In our in-depth GGPoker Review, we cover how this operator rocketed to the top tier of global online poker rooms and provide you with in-depth info on everything this site has to offer. As the global partner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), GGPoker established itself as an industry leader in 2020 with the global portion of the online WSOP.
GGPoker will match your first deposit with Bonus Cash up to $600.
CLICK TO CLAIM
Since GGPoker's humble beginnings in 2014 when it was primarily focused on Asian markets, things have changed pretty dramatically as the brand has rapidly expanded and taken the world by storm, quickly becoming the hottest new global online poker site. As the marquee skin on the larger GGNetwork, the brand’s rise in recent years has been nothing short of amazing.
The brand’s growth exploded in 2020 when GGPoker partnered with the World Series of Poker (WSOP). When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the globe, GGPoker stepped up to the plate, providing a platform for the WSOP to move online in 2020, and the results were massive, including the largest online prize pool in history.
The site’s impressive growth and epic tournaments have attracted some of the biggest names in the game to join the GGTeam as brand ambassadors. Among the players that have signed on with the GGPoker brand are Daniel Negreanu, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, Jason Koon, and Fedor Holz. Felipe Ramos leads the brand in the Brazilian market, while Mikhail “Innerpsy” Shalamov and Anatoly Filatov represent the operator in Russia.
As the premier skin on the GGNetwork, GGPoker shares a global player pool across several other skins, including Natural8, making GG a pivotal online partner for major live tours that were forced online during the pandemic. Over the last few years, everything aligned to push GGPoker into the top tier of online poker.
Whether you are unfamiliar with GG or want to see what all the hype is about and see why it is one of the top online poker sites in the world, then you have come to the right place. In our comprehensive GGPoker Review, written by our team of industry experts, we cover:
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the site that has quickly taken the global poker scene by storm.
GGPoker Key Facts | |
---|---|
✨ Main Highlight | The only non-US site where you can win WSOP Gold Bracelets & Circuit Series Rings |
🚀 Date Launched | 2017 |
🤑 Freeplay Bonus | Deposit $20 or more & get up to $100 in rewards |
💰 Deposit Match Bonus | 100% up to $600 |
🙌 Promos & Features | Honeymoon Promo for new players, Overlay Bot, Spin & Gold, Daily Freebies, Bubble Protection |
🏆 GGPoker Tournaments | Official WSOP satellites & bracelet events, GG World Festival, Bounty Hunters, mini MillionN$, Spring Circuit |
🕹️ Games | Hold’em, Omaha, and Short Deck, Rush & Cash (fast-fold), All-in or Fold |
🎁 Rewards | Fish Buffet Rewards |
New players at GGPoker have a choice of bonuses to welcome them to the platform. Players can choose between $100 in rewards or a 100% deposit match up to $600.
How to get your GGPoker Welcome Bonus:
It is important to note that GGPoker uses the net rake model. The calculation of the total rake paid is influenced by tournament overlays, payment fees, and other factors, so the amount of rake you pay may be different from the total amount used to calculate the bonus playthrough.
The best way to keep track is by using Fish Buffet points. You are awarded 100 points for every $1 in net rake paid, so every time you collect 2000 Fish Buffet points, you will unlock $5 in bonus funds.
If you choose the other welcome bonus option, you will need to make a deposit of at least $20 and then in lieu of the deposit match, you will get up to $100 in rewards. GGPoker will give you $52.50 worth of All-in or Fold tickets, with the opportunity to earn $47.50 more in cash.
AoF tickets are distributed as follows:
GGPoker All-in or Fold (AoF) Tickets | |
---|---|
Day 1 | 4 tickets worth $11 in total |
Day 2 | 4 tickets worth $6.50 in total |
Day 3 | 4 tickets worth $6.50 |
Day 4 | 4 tickets worth $6.50 in total |
Day 5 | 4 tickets worth $6.50 |
Day 6 | 4 tickets worth $15.50 in total |
To get the extra cash, you will need to join All-in or Fold tables (AoF) and play the designated number of hands every day. With each new milestone you reach, you will unlock the next reward.
