This might be one of the biggest weeks for ClubWPT Gold in the site’s short history. Following many months of anticipation, the operator has finally expanded its game offering with Pot Limit Omaha, while confirming plans to also open to players from Canada (excluding Quebec) next week.
On Tuesday, October 21, ClubWPT Global went into maintenance mode for a few hours, temporarily suspending all ring game tables. When it came back online, PLO games were added to the mix, much to the delight of many players who had been asking for them since the launch.
As for Canada, that development is still in a holding pattern, but it seems things are mostly going according to plan. The launch date was originally set for this week, but the site’s recent social media post moved the line to next week, so Canadians will have to wait just a little bit longer to test their skills against the Americans.
Four-Card Action at ClubWPT Gold
The addition of Pot Limit Omaha has been long looming at ClubWPT Gold. Players have been asking for it, and it was just a matter of time. It certainly took longer than expected, with several tentative deadlines broken in the process, but the old adage better late than never certainly holds true in this case.
To celebrate the occasion, Doug Polk, one of ClubWPT Gold’s best-known ambassadors, took it to stream, putting in the second session of his latest challenge. It was an excellent opportunity for Polk to put in some much-needed hands, showcase the new game in action, and answer some of his viewers’ questions.
While the operator’s software isn’t without its faults, the PLO rollout came with an interesting anti-collusion feature, where players’ hole cards are only revealed to them once it’s their turn to act. This was met with mixed reactions, as it does help prevent collusion to some extent, but it also shortens the time to think about the hand.
On the other hand, the PLO rollout didn’t exactly go without a glitch. Following the software update, players experienced crashes, empty lobbies, and surprising geolocation errors. These issues put a bit of a damper on the big moment, and the ball is now back in the developers’ court to track and fix these problems as quickly as possible.
Canada Launch Postponed, but Coming
Following its transition from the dual currency model, ClubWPT Gold confirmed that it would be expanding to Canada. Originally, it was planned for the PLO launch and Canada expansion to happen around the same time, but a brief post from the operator on its X account announced that the second deadline was pushed to next week.
Although the push may be a bit frustrating for those who were eagerly anticipating the Canada launch, it is probably worth the wait to make sure everything gets done right. When it finally happens, it will be a major development, as ClubWPT Gold will become the only sweepstakes poker site to combine US and Canada player pools, following Global Poker’s recent departure from the market.
Both the Canada expansion and the switch from the traditional sweeps model are aimed at growing and maintaining player liquidity on the site. With the introduction of the new model, ClubWPT Gold hopes to bypass anti-sweeps laws that were passed by several states. This would allow the operator to stay active in California past January 1, 2026, and potentially come back to certain markets like New York.
If things go to plan, the site will start accepting Canada online poker players next week, except those from Quebec. As for the operator’s plans for other states that have pushed against sweepstakes poker, they are keeping things close to the vest, not making any firm promises or deadlines, but the chatter coming from those close to the company, including Doug Polk, seems quite optimistic.
