ACR Poker Review
Winning Poker Network (WPN) · 21 ambassadors · Last updated April 2026
The US player's home base - HUDs allowed, massive Venoms, and a roster that actually grinds here
While GGPoker banned trackers and PokerStars retreated from the US grey market, Americas Cardroom held its ground. Full HUD support, $12.5M Venom guarantees, and ambassadors from Moorman to Dwan who play under real usernames on the same tables you do. Here is what ACR is actually worth in 2026.
Visit ACR Poker →01 The signings that matter
Chris Moorman
Moorman joined ACR in November 2021 alongside wife Katie Lindsay - the first husband-and-wife signing in online poker history. He has $20M+ in online tournament earnings, 30 PocketFives Triple Crowns (a record no one else is close to), two WSOP bracelets, and a WPT Main Event title. That signing was a statement: the most decorated online tournament player on earth chose the US-facing room, not a European giant.
Profile →
Chris Moneymaker
After 17 years as the face of PokerStars, Chris Moneymaker defected to ACR in early 2024 - the single biggest ambassador shift in US-facing poker history. The man whose 2003 WSOP Main Event win created the poker boom now has his own namesake event at ACR: the Moneymaker Mystery Million, a $1M GTD tournament that runs with accessible satellites. His presence is a deliberate signal that ACR is serious about the recreational US market.
Profile →
Tom Dwan
Tom Dwan joined ACR in March 2024 to host Durrrr's Game, a regularly-streamed high-stakes cash game played under his legendary 'durrrr' username. Dwan is the closest thing online poker has to an organic cult figure - his internet-era prop bets and Macau exploits are still discussed a decade later. His presence on ACR adds a layer of high-stakes credibility that no tournament pro signing can replicate.
Profile →Ebony Kenney
Kenney brings the streaming-era demographic to ACR's US-first roster. A confidence coach, Twitch streamer (CinnamonPardy), and live tournament finisher with $4M+ in recorded earnings, she placed runner-up in the $15K Triton ONE High Roller in Jeju in September 2025 for $614,500 - the second-largest score of her career. Her crossover appeal between casual viewers and serious players is exactly what ACR needs to grow its recreational pool.
Profile →Jeff Boski
With 79,500 subscribers and a reputation for honest, volume-heavy content, Jeff Boski is ACR's most-watched vlogger ambassador. He has received Triton packages worth around $100K through his ACR partnership - packages that he plays and documents on camera. That creates a visible loop: fans watch him play events they can satellite into on the same platform.
Profile →Claim the Deposit $2000 Get $2000 ACR Poker welcome bonus with code NEWBONUS
ACR Poker matches your first deposit 100% up to $2,000 when you use the promo code NEWBONUS during signup. The bonus releases in $1 increments for every $5 in rake generated over a 60-day window - an effective 20% rakeback equivalent stacked on top of your ongoing Elite Benefits or flat 27% rakeback. Use NEWBONUS to activate the maximum $2,000 first-deposit match.
02 At a glance
03 What ACR actually is in 2026 - and why it matters for US players
Americas Cardroom has been accepting US players since 2001, operating out of San Jose, Costa Rica on a Curacao license long before and long after the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. While Black Friday in 2011 wiped out PokerStars and Full Tilt from the US market, WPN - and ACR with it - never left. That continuity is the foundation of ACR's identity: it is the room that stayed.
In 2026, ACR is the flagship skin of the Winning Poker Network, the largest unregulated US-facing poker network on the internet. Its tournament schedule is the biggest available to American players by a significant margin - $9.2M in weekly guarantees, the $12.5M GTD Venom as its annual flagship, and $50M+ in major annual series. For a US player who wants to grind MTTs, there is no realistic alternative at the same scale.
The roster backs that positioning. Moorman, Moneymaker, Dwan, Kenney, Gripsed, Jeff Boski - these are players who actually grind on ACR, stream there, and satellite into the same events that new depositors can access for under a dollar. That is a meaningfully different value proposition than signing a high-profile European name who never touches the client.
04 Software, games, and the HUD advantage
ACR's desktop client runs on Windows and Mac. A native mobile app covers iOS and Android, though the mobile lobby is limited primarily to Blitz (fast-fold) cash games rather than the full game selection. There is no browser-based play - you must download the client. The lobby design is functional rather than elegant; some users flag inconsistent table filtering and the absence of a waitlist feature for full tables, both of which are notable omissions at this level of the market.