GGPoker AoF Challenge | ||
---|---|---|
Day 1 | Play 100 AoF hands | Claim $2.50 |
Day 2 | Play 500 AoF hands | Claim $10 |
Day 3 | Play 100 AoF hands | Claim $2.50 |
Day 4 | Play 500 AoF hands | Claim $10 |
Day 5 | Play 100 AoF hands | Claim $2.50 |
Day 6 | Play 1000 AoF hands | Claim $10 |
Finally, if you successfully complete all six challenges in six days, you will receive an additional $10 in cash.
So, the total value of this bonus package is $100, provided you manage to clear all the challenges. Even if you do not hit all the targets, any extra cash you manage to unlock along the way is yours to keep.
The room also runs special limited-time bonus promotions on top of the bonus, so be sure to check the current promos on the GGPoker website when creating your account.
Additionally, every new player on the site is invited to participate in the 30-Day Honeymoon Challenge. Once you have completed the registration process, opt into the Honeymoon promo, complete the daily challenges, and reap up to $350 worth of rewards. It’s a great way to get to know the site and explore its features while being rewarded to do so. Full details are below in the 'Promos’ Section of our GGPoker Review.
Get in line for the Fish Buffet. The Fish Buffet program is how GGPoker rewards its frequent players. Earn up to 60% cashback just by playing poker or casino games.
The Fish Buffet is your chance to earn cashback just by playing poker. Yes, it’s that easy! On average, for every $1 spent on poker rake or tournament fees, players earn 100 Fish Buffet Points (FP). Actual points may vary depending on factors such as game type. Players also earn FPs by wagering on casino games.
Players start as Plankton and work their way up the food chain to Shark based on the number of points they earn. The higher up the food chain you go, the more rewards you’ll earn in the form of cashback and free tickets.
The highest cashback level is 60% for the premier GGPlatinum level, with lower Platinum levels paying out from 35% to 55%. Platinum level players also qualify for Flat Cashback Weekly Payout while lower levels spin for their prizes.
Players can choose to move up or down the ranks, choosing rewards that best suit their play style and volume. For example, all Octopi, Crabs, and Shrimps can switch to Platinum Fish, while all Whales can switch to Platinum Octopus. Equally, you can move down — a Platinum Fish can drop back to Bronze Shrimp to work for a higher level, and a Platinum Octopus can move down to Bronze Whale.
Start your journey up the poker food chain. With the new Fish Buffet, you can go from Plankton to Platinum Shark in no time.
Something that many players do not know is that GGPoker uses the Player Value Index (or PVI for short) when calculating your rake contribution. What this means is that the exact amount paid in rake does not necessarily have to correspond with the amount of rake calculated by the room.
Nobody knows exactly how the PVI works, as the company keeps it under wraps. What is known is that there are several different tiers and the rake contribution will depend on the tier the player is placed into.
In a nutshell, you could pay $1000 in rake, for example, but the room will only count it as $600 or $700 (on the low end) or as much as $1300+ (on the high end).
Again, the whole system is not very transparent, but the gist of it is that casual and losing players generally get a higher PVI, while winning regulars are stuck with a lower PVI. This is important because the index also influences the collection of Fish Buffet points, which directly influences the amount of rakeback one can expect to receive.
GGPoker is not the only poker site to use this system. Many operators have adopted a similar approach in recent years, looking to balance things and offset casual players’ losses by providing them with better rewards.
Whether the PVI system is fair or not? The jury is still out on that one and trying to answer that question would make this GGPoker review far too long.
GGPoker offers a wide range of promos, including leaderboards and daily prizes. The operator also offers special limited-time promotions that are time-sensitive, so be sure to check the main GGPoker webpage to see what current promos are available and to find any currently active GGPoker bonus codes.
There is nothing tournament players love more than a good overlay and, while this is not an ideal situation for any poker room, GGPoker has decided to embrace the variance and go with the flow with its latest feature, the Overlay Bot.
The operator added this feature to its Discord server and the bot lets all the players on the server know when there is a tournament with an overlay about to run and the registration is about to close. This is a great way to find some extra value for MTT grinders. To learn more about the GG Poker Overlay Bot, click here.
GGPoker welcomes new players in style with its rather unique, entertaining, and quite rewarding Honeymoon Promo. This promotion offers up to $350 worth of free stuff, so those new to the site really reap special benefits while they explore and get to know the site. It really is a proper honeymoon period.
To get started, you will need to opt into the promo. This is easy enough to do from your GGPoker account, and there is even a special floating icon reminding new players to get involved. Click “Start Honeymoon” on the home page, and you are all set. You will not need to use a GGPoker bonus code to start your honeymoon.
