWPT Gold’s new feature as:
- “One of the most absurd updates in poker history.”
- “How is this real life?”
- “Not only is this just purely unethical, it's the biggest cash grab of all.”
- “They are taking away the only thing that makes poker special/very difficult, incomplete information.”
- “You can't just kill the core principle of the game and think it's fine.”
Will ClubWPT Gold Change or Remove the Hand Reveal Feature?
From professional players to regs on Twitter, many are calling for ClubWPT Gold to remove the Hand Reveal feature—or at least revise it. Even their ambassador, Doug Polk, said he’s in talks with ClubWPT Gold to think twice about how this is applied.
If the feature isn’t removed due to boycotting and backlash, there are some ways ClubWPT Gold could change Hand Reveal.
One proposed solution is to divide the cost of Hand Reveal among the players, similar to how GGPoker distributes the cost of extra time banks. At least, this wouldn’t feel like such a cash grab from the room. However, Hand Reveal would still remove a precious element of the game (the mystery of unknown information).
As it stands, poker fans aren’t happy with Hand Reveal. When they browse online poker sites, this is going to be a mark against ClubWPT Gold, not for it.
Do Any Other Poker Sites Have Hand Reveal Features?
Everyone’s up in arms about ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Reveal, but is it the only feature of its kind?
- CoinPoker currently runs Show Tables, where hands are revealed by default on the river. But the major difference is that the table rule is applied unanimously, there’s no payment to the site, and the reveal affects every hand dynamic in the same way. But on ClubWPT Gold, those three points can’t be made.
- Bovada, Bodog, and Ignition reveal hands in cash games, tournaments, and SNGs, but they’ll take 24 hours to show up in hand histories. Every single hand at the table gets revealed, but the time delay means this info isn’t something that can be used against them in the moment. But even if players didn’t enter the hand preflop, you’ll see their cards.