Game formats include No-Limit Hold'em (6-max and 9-max), Pot-Limit Omaha (regular, 5-card, and Hi/Lo), Fixed-Limit Hold'em, Blitz fast-fold (NLHE up to $3/$6, PLO up to $1/$2), Bomb Pot tables, and Spin & Go jackpot SNGs. The Blitz pool is meaningful - 100+ connections at NL10, NL50, and NL200 during peak US evening hours - but thins substantially outside American time zones, which is the most consistent weakness in ACR's product for non-US players.
The cash game lobby displays average pot size, flop percentage, and hands per hour next to each table - more transparency than many comparable rooms. Combined with full HUD support, this gives cash game regulars better pre-session information than they would have at GGPoker or WPT Global. The trade-off is that the information is available to your opponents too: ACR's cash game pool skews more technically skilled than a typical soft recreational room.
05 Rake structure - what you actually pay
ACR's cash game rake is a flat 5% on all NL and PL games, with stake-dependent caps. The cap structure is straightforward: $0.50 at heads-up micro stakes, scaling to $3.00 for 5+ player tables at mid-stakes and above. This is industry-standard. Unlike GGPoker, ACR does not rake preflop 3-bet pots - rake is collected only once a flop is dealt, which is the conventional approach and matters meaningfully for multi-tabling cash game regulars.
Tournament rake sits at 10%, which is on the higher end of the market. Spin & Go jackpot fees are 6%, which is below average for the format. ACR ran a February 2025 schedule revamp that added 129% more daily events with faster structures - the tournament-to-rake ratio improved for volume grinders, though the headline 10% MTT fee remains unchanged.
The 'weighted contributed' rake method applies across cash games: all players who contribute to a pot where rake is taken earn Award Points proportional to their contribution. This is fairer to players who fold early than the 'dealt' method and is the standard calculation that most rakeback-tracking tools are built around.
ACR cash game rake structure (NLHE 5+ players unless noted)
| Stakes | Rake % | Cap (5+ players) | Cap (Heads-up) | Blitz cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.01/$0.02 | 5% | $0.50 | $0.25 | $0.25 |
| $0.05/$0.10 | 5% | $1.00 | $0.50 | $0.50 |
| $0.25/$0.50 | 5% | $2.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| $1/$2 | 5% | $3.00 | $1.50 | $2.00 |
| $2/$4 | 5% | $3.00 | $1.50 | $2.00 |
| $5/$10+ | 5% - 2% | $3.00 | $1.50 | $3.00 |
ACR tournament and SNG rake by format
| Format | Rake % | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard MTT | 10% | Applies across all guaranteed events including Venom and OSS |
| Spin & Go | 6% | Below-market rate for the jackpot SNG format |
| Sit & Go | 10% | Standard structure |
| Satellites | Varies | Many direct buy-in satellites run fee-free or at reduced rake |
06 Rakeback and Elite Benefits - the honest math
ACR's rakeback structure is the most player-configurable of any major room. New players default into Elite Benefits, a military-themed VIP program with six tiers from Lieutenant to 5-Star General. Points are earned at 5.5 Rank Points per $1 in rake. These convert to Combat Points via a tier multiplier, which then exchange for cash. The bottom tiers generate roughly 10-15% effective rakeback; the top tier (5-Star General) reaches 60-65% in practice, requiring around $180K in annual rake to sustain.
Alternatively, email ACR support before you start playing and request the flat 27% rakeback program. This pays exactly 27% of your weighted contributed rake back weekly, with no tiers or complexity. For players who rake less than $1,500 per month - which is the majority of recreational and semi-recreational grinders - flat 27% outperforms every Elite Benefits tier up to roughly Major level.
The practical advice is this: if you are a weekend player or part-time grinder, email support and take the 27%. If you play daily and expect to rake $2,000+ per month, stay in Elite Benefits and target Colonel tier. The Beast leaderboard adds incremental value on top regardless of which path you are on.