Once you have opted in, you will get access to daily missions. Completing these will unlock access to *special rewards, ranging from Spin & Gold tickets to tournament dollars to straight-up cash.
There are 30 missions in total and several thresholds along the way. Naturally, missions heighten as you progress, but so do the rewards for the next milestone. To give you an idea of what to expect, it could be as simple as showing your hand after winning a pot without a showdown or playing a certain number of hands at PLO tables.
The total value of the Honeymoon promo will depend on the number of missions you get to complete within 30 days. This is how things break down:
GGPoker Honeymoon for Newcomers | |
---|---|
Complete 3 missions | Get 2x $0.50 AoF Sit & Go tickets |
Complete 5 missions | Receive a $2.50 satellite ticket to Global Million$ |
Complete 7 missions | Claim 10 AoF SNG tickets worth $0.50 each |
Complete 10 missions | Receive 1x $5 Omaholic Million$ satellite ticket |
Complete 15 missions | Receive $14 in tournament dollars (T$) |
Complete 20 missions | Get another $20 in cash |
Complete 23 missions | Claim a $50 ticket to $1MM GTD Global Million$ |
Complete 24 missions | Grab T$50 |
Complete 25 missions | $52.50 ticket to Omaholic Bounty Quarter Million$ |
Complete all 30 missions | Receive final $150 in cash |
Remember that you need to manually opt into the Honeymoon promotion and do so within seven days from first signing up at GGPoker. If you do not do it within this time frame, the promo will expire and will no longer be available to you.
Every day, players are eligible for the Daily Freebie simply by signing into their GGPoker account. To get your Daily Freebie, all you need to do is log in at least once per day and then claim your freebie from the promo section.
Daily Freebie Rewards:
Monday | $.25 Spin & Gold Ticket |
Tuesday | 5 x $.05 Flip $ Go Tickets |
Wednesday | $.25 Spin & Gold Ticket |
Thursday | 5 x $.05 Flip $ Go Tickets |
Friday | $.25 Spin & Gold Ticket |
Saturday | $1 Spin & Gold Ticket |
Sunday | 5 x $.05 Flip $ Go Tickets |
Those with some time on their hands and looking to put in a serious grind are going to love the GGPoker Spin & Gold Challenge. It is a fairly time-consuming promo, but if you are about to put in a big session anyways, why not earn some extra cash along the way?
The main goal of these challenges is to collect the requisite number of gold coins to receive your reward. The time spent on the grind, the buy-in of the tournaments, as well as your finishing position determine the number of gold coins you receive at the end of every Spin & Gold.
There are all sorts of challenges to choose from, so you can pick the one that seems realistic and you believe you can finish. The toughest challenge requires you to play eight hours straight and collect 35,000 in gold, but the biggest prize you can claim is $500, so it is worth the effort.
It is important to note that once you opt into a particular challenge, you are locked in. Of course, you are free to stop the challenge at any time, but all gold coins collected up to that point will be lost.
To entice players to register for tournaments before they start, GGPoker has come up with an interesting promotion — if you register for a tournament early and end up busting on the dead bubble, i.e. just short of making money, you will still receive your buy-in back.
All the tournaments with this feature turned on have a “Bubble Protection” stamp next to them and the protection is available for a majority of popular events on GGPoker. The number of protected players depends on the field size, as follows.:
The maximum number of bubble protections active in a single tournament is 10 for the events featuring fields with 10,000 or more entries.
As you probably know, GGPoker has partnered up with the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to be its online partner for the rest-of-the-world market. Thus, GG is the only poker site outside of the US that gives you a chance to compete for real-life WSOP gold bracelets and WSOP Circuit rings.
GGPoker has been hosting the online leg of the World Series of Poker for the international market, including the WSOP 2023. The tournament schedule grows every year, giving players more chances at a bracelet and adding new poker variations to the mix.
The operator also hosts online WSOPC events, where players can compete for WSOP rings and generous prizes in a variety of tournaments scattered throughout the year.
Any GGPoker review would not be complete without mentioning the great number of special jackpots you can win while playing on the site. This adds some extra excitement to the sessions and gives everyone a chance to win big with a single (un)lucky hand.
There are Leaderboards galore on GGPoker so, no matter what you play, you can likely compete for extra prizes through the Leaderboards. Play for the top of the board in cash games like Rush & Cash, Hold’em, Omaha, and Short Deck, as well as in tournament formats like Spin & Gold, and Flip & Go, with Leaderboard values up to $50,000.
Looking to become the leader in the international online poker scene, GGPoker has employed the help of numerous high-profile ambassadors. The biggest name backing the brand at the moment is Daniel Negreanu, former main ambassador for PokerStars. Negreanu has certainly helped the brand grow and expand its global reach.
Other names on the GGTeam roster include Bertrand 'ElkY’ Grospellier, Jason Koon, Fedor Holz, Anatoly Filatov, and several other very strong, if not as well-known players.
Looking at GGPoker on its own, there is a lot that this poker room has to offer players of all stakes and sizes. But GG is certainly not the only option on the market and the operator has some very strong competition from the likes of PokerStars and partypoker.
Let’s see how GGPoker stacks up against the main competitors in the most important aspects, such as the welcome bonuses, quality of promotions, variety of games, the GGPoker app vs other apps, and more.
As of right now, PokerStars and GGPoker are virtually neck-and-neck for the position of the global online poker leader. PokerStars still holds the title for the most part, but GGPoker did manage to pull off what no other operator has been able to do — dethrone PokerStars. Even though its lead didn’t last, it still proved that it was a force to be reckoned with. So, how do these two giants compare when put side to side?
Welcome bonuses from both operators are quite similar. The standard depositor’s package is 100% up to $600 on both sites. However, the second option, geared towards more recreational players, is different.
PokerStars offers straight-up $30 worth of free play upon a deposit, while GGPoker features over $50 worth of tickets and the chance to earn $47.50 extra. Those looking to boost up their bankroll from a small deposit will find more value at GGPoker.
Both operators have very good MTT schedules, but PokerStars still maintains the lead in this department. That said, with GGPoker’s partnership with the World Series of Poker, the operator provides opportunities to win WSOP bracelets and rings, and it is the only room outside of the US to offer this.
Both sites have great software solutions and mobile apps, but GGPoker takes the win in this department. With all the extra options and features, such as the staking platform and the in-game Smart HUD, this is probably the best online poker platform out there.
partypoker is another major name in the online poker industry, but it is fair to say that GGPoker has already surged ahead in all important aspects.
The welcome offer at partypoker is almost identical to the one available at PokerStars, so GGPoker offers more value overall for recreational and small-stakes players.
While partypoker has a decent tournament schedule in its own right, GGPoker’s offering is more robust and comprehensive. There is much more variety and a better spread of buy-ins.
Looking at the software, GGPoker takes an overall win, but we must give credit where credit is due — partypoker has revamped its mobile app taking things to a whole new level. Thus, those players who spend a lot of time playing on their phones might find a slightly better experience with partypoker.
GGPoker has some of the best tournaments in the online game right now. As the global home for brands like WSOP, including the WSOP Online Circuit Series, the operator deals some of the biggest online games you’ll find anywhere.
In addition to massive series from its big partner brands, GGPoker runs regular weekly series such as the GGMasters and MILLION$.
After successfully hosting the first-ever international leg of the WSOP Online series in 2020, GGPoker launched the 2021 WSOP Online, featuring 33 events from August 1 to September 12.
Overall, the series was a huge success. It generated over $90 million in prizes and brought in over $4.5 million in profits for the operator.
The numbers dropped in comparison to 2020, but this was expected. There were fewer events on this year’s schedule, but individual tournaments were still quite solid, averaging around $2.7 million in prizes.
The Main Event, which featured a $20,000,000 guarantee, fell short by around $500,000. The room tried to save the situation by introducing more starting flights, but by the time registration was over, the tournament still failed to reach its guarantee. Despite this small bump on the road, the 2021 WSOP Online was still a major win for GGPoker.
GGMasters is a weekly series of freezeout games with regular buy-ins of $25 with bigger games on weekends.
