The Winning Poker Network
The Winning Poker Network is a long-running online poker network available to US players. This network has a long history. The network traces its history to MyPokerNetwork, which launched in 2001. It later operated as the Yatahay Network before being rebranded as the Winning Poker Network. The WPN poker sites include big names such as America’s Cardroom and Black Chip Poker, as well as many smaller skins.
WPN offers a busy tournament schedule with regular series and large guaranteed events. Cash games include Texas Hold’em and Omaha alongside other poker formats.
WPN sites offer several deposit methods, including cryptocurrencies, credit cards and transfers. Here is how the information on WPN is laid out:
- Network and Software Overview
- Individual Sites or ‘Skins’ on the Winning Poker Network
- Poker Games and Variations
- History of the Winning Poker Network
- Wrap Up: Reasons to Choose WPN?
Winning Poker Network Overview
WPN offers cash games, tournaments, Sit & Gos, and other poker formats across its shared network. There are games with huge buy-ins ($50/$100 blinds) as well as a large number of micro-stakes games.
WPN has replaced and upgraded its poker software several times since the network launched. It migrated to a new HTML5-based platform in 2019, and America’s Cardroom introduced another major software update in 2023. You’ll get to choose an avatar from a long list of entertaining cartoon-like images when you play.
There are a lot of ‘skins’ on this network. The biggest and most reputable of these are owned by the Winning Poker Network themselves. These include America’s Cardroom, Black Chip Poker, Ya Poker and True Poker. Many smaller WPN skins, often with country-specific branding, also run.
America’s Cardroom states that its random number generator is independently tested and certified by iTech Labs.
Payment Options at WPN
Many US poker networks now allow deposits and withdrawals in cryptocurrency. WPN sites such as America’s Cardroom support cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals, including several major digital currencies.
Other deposit options include credit cards, money transfers and player-to-player transfers.
WPN sites such as America’s Cardroom offer cryptocurrency withdrawals alongside other cashout methods. America’s Cardroom also lists checks as a withdrawal option, with one free check cashout by regular mail every 30 days.
International players can use a selection of eWallets for both deposits and withdrawals.
Winning Poker Network Skins
There are two types of site on the Winning Poker Network. These are the big sites, which are owned by the network, and a number of smaller sites, which most players have never heard of. With the main ‘skins’ having a good reputation, there is little benefit to joining via an unknown brand.
America’s Cardroom
This is the best-known brand. It has a long history and returned online after a break in 2011, taking over Doyle’s Room in the process. This site started the dual leader board promotions; ‘the beast’ and ‘sit n crush’. You’ll find regular promotions and tournament offers in addition to America’s Cardroom’s current 100% welcome bonus of up to $2,000.
Black Chip Poker
Another long-running site, Black Chip is marketed to more ‘serious’/higher-volume players. They offer rakeback as an alternative to their regular benefits system. Black Chip Poker shares WPN’s player pool and game traffic with America’s Cardroom.
Other big-name skins on the Winning Poker Network are True Poker and Ya Poker. The latter is focused on Latin American markets.
WPN Poker Games and Variations
For this review I opened up True Poker. Because WPN skins share the same player pool, the core poker games and tournament traffic are generally shared across the network, although promotions and additional casino or sportsbook offerings can vary by skin. WPN offers a broad tournament schedule alongside a variety of cash games and alternative poker formats.
WPN offers Texas Hold’em and Omaha alongside several alternative formats and software features. America’s Cardroom currently advertises Hold’em cash games starting at micro-stakes of $0.01/$0.02.
Tournament buy-ins range from freerolls and low-stakes events to high-roller tournaments, with formats including guaranteed events, satellites, knockouts, shorthanded tournaments, turbos and deep stacks. WPN also offers Sit & Gos alongside its scheduled tournament lineup.
You can also access the casino and sportsbook from the lobby.
All in all, the network has a good selection of games and stakes, but they lack the traffic to keep these games running consistently. That’s the biggest mark against them, hands down.
Tournaments
WPN offers a large tournament schedule with a variety of structures and buy-in levels. These include The Venom, WPN’s flagship tournament series, which currently advertises a $5.5 million guarantee. Players can also find satellites, low and mid-stakes tournaments, and recurring tournament series across the network.
Cash Games
Both micro-stakes players and high rollers are catered for on this US poker network. No-Limit Hold’em dominates. You can choose short stack or deep stacked games, and the usual two, six and nine-player formats. PLO does get busy, though for PLO8 and Stud, you’ll need to log in at peak times to get much action.
6+ Hold’em
Also known as Short Deck, 6+ Hold’em removes the cards 2 through 5 from the deck, creating different strategy considerations and hand-ranking dynamics from traditional Texas Hold’em.
Sit N Goes
Aside from qualifiers to live and online events, the Sit N Go selection is quiet on this network. Games start at just $1.50c, and include turbo, hyper turbo and double-or-nothing variants. You can also play lottery Sit N Goes with random jackpots. These are three-handed games, where the prize pool is determined after the game starts.
Lobby and Table Features
The lobby is simple enough to use. At the top of the screen you have tabs for each game, variation and limit. You can also open up a filter which lets you narrow down your search to table size, buy-in, stakes and number of seated players.
Regarding the tables, the themes look good. There are 7 themes you can choose from. I like them because they’re not too cartoony or bright. Instead the colors are dark with smooth gradients. I prefer these tables because they’re not too distracting. They’re great for grinding all day.
The options you’ll find here are standard – things like 4-color decks, sounds, preferred seating, rebuy and top off options. You can stack, tile or cascade your tables too.
What I like most is the hand history replayer. It’s on par with PokerStars. You can review all of your previously played hands, and even upload hand histories. That’s a neat feature you won’t find elsewhere.
Other than the hand history replayer the only unique feature that stuck out to me is the option to straddle.
Last thing – poker tracking programs are compatible and allowed on Winning Poker skins.
What I Like
What I like about the software on WPN is that it’s easy to use and looks good. There are plenty of games, variations and stakes to choose from too. But my favorite part is the hand history replayer, and the ability to upload entire hand histories for review.
Software Compatibility
America’s Cardroom currently supports desktop play on Windows and macOS. Mobile poker is also available, giving players access across desktop and mobile devices.
America’s Cardroom also supports mobile poker, including access on iOS and Android devices.
History of the Winning Poker Network
The Winning Poker Network traces its history to MyPokerNetwork, which launched in 2001. The network later operated under the Yatahay name before eventually becoming the Winning Poker Network. Its software and poker offerings have undergone multiple updates and redesigns since those early years.
In 2011, the current management took over. America’s Cardroom returned online and acquired Doyle’s Room’s player base after that site closed. Since then, WPN has continued to expand its tournament schedule, software and player offerings, with America’s Cardroom becoming its flagship brand.
Wrap Up: Reasons to Choose the Winning Poker Network?
The main winning poker network skins have an excellent reputation for prompt payouts. These WPN poker sites also excel when it comes to rewarding loyal players. Each major skin has a VIP loyalty scheme, where you work through tiers for bigger rewards.
Tournament players will find large guaranteed events, recurring tournament series and a busy tournament schedule across WPN. Cash-game players can also find a range of stakes and poker formats across the network.
With many ‘unknown’ smaller skins on this network, I do recommend sticking to the bigger and more reputable WPN poker sites.
