Winning Poker Network

Have you heard of the Winning Poker Network?

If not, that’s alright. I’m going to tell you about them, and about a new game they created no one else has, in just a minute.

But let’s start from the beginning.

The Winning Poker Network first started out as the Yatahay Network. They operated under this brand until 2012.

They’re a smaller network owned by BetCris. They’re not what you’d call popular, especially as it applies to poker players. Their focus is more or less sports betting with casino and poker games mixed in.

(In fact, the most publicized time I can think of is when Doyle’s Room joined them in 2011 for a short stint before they were acquired and rebranded to Americas Cardroom.)

That’s about it.

Here are the sites on their network (at least on the poker side of things):

Americas Cardroom
5Dimes
Bookmaker
Fab Poker
Black Chip Poker
BetDSI
BetCris Poker
True Poker

Most of their sites accept US players. It is becoming hit and miss as to what states they accept players from, though, as new laws are being introduced every day and the WPN is apparently trying to comply with that.

(On a side note – in an interview with Poker Fuse, the guy in charge at WPN said they have no plans to enter the regulated US market. So why would they care too much about individual state laws?)

The exception appears to be 5Dimes. It looks like they accept players from every state.

That wraps up their background. Let’s look at their top games and pros and cons of joining a WPN site.

Their Top Game to Check Out

Unlike the other networks we’ve talked about, there is actually a specific game I think you should play.

That game is called The Cage. The WPN just launched it.

What’s unique about it is that it’s a cash game and MTT hybrid. You buy in for a flat amount ($5,000) like a cash game, then you play for 3 hours with increasing blinds like an MTT. Players can bust out along the way like an MTT. Then at the end of 3 hours the game is over, and whatever you’re left with you keep like a cash game.

The downside now is that the only buy-in they offer is $5,000. But they have TONS of satellites running so you can get a chance for much less.

I think you should check it out.

What We Like About the Winning Poker Network

There are several things I like about the Winning Poker Network.

They accept US players (obviously a good thing).
They offer smaller buy-in (< $1) guaranteed tournaments. These are great for players that want to deposit $20 at a time.
All players’ funds are kept in segregated accounts (at least at Americas Cardroom).
According to players on Poker Scout withdrawals are received fast – often in less than 2 weeks.

Where Can They Improve?

There is a handful of areas they can improve in, too:

They don’t have Mac-compatible software. Wut? That’s nuts in this day and age.
They don’t have real money mobile poker games. That shouldn’t be too surprising given the last point.
They only offer Texas Holdem and Omaha. The Omaha games hardly run. It would be great to see more traffic and a larger selection of games.
They don’t accept players from Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Washington or Washington D.C. That’s not really their fault though.

Summary – Who Should Play at Winning Poker Sites?

Recreational players and beginners.

Those types of players would be happy here because they don’t need large swarms of traffic or VIP rewards to be happy. In fact, you could argue that they wouldn’t even be in a position to take advantage of it.

They would like the lower limit tournaments they run, too. You can buy-in for less than $1 and play for a $300 or $500 prize pool. And because there is less traffic and grinders than other networks (Merge comes to mind) you can bet the games are much softer here.

Overall, I think the Winning Poker Network is better than Chico, albeit not by much since they don’t have a Mac download (seriously, that hurts my head). But with that download they would be a clear winner in my book.