Tournament | Day | Structure | Buy-In | Guarantee |
---|---|---|---|---|
GGMasters Double Stack | Monday-Saturday | Freezeout | $25 | $20k to $30k |
GGMasters Asia | Monday-Saturday | Freezeout | $25 | $15k to $20k |
GGMasters Bounty | Monday-Saturday | Freezeout | $25 | $35k to $50k |
GGMasters Fast | Monday-Saturday | Freezeout | $25 | $15k to $20k |
GGMasters Bounty Turbo | Monday-Saturday | Freezeout | $25 | $20k |
GGMasters Daily | Monday-Saturday | Freezeout | $25 | $40k to $50k |
GGMasters Bonus Bounty | Saturday | Freezeout | $105 | $100k |
GGMasters | Sunday | Freezeout | $150 | $500,000 |
GGMasters High Rollers | Sunday | Freezeout | $1,050 | $750k |
GGMasters Bounty | Sunday | Freezeout | $315 | $500k |
Every Saturday, players have a chance to Beat the Pros. For a $210 buy-in, players can sit down with some of the best in the game. If you manage to eliminate any of the Pros (look for nicknames in blue, yellow, or purple to identify your targets), you’ll be awarded a free ticket to the $5,000 Beat the Pros Winners’ Freeroll.
The Winners’ Freeroll ticket will be for the following week and starts at the same time as the main game. Beat the Pros is your chance to play against your poker heroes and win a nice bounty for successfully eliminating one.
The MILLION$ is a weekly tournament series with more than $4 million guaranteed at 4 different levels. In addition to the Global MILLION$, detailed below, there is also Zodiac MILLION$ in the Asian market with ¥1,000,000 guaranteed for ¥210 entry fee.
The Flip & Go format is unique to GGPoker. Players can choose to buy in with one to eight stacks and the tournaments start with a skill-based flip-out portion at the beginning where players are dealt three cards and have 30 seconds to discard one. From that point on, every hand is automatically all-in, and the winner of each table is already in the money.
Once table winners have been determined from the all-in phase, the remaining players are all in the money. From there, the game plays like a normal tournament where players start with an average of 40 big blinds. Flip & Go is a great way to spice up your regular tournament schedule with a faster-paced game.
Spin & Gold is GGPoker’s version of a jackpot sit & go format. These three-handed, hyper-turbo games have a few twists at GG though. The biggest switch-up may be the Insurance feature.
Generally, spinning a 2x prize in a jackpot format is a losing proposition. In GG’s Spin & Gold, however, spinning a 2x prize pool immediately activates the insurance feature which, if players chose to opt-in at the start, pays back the buy-in and insurance cost, rendering the game an effective freeroll.
The other main difference with Spin & Gold is a flatter prize structure. The prizes for the lower buy-in games remain a winner-takes-all affair, but the 10x and 25x prize pool levels payout two spots, and, for the biggest prize pools, all three players are guaranteed to get money out of the game*.
Spin & Gold games are as cheap as $.25, and buy-ins go up to $200 with up to $1 million in possible prizes. These are available on the desktop software and GGPoker app, so players can easily play at home or on the go.
GGPoker offers cash games in a variety of formats. Choose between Hold’em, Omaha, Short Deck, the fast-fold format of Rush & Cash, and the innovative All-in or Fold.
In 2020, GGPoker introduced nano stakes, opening up tables with blinds as low as $0.01/0.02. Introducing NL2 and PLO2 games helped the operator further ramp up its cash game action, which has been growing exponentially over the last few years. Adding micro stakes to the mix made GGPoker even more accessible to all players, allowing everyone to try their hand at online poker and start building their bankroll from a very small deposit.
In the regular cash games, as much as $20,000 in extra bonus money is guaranteed through Daily Leaderboards. Both Omaha and Hold’em cash games have $20,000 in extra prizes, while Short Deck cash games have $10,000 added each day for the best performers.
Rush & Cash is GGPoker’s version of the fast-fold cash game. As with other versions of fast-fold, players can opt to fold their cards immediately and move to a new hand, but there’s a twist at GG — players in the Rush & Cash format can earn the equivalent of 65% rake-back through periodic cash drops that randomly add money to pots at the start of the hand.
Rush & Cash is available for as low as $.01/$.02 up to the $1/$2 level, and has both Hold’em and Omaha varieties.
If you are looking for even faster action, All-In or Fold has you covered. In these four-handed games, you only have two options for any given hand — as the name implies, you can either go all-in or fold your hand.
Buy in for eight big blinds, and the action takes off. You can remove chips over eight big blinds from the table to protect your winnings or roll it all into the next hand as you win hands.