Elite Benefits tier structure
| Rank | Monthly RP required | Approx. monthly rake | Effective rakeback | vs 27% flat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant | 0 (default) | $0+ | ~10-15% | 27% flat wins |
| Captain | 750/month | ~$137 | ~20-25% | 27% flat wins |
| Major | 3,000/month | ~$546 | ~30-35% | Breakeven zone |
| Colonel | 7,500/month | ~$1,364 | ~40-45% | Elite Benefits wins |
| General | 100,000/year | ~$18,000+ | ~50-55% | Elite Benefits wins |
| 5-Star General | 1,000,000/year | ~$180,000+ | ~60-65% | Elite Benefits wins big |
One 2026 update worth noting: ACR revamped its schedule in February 2025, adding 129% more daily events. This benefits Elite Benefits grinders disproportionately because higher event frequency means more opportunities to generate Rank Points through tournament fees. Players who primarily grind daily low-stakes MTTs at $5-$33 buy-ins will accumulate points faster than they would have under the pre-2025 schedule.
07 The Venom, the OSS, and the tournament ecosystem
The Venom is ACR's signature tournament and one of the most recognisable events in US online poker. The 2025 Dual Venom wrapped in September with over $10M in total prize pools across both NLH and PLO editions. The February 2026 $8M Mystery Bounty Venom drew 3,673 entries and generated a $9.18M prize pool - a $1.18M overlay on the guarantee. This is not unusual: ACR consistently overguarantees on its flagship events and makes up the difference from the network, which is a pro-player policy.
Beyond the Venom, the Online Super Series (OSS) XL returned in March 2026 with $50M in guaranteed prize pools across 23 days. The schedule includes three main events with combined $5M in guarantees at buy-ins of $215, $1,050, and $2,650. Mystery Bounty variants, multi-flight events, and the Phil's Thrill XXL ($10,300 buy-in, $1.5M GTD) fill the schedule. The April 2026 High Five series added $4M guaranteed across 50 events and introduced the Highest Five nosebleed slots with buy-ins up to $25,500.
For recreational players, the weekly schedule matters more than the flagship series. ACR's weekly guarantees exceed $9.2M, with buy-ins accessible from $1 to $10,300. The Moneymaker Mystery Million ($1M GTD, $100K top bounty) has become a weekly anchor event that Moneymaker himself plays and promotes, drawing recreational fields that are notably softer than the professional-heavy Venom fields.
08 Who ACR is for - and who should look elsewhere
US players: yes, without reservation. ACR is the default answer for any American who wants to play serious online poker in 2026. The combination of the largest US-accessible MTT schedule, full HUD support, competitive rakeback, and crypto-native banking makes it the complete package for American grinders at every level from micro-stakes to high-roller.
Tournament grinders anywhere: likely yes. The Venom, OSS XL, and weekly schedule represent the deepest guaranteed MTT volume outside GGPoker. Fields are softer at the low-to-mid stakes than at GGPoker, partly because ACR's traffic skews more American recreational and partly because the bonus clearing cycle brings in first-deposit players who are playing to clear a bonus rather than maximally exploiting.
Cash game regulars outside the US: conditionally. The traffic is real-money and meaningful - peak concurrent players approach 10,000 across the WPN network - but those peaks are American evening hours (roughly 20:00-02:00 ET). European players will find thin games outside those windows. The cash game pool at mid-stakes is also technically sharper than most comparable rooms, because full HUD support cuts both ways: your opponents track you too.
Recreational players who are not US-based: probably not ACR's best fit. The time-zone issue is real, and if you are a casual player from Europe, GGPoker's larger daytime player pool and softer recreational fields are a better match. ACR's welcome bonus is generous (up to $2,000), but the 60-day clearing window at 20% effective rakeback requires genuine volume to unlock the full amount - it is not a casual player's bonus.
09 Quick facts
10 Full ACR Poker ambassador roster (21)
Top 5 by lifetime earnings
| Ambassador | Country | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Moorman | United Kingdom | $12.8M |
| Chris Moneymaker | United States | $8.7M |
| Tom Dwan | United States | $7M |
| Ebony Kenney | United States | $4.1M |
| Ana Marquez | Spain | $2.5M |
Full roster
Chris Moneymaker
ACR Poker
Chris Moorman
ACR Poker
Gripsed
ACR Poker
Jeff Boski
ACR Poker
Rene Nezhoda
ACR Poker
Ebony Kenney
ACