Way back in 2024, Avr0ra and Brdz1 compiled a ranking of poker rooms.
Since then, the market has changed significantly. New poker platforms have emerged, some old ones have lost ground, many rooms have tightened their grip on professional play, and bots have proliferated.
Avr0ra has joined Yuriy Joyyyyy, an active player and coach working with players from NL100 to NL2K, in an updated ranking.
How Do They Rate Poker Sites?
Avr0ra: You can evaluate platforms in different ways. It all depends on your goals. If I were a VIP, I'd probably only play on GG. But from a professional standpoint, GG probably wouldn't rank very highly.
Let's look at it from the perspective of someone who plays NL50 and is already a pro or aspires to be one. That is, the main goal is not just to have fun, but to earn money from the game.
Yuri: We'll use NL50 as a baseline, but some rooms require caveats. Some sites are much better suited to high stakes, while others are better suited to low stakes.
WPT Global: Deep-Stack Play & Odd Treatment of Regulars
Avr0ra: Two years ago, I was a huge WPT Global hater because I was personally scammed there. There was blatantly unfair play and team play. The situation seems to have improved now.
Professional players are performing well. A more or less functional security team has been established and they're looking for bots. A friend of mine even received a large bounty for his help improving cheat detection algorithms. I've gone from being a hardcore hater to a moderate skeptic. But I still don't feel good about professional play at WPT Global.
If you win a lot, they might just stop showing you certain tables. I don't think they ban players out of hand these days, but I still don't have much confidence.
Yuri: There's another very important feature. For example, NL50 on WPT Global can be played with mandatory straddle and very deep stacks—400, 500, sometimes up to 1,000 big blinds.
Essentially, it's a different discipline. Players are used to the standard 100BB, but here, unusual decisions constantly arise. For someone just entering NL50, this is a significant additional burden.
Avr0ra: But that's a skill issue, not the poker room itself. If the expected value is good, you can learn to play deep stacks.
Yuri: Of course. For an experienced player who enjoys deep games, WPT Global is truly unique. But I wouldn't choose it as my first main room at NL50. Plus, there's no HUD. There's segregation: a winning player might not be shown certain tables.
Avr0ra: Although if you start a table yourself, an amateur might still join you. It's at least a relatively fair way to limit professional play. However, you can't put it in A-tier due to the lack of connection to the regular player community.
Yuri: That's why it's B-tier. You can find value there, but it's a niche platform.
Chico Network: High Rake & Fierce Competition
Avr0ra: Chico was great back in my day. It's gotten a lot worse now. They're constantly cutting rakeback and raising the rake.
That said, they don't crack down on professional play at all. You can win, withdraw money, and they don't usually ban you arbitrarily. The main drawback for me is the very high rake. There used to be a solid B-tier, but it's gotten much worse in the two years since my last review.
Yuri: Chico's prime is long gone. The lobby is now anonymous: nicknames appear only after the big blind has been posted. HUDs are enabled, the software is decent, and players are quickly improving. However, the competition among regulars is fierce. At NL50, the high rake is especially noticeable. Ultimately, Chico remains a viable room, but it might not even be in the top ten in terms of profitability.
Avr0ra: What about the bots?
Yuri: I would generally assume that by 2026, bots will be present to some degree almost everywhere. There are relatively few of them in Chico, perhaps due to the high competition among regulars.
Avr0ra: Then we'll leave it in the B-tier. It's definitely not up to A, but putting it in C would also be wrong.
RedStar Poker & iPoker: Good Game, But Bots Exist
Avr0ra: I never really liked iPoker. It's definitely not any better now. Even when we have good conditions at RedStar, players often come and say it's impossible to play. Anonymous lobbies, scripts, extremely tough competition for seats, and long-running aggressive bots that the room ignores.
Yuri: For me, on the contrary, iPoker is one of my favorite rooms. I have some of my best results there.
The main difficulty is actually seating. The lobby is anonymous, so you have to check the tables manually. Scripters have an advantage. It's hard to get good seats during prime time. And yes, there are some notorious aggressive bots. They play roughly 32/27 with a very high three-bet frequency and constantly apply pressure. But all this is partially compensated by the quality of the recreational players. The fish at iPoker are truly good.
The rake is above average, but it's mitigated by stable rakeback. Plus, iPoker Tools is customizable and the software is generally user-friendly.
Avr0ra: What bothers me more is that these bots have been playing for years. WPT at least tries to do something, but here it seems like the room has simply given up.
Yuri: From a player's perspective, the situation is still viable. I'd always choose iPoker over WPT Global.
Avr0ra: Then B-tier. Conceptually, it's quite similar to Chico.
Winning Poker Network: Low Rake, but Less Decent Action
Avr0ra: Two years ago, I rated WPN quite highly. Now it's gotten worse.
The good news is that they've actually cleaned up the bots. There are fewer of them now, and the security team is trying to get things done. However, there have been more reports of bans and confiscations. Connecting to the room is difficult. Meanwhile, the rake is low and the HUD works.
Yuri: Probably the main advantage of WPN is the rake. Of the major rooms, only PokerStars can boast something similar.
The lobby is open. But the main problem is the almost complete lack of recreational players. There are too many regulars playing for status and rakeback. If you're looking to hit the American prime time, WPN makes sense as a secondary room. But as the only NL50 platform, it's questionable.
You should also consider the security audits. I have friends who record a two or three-hour session at WPN's request: their desk, camera, keyboard, and the room. If anything isn't right, they might ask for a re-recording.
Avr0ra: On the other hand, for an honest professional it's already good that the security service exists at all.
Yuri: Yes. But going through such a test just for a few extra tables is a dubious pleasure.
The result is a B-tier room.
BCPoker: A Slow Start, but Making Progress
Avr0ra: It's more difficult for me here. I haven't played there myself. I know that BCPoker invests heavily in advertising and pays its affiliates generously, which is why they're recommended everywhere these days. But a high affiliate payout doesn't necessarily indicate the quality of the game.
Yuri: At the start, BCPoker was a very strange product. It ran in a browser, and every time you sat down at NL2 or higher, you had to turn on your webcam and undergo biometric verification. This was practically unplayable in multi-table play: every time you changed tables, you had to turn your head in front of the camera again. And the lobby looked suspicious.
Five people with VPIP 90 would suddenly sit down, a sixth would jump in, and they'd play crazy multiway games for 30 to 40 minutes and then all disappear at once. This didn't inspire confidence.
But then BCPoker seriously redesigned the product. They removed the constant checks, cleaned up the lobby, invested in advertising, and started actively promoting esports. Now they have a dedicated client. I consider it a fully functional room. It's young and niche, but the room's progress is obvious.
Avr0ra: According to our statistics, people win there too. It's just worth understanding why it's so heavily promoted: BCPoker is very generous with its affiliate commissions. However, that doesn't make it a bad room.
So, back to B-tier.
Club Apps: Don't Use Them Without Experience
Avr0ra: I've always been skeptical of apps and a supporter of traditional rooms. Last time, we tried to evaluate them somehow. Now, maybe we shouldn't even put them in the same category.
If a newcomer is simply invited to play for some unknown club, I would say don't go.
Yuri: Over the past two years, apps have gotten significantly worse. PokerBros remained a stable option for a long time: clear rake, clear expectations. Now almost all the major alliances have closed, and there's literally just one left.
There are a huge number of bots on ClubGG, PPPoker, and other apps. Without experience, I wouldn't even bother.
Avr0ra: There are closed local clubs where the game remains strong. For example, a club might only accept residents of Israel or Cyprus, screen each participant, and operate by invitation only.
Yuri: Yes, but that's a whole different story. If we're talking about a simple, open invitation to join a club, the likelihood of a successful outcome is slim.
In the general tier list, apps go to C-tier.
Stake Poker: From Hidden Gem to Regular Browser Room
Avr0ra: Stake once offered me a very large ambassador contract. I told them they needed to get their security system in order first. They don't have a separate poker security service, it's shared with the casino. After this conversation, they promised to call back and disappeared.
The rake is high. HUDs are prohibited. Connecting to the room is practically impossible, and the poker section on the site is very difficult to find.
However, the recreational players can be incredible.
Yuri: A year and a half ago, Stake was completely new. Browser-only, max NL100, nine-max only. Sometimes I'd look at the table and not understand what was going on: huge stacks, people playing practically every hand. We even regularly contacted support back then to add higher limits and short-handed tables.
A few months later, NL200 and NL500, five-max and eight-max, were introduced. Then they launched a million-dollar jackpot. For a while, it was a real gem. The jackpot could hit three or four times a month. But the money from the jackpot fund was draining faster than it was being replenished and the conditions were changed. Later, they removed affiliate bonuses, made the lobby anonymous, and the number of regulars increased significantly.
And most importantly, for NL50, the commission is 7%. With such a rake, I wouldn't recommend this limit at all without very strict table selection.
Avr0ra: And there is no longer a separate poker rakeback.
Yuri: Yes. Bottom line: browser-based play, high rake, inconvenient multi-tabling, intense competition, and an anonymous lobby. Sometimes you get a great recreational player, but nowhere near as often as a year ago.
Avr0ra: That doesn't sound very good.
Yuri: Furthermore, active table selection can result in a ban, and since the casino shares its support service, proving anything will be virtually impossible.
B-tier, and without much enthusiasm.
GGPoker: Best Poker Site for Amateurs, Controversial One for Pros
Avr0ra: The strengths are obvious: a huge global player pool, excellent software, tons of recreational players, and tournaments with huge guarantees. If I were a VIP and just wanted to enjoy the game, I'd probably only choose GGPoker.
But from the perspective of a professional cash game player in our region, the situation is different. There's PVI, a huge rake that's partially recouped through the loyalty program, and the platform itself controls how much to recoup per player. And most importantly, it's too harsh on professional play.
If a new account starts winning well, you might simply get a message that the room no longer needs that client. They'll refund your money but won't let you play anymore.
Yuri: I've never played there seriously myself. I was always put off by the fact that the rake is taken preflop.
But player reviews vary. For a grinder who doesn't like multi-table play, GGPoker is convenient. There are plenty of games at all limits. You can make a large amount of money and participate in leaderboards. Sometimes it's not so much the tables themselves that create the appeal, but the leaderboards and jackpots.
Avr0ra: That's why you need to play it as your main room. If you table-select and generate little rake, you won't get much return, and you could even get banned for selecting. There are players with very good results. The field is truly excellent.
But I wouldn't recommend "go to GG and become a pro" right now. If we're talking about Asian or European tournaments, that's a different story, as they don't crack down on selection as drastically there.
Yuri: New accounts from Russia can also quickly receive serious checks with sessions recorded on camera.
Avr0ra: It's almost like bookmaker logic: there are already plenty of regulars, and the room doesn't particularly want new winning clients. In the context of this rating, GG ends up in C-tier, although in terms of product quality for the recreational player, it is one of the undisputed market leaders.
CoinPoker: Top Contender for the Best Poker Room
Avr0ra: It's logical to discuss CoinPoker after GG. They're currently the two flagships, and Coin has largely followed the same path. They take a huge rake, then return some to players through leaderboards, races, and other mechanics. But for now, CoinPoker is much more transparent about this than GG.
We have an old conference where players and Coin representatives communicate. Many of the platform's employees were former professional players themselves. And they actually delivered on most of their promises. The concept goes something like this: the room keeps some of the money, returns some to amateurs through promotions, and leaves the rest available for regulars to win. On a large scale, the system has so far worked pretty well.
There are problems. The rake at high stakes is huge. Bots are constantly trying to get in. But at least they're being fought. Communication is good, and honest players aren't usually banned without reason. And the regulars' results are excellent. For me, that's a solid A-tier.
Yuri: A new era began after the transition to the new client. At first, everyone was given practically 100% rakeback, so the lobby was filled with regs. The new software was slow, and the filters were poor.
Then they removed 100%, some regulars left, and amateurs appeared. There was a period when even at NL500 there were two fish. Then they banned third-party HUDs, leaving their built-in one in place. Rakeback was cut again, and traffic dropped slightly. But the high-stakes game remains. After VIP games were closed at GG, some regulars migrated there.
Avr0ra: They like to joke about Coin: there are six regulars at the table, and three more waiting in line. But there are still some amateurs there.
And most importantly: if you're a good, honest player, they'll probably just let you play. That's a rare virtue these days. Maybe even an S-tier?
Yuri: I'd leave it at A. The system is too dependent on how the room distributes the collected rake. The conditions are good today, but tomorrow they can be changed with a single decision.
Avr0ra: Agreed. Top of the A-tier.
Why are bots almost everywhere now?
The conversation about Coin turned into a more general debate about bots.
Yuri: Banning HUDs is the biggest help to bots. It makes it harder for a live player to spot them statistically.
Avr0ra: But at least Coin is trying to ban. It's not like bots can play freely for years and no one does anything.
In general, security services are constantly lagging behind bot developers by several years. Nowadays, good bots no longer try to imitate GTO. They play a hard exploit and can simply look like a very strong regular.
There are people who hunt such bots themselves and beat them.
Yuri : If you're selective, the presence of bots in the room doesn't make your EV negative. Yes, bots reduce it, they have an aggressive strategy and don't tire, but the EV still remains.
Avr0ra: The problem is that the platforms are fighting against player selection. They're not happy with you only playing with VIPs.
Yuri : They fight against the selection and are several steps behind the bots.
Avr0ra: Who's having it easy these days? It's 2026!
QQPoker: When a Good Game Becomes a Trap
Avr0ra: I hate QQPoker. I consider them the worst version of WPT Global. They sponsor Triton, but I don't trust them. There was a promotion where everyone at Triton wore QQPK patches in exchange for 10% extra rakeback, but in the end nobody got anything. So I can't say anything good about them.
Yuri: For the sake of completeness, it's still worth adding to the ranking as it occupies its own niche. For a while, it was considered playable. But then information surfaced that the high-stakes NL2K to NL5K games were a scam. At first, players were lured in with good lineups, but then the unfair play began.
Avr0ra: Basically, it was a scam.
Yuri: A clear candidate for C-tier. Though GGPoker doesn't look like a C-tier right now, it's still a winning room. Should we move it?
Avr0ra: You're fighting to keep me from getting banned on GG, thank you. ( laughs ).
PokerStars: Low Traffic, Low Rake and Clear Rules
Avr0ra: I'm a PokerStars fanboy, so it's hard for me to be objective. Yes, it's gotten worse. They completely changed the player selection system and high-stakes cash games are practically dead.
But I've been playing there for sixteen years now, and the same basic thing has always been true: if you're a fair player, you're allowed to play fairly. You won't get banned just for winning too much. There's still action at NL50. I know people who play there consistently, win, and have no plans to quit.
I would put it at the beginning of the A-tier.
Yuri: I agree for NL50. At low stakes, rake is the key factor. And PokerStars remains one of the best. It's comparable only to WPN.
It turns out that PokerStars is a small, niche room by today's standards, with low rake and limited traffic.
But it is at NL50 that the classic path from micro-limits to the top still remains.
Avr0ra: The security service exists and operates more or less predictably. Professional play is not banned. The main drawback for our audience is that it's officially forbidden to play from Russia.
Yuri: If I had the opportunity to play NL50 on Stars, I would. If not Stars, I'd play Coin or a multi-room game.
A-tier, right after CoinPoker.
1win Poker: Decent Games, but Low Trust
Avr0ra: I can't say anything good. For me, it's Stake, only worse.
Yuri: When 1win first launched, the brand didn't have the best reputation as a bookmaker. But in poker, it initially became a small gem. There were some fish, and the software turned out to be quite playable.
The main problem is technical reliability. Every six to eight weeks, a glitch occurs: a player is kicked from the table, and the buy-in gets stuck in the system. Then begins the quest with support. You have to remember the specific table, the approximate time, create a ticket, and prove that the money really wasn't returned.
This happens quite regularly.
Avr0ra: But at least there's some contact with the poker side of 1win, unlike QQPoker. That's probably why the C is higher.
Yuri: Yes, you can play with a decent expectation. You just need to understand the risk. Bottom of the B-tier.
888poker: Revival of the Old Poker Room
Avr0ra: Last time, I gave 888 a hard time. Now I've changed my mind. They've loosened up a bit and improved their security. Players who were previously blocked have, in some cases, been able to get their money back and even restore their accounts. At NL50, the room might still be alive. There are critically few games, but super recreational players occasionally show up.
Yuri: The new client is also much more enjoyable. The lobby is open, the HUD works, and the rake is relatively low.
Avr0ra: The support is terrible. Sometimes you literally have to harass them for weeks to get an answer.
Yuri: There are quite a few recreational players, but if there is a game at NL50, 888 can be good due to the low rake. In general, at this limit, three rooms can be recommended simply because of their low rake: PokerStars, 888poker, and WPN.
Avr0ra: Good rake leaves more room for casual play without extreme table selection.
888poker, B-tier.
Winamax: A Huge Brand with Cash Game Issues
Avr0ra: I'm a closet fan of Winamax. I'd place it somewhere near the bottom of the A-tier. The room seems fairly fair: they don't prohibit professional play, the terms are clear, they offer rakeback, and they have a large European audience. Winamax is huge in terms of overall traffic.
Tournaments can have up to 100,000 entries in certain phase formats. It's one of the largest European rooms. They have a security service. If you play honestly and well, they let you do it. The downsides are the high rake and regional availability.
Yuri: But you're focusing too much on tournament traffic here. The situation in cash games is much more modest.
Winamax also has completely anonymous tables, where nicknames aren't revealed even after you've joined. And that's what holds back some of the action. For a professional, anonymous play is a distinct disadvantage.
If traffic from anonymous tables migrated to a regular open lobby, I'd agree with A-tier. Right now, it's a solid B.
Avr0ra: Okay, you convinced me.
How to Choose Where to Play
Yuri: Years go by, but it's still very difficult for players to add a new room or abandon an old one.
When someone comes to school, they have to break the habit of playing the same set of courts for years. We constantly change the load in search of a more effective setup.
You need to be more flexible.
Another important tip: if you live in an unusual location, be sure to check out local rooms. Sometimes there are sites where you can only register with a local phone number, documents, or a bank card.
This is where the real hidden gems are sometimes found.
Avr0ra: For example, in Sweden there are local options that are practically impossible for a foreigner to access.
What Has Changed Since 2024?
At the end, Avr0ra and Yuri compared the new tier list with the previous version.
Avr0ra: It's certainly subjective. A particular feature will be a plus for one player and a minus for another. But we tried to provide enough information about each room to allow you to make your own decision.
Yuri: The new ranking turned out to be even more interesting than the previous one. Over the past two years, several notable new platforms have emerged and begun to compete with the established ones. That's a good sign.
Avr0ra: In the previous rankings, PokerStars was in the S-tier, PartyPoker was in the A-tier, and Winamax and Chico were also significantly higher. CoinPoker wasn't even on the radar back then. Now we've moved CoinPoker up significantly, and Chico has been pushed down. The market has really changed.
Yuri: And it will continue to change. So don't stick to one room forever. The key for a professional is to monitor the real action availability and adjust the room mix accordingly.