Added to the prizes available at the All-In or Fold tables, players have a shot at jackpot prizes with every all-in. The jackpot builds all the time, with 50% of the fee for all games added to the total. To win your share of the jackpot, just hit a straight flush in hold’em (using both your hole cards) or a royal flush in Omaha (using two of your hole cards).
GGPoker runs on some of the best poker software in the business, with innovative features not found on any other platform. Hosting the 2020 WSOP Online helped stabilize the platform with high volume leading to a modern platform that is highly stable.
GG has not sacrificed innovation for stability, though. The GGPoker platform hosts unique features not seen anywhere else, and the GGPoker app is a top-quality product.
The Staking Platform is the biggest innovation on this network. It gives players a new way to sweat the poker action, and this unique feature definitely deserves a few paragraphs in our GGPoker review.
As a Seller, you can sell up to 90% of your action for whatever markup you see fit. For example, if you sell action in a $10 buy-in at a 2x markup, a Buyer can buy 5% of your action for $1. If you cash out for $100 in the tournament, the buyer is entitled to 5% of your winnings, or $5.
As a Buyer, you can scour the Staking boards to buy a piece of friends, rivals, or poker heroes. Buy pieces as small as 1% (or .1% for games bigger than $5,000), or buy up everything on offer, and you’ll have a chance to share in whatever winnings your horse brings in.
Once a stake is purchased, it is generally non-refundable. However, sellers can cancel the sale of action or unregister from the target tournament before the action starts or in cases where the tournament might be canceled for unforeseen circumstances. In these cases, purchased stakes will be refunded.
GGPoker helps make the experience of bubbling a tournament less painful with Bubble Protection. Just register any eligible tournament before it starts, and you are protected from bubbling.
One to 10 players will get their buy-in back in Tournament Dollars (T$), depending on the number of original entries. Bubble Protection is available, regardless of whether you buy in with cash or T$.
Tournaments with Bubble Protection:
GGPoker prohibits the use of third-party applications like Heads Up Displays (HUDs). In lieu of external apps, GG offers its own in-game solution to help boost your play with data on your opponents. The Smart HUD is built right into the GGPoker platform, so it is always there and ready to assist.
GGPoker’s Smart HUD is available for cash games, All-In or Fold, and during Tournaments, each tailored to the specific game. For cash games, your overall record against your rival will be displayed, along with your three biggest hands against them
For All-In or Fold, you will see total jackpot winnings for your opponent, as well as their* latest jackpot hands* and their hand distribution.
For Tournaments, expect to see your opponent’s total tournament winnings, as well as their current leaderboard rankings and results from the last five tournaments they played.
The modern online player hungers for information about their opponents. The Smart HUD provides an in-game way to keep abreast of the villain’s tendencies so you don’t have to bet in the dark.
Withdrawing funds from GGPoker is a very quick, easy, and secure process. GGPoker employs a “closed-loop” deposit and withdrawal strategy whereby players can generally only withdraw using the same method through which they deposited.
GGPoker takes player safety and security very seriously, All withdrawals go through an internal audit process to prevent fraud, identity theft, money laundering, and the financing of terrorism. Furthermore, all players’ funds are kept in segregated accounts
Deposit and withdrawal options vary depending on which region you are playing from, but the options generally include e-wallets, debit/credit cards, Neteller, ecoPayz, Skrill, and Bitcoin. Withdrawals may take up to 72 hours to process but usually are completed within 24 hours of the request. GGPoker adds a $1 processing fee to withdrawals in addition to any fees charged by the organization your withdrawal is headed to.
Generally, players can withdraw up to $20,000 per calendar month, but increasing this amount for big wins is possible. Just contact support to increase the limit or set up a withdrawal plan when you hit the big score!
GGPoker is one of the most-licensed poker sites out there. Over the years, the operator has put in the time and effort to enter numerous regulated markets all over the world, continuing to grow and establish itself as one of the clear global industry leaders. At the time of writing this GGPoker review, the site features licenses to operate in:
The room also has a presence in Estonia and Lithuania through its locally-licensed OlyBet brand and in Armenia through TotoPoker. GGPoker has also obtained a license in Ukraine, but the launch is delayed, awaiting further clarity on taxation rules. The company is expected to obtain a German license as well.
For other markets in Europe that do not have local licenses, GGPoker is regulated by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission and the site also has a Curaçao license.
The operator {n:212118-ggpoker-moves-international-players-over-isle-man-gaming acquired its Isle of Man license in February 2021}, further bolstering its position in European markets. The IOM regulatory approval was important for the platform, confirming it as a safe and fair gambling platform.
From what we have seen over the last few years, we expect this operator to continue growing and expanding into new markets. Poker Industry PRO predicted that 2022 could be the year the operator establishes a presence in Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic. It also predicted GGPoker would launch in the newly regulated Ontario online poker market, which launched in April 2022 — a prophecy that proved to be accurate.
In the UK, GGPoker is licensed and regulated by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) under the license issued to NSUS Limited with account number 47768. This makes GGPoker a perfectly safe and completely legal option for UK players.
GGPoker received the local poker license in the Netherlands in September of 2021, becoming one of ten poker sites to be awarded the license by Kansspelautoriteit, the country’s gaming control board.
Sign up to GGPoker Netherlands»
In Canada, GGPoker operates under its international licenses from the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. Until recently, poker operators had no requirement to acquire a local license anywhere in Canada. This has changed, however, as Ontario became the first Canadian province to regulate online poker, requiring the sites to apply for a license.
GGPoker continues to serve all Canadian players at this point in time. However, the operator has set up an Ontario-specific room, fully licensed and regulated by the provincial authorities.
GGPoker has launched a licensed site in Ontario, allowing Ontario players to continue using the platform, albeit in a segregated market (at least for now). For this move, the company has partnered up with another poker giant, WSOP.
GGPoker Ontario is fully licensed by the iGaming Onatrio and offers a completely legal platform for all players from the province. Ontarians get to enjoy all the different features of the modern platform and mobile app, but they are segregated from the rest of the market for the time being.
Yes! GGPoker is legally authorized to offer online poker and games of chance under its Master License of Gaming Services Provider, N.V. License No.: 365/JAZ — Sub-Licence No: GLH-OCCHKTW0706162019, which is issued by the Government of Curaçao. GGPoker also has licenses for various global player groups through the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission and the UK Gambling Commission.
GGPoker is also legally allowed to process secure financial transactions under its parent company NSUS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, company number: HE396707, registered address: Lykourgou, 38 Athienou, 7600, Larnaca, Cyprus.
To play on GGPoker, players must be at least 18 years old, however, if local laws for online gaming require players in that jurisdiction to be older to participate, the local laws take precedence.
At its own discretion, GGPoker may request proof of age and identity.
People from jurisdictions where online poker and other forms of online gaming are prohibited or otherwise illegal are not allowed to download the GGPoker mobile app or desktop software, open an account, or play on GGPoker. Doing so violates the terms of the User Agreement. Using a VPN to try to circumvent the platform’s geolocation services is also prohibited.
New players get to choose from two GGPoker Welcome Bonus offers. One option is a fairly standard deposit match bonus, similar to what is offered by other rooms, while the other one is a freeplay option geared more towards new or casual players with smaller bankrolls or who are looking to spend less upfront:
The deposit bonus is released in $5 increments for every $20 in rake paid. The other option starts off new players with over $52.50 worth of All-In or Fold tickets with options to win up to $47.50 more in cash playing on All-In or Fold tables. Additionally, all new players can opt into the Honeymoon Bonus promo after signing up, so be sure to look for that.
You can find all the details about the different welcome bonus options in the 'Bonus’ Section of our GGPoker Review.
You will find a rich variety of valuable GGPoker promos on offer across the board. New and existing players can use these to boost their bankrolls and get their hands on some extra cash.
GGPoker’s loyalty rewards program is called Fish Buffet — it is a multi-tiered rewards system, allowing players to earn up to 60% in rakeback. The higher you get in the program, the better rewards you can expect.
Check out the 'Rewards Section’ of our GGPoker Review for all the details about the Fish Buffet program and how it all works.
GGPoker accepts players from most parts of the world except for the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Cuba, Curacao, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Norfolk Island, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, United States of America, Yemen.
Players in countries with segregated player pools, such as France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, are also prohibited from opening an account on GGPoker. However, players in Ontario, Canada can play on the segregated and regulated GGPoker Ontario platform, which launched in April 2022, in partnership with WSOP.
There are currently five states where you can legally play real money poker online — Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Connecticut has also recently approved legislation allowing for regulated online poker, but no operators have gone live there as of yet. Unfortunately, while you can play online poker in these states, you cannot play GGPoker as GG is not yet legal in the United States. If you want to play online poker for real money and are in one of the states in which it is legal, you will have to go with an alternative operator for the time being.
NSUS Group — GGPoker’s parent company — is approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) for an Interactive Gaming Manufacturer license in the state of Pennsylvania. This means a licensed operator can use its software to offer online poker and casino games in the state of Pennsylvania.
There are hopes that GGPoker PA will become a reality in the near future, as it currently has an application pending with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to offer online poker in the state, but, currently, there is no timeline on when this will come to fruition. We certainly hope to hear updates in the near future.
GGPoker is a relative newcomer to the online poker space, having first launched in 2017 in the Asian and then dot-com markets. As such, it is not surprising that GGPoker is still waiting for approval to offer online poker in the US markets, as US online gambling markets are notoriously difficult to navigate, with lots of jumping-through-hoops required. In most states, online gaming operators must partner with a local brick-and-mortar casino in order to obtain a license.
For the company to launch its own brand in PA, it would need an Interactive Gaming Operator’s license and would have to form a partnership with a local land-based casino or one of the approved Qualified Gaming Entities. Alternatively, it could license its software to another operator.
Read our GGPoker Pennsylvania Guide & FAQ for more details.
No. Poker players in the United States cannot sign up at GGPoker at the present time. Those in the US that are hoping to get in on the GGPoker action are, unfortunately, out of luck for the time being, as neither the GGPoker site nor its associated skins are legal to play from the US.
US online poker players are surely eager to get a chance to play on the GGPoker site and see what all the hype is about, so approval can’t come soon enough.
GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu, who lives in the USA, is a high-profile advocate of the site and drums up lots of interest for GGPoker on his social media accounts — a huge following of which will be made up of fellow Americans keen to check out the site. When approval comes, it is sure to be met with a surge of interest from US players.
You can download the GGPoker app or desktop platform via this link. Click through and select the version you need, and the download should start automatically.
Yes, you can absolutely play GGPoker from a Mac computer. GGPoker software is also compatible with PC computers and Android devices.
You can download the GGPoker software here. Here’s how to download the client and get set up:
The use of HUDs or third-party tools, including seating scripts, is strictly prohibited as long as the GGPoker client is running. GGPoker has its own in-house HUD as well as a poker tracking tool called PokerCraft.
You cannot use the _Hold’em Manage_r software while playing on GGPoker. All third-party tools are strictly prohibited, but the online poker operator offers its own tracking and replay tool called PokerCraft.
PokerCraft is available to all players on GGPoker and allows them to filter and analyze every hand they have played on the site. By analyzing the hands that you have played, you can learn to improve your play, and you can even share some fun (or not-so-fun) moments with friends on social media directly from the tool.
GGPoker supports a wide variety of deposit and withdrawal methods, including:
The availability of these payment methods depends on the player’s location. GGPoker also generally uses a 'closed-loop’ payment process, meaning that users will need to use the same method to withdraw their winnings as they initially used to deposit funds.
One of the main attractions is certainly the opportunity to win WSOP rings and bracelets. GGPoker is the only site outside the US that offers players a chance to do so. If you are looking to win some of that prized poker bling, then GG is definitely the place to be.
GGPoker is so much more than just shiny gold jewelry, though. The operator also boasts many unique and innovative features that you won’t find anywhere else in the industry. It touts its own poker analysis and financial tool, PokerCraft, available to all players. The network also has its own built-in HUD with basic statistics on opponents, such as lifetime tournament winnings and win/loss personal record in cash games, preflop playing style, and how frequently a player pushes all-in by table position at AoF tables, etc.
Another cool feature that the network supports is the Tournament Staking platform, where players can sell their tournament action to other players or stake others.
GGPoker also features All-In Insurance, which protects players from a bad beat by insuring their hands.
Additionally, the network also supports
The Player Value Index is a system used by GGPoker to determine how the rake contribution by every individual player is calculated. Players are set in certain value tiers based on their overall record — the amount of play, deposits, withdrawals, etc.
With this system, casual players get more rewards as their rake contribution is calculated at a higher value. Conversely, winning players receive fewer Fish Buffet points for the same amount of rake paid.
The PVI system is a bit controversial, especially since no one knows the exact details of how everything works. However, you need to be aware of it when playing at GGPoker as it can ultimately influence your rakeback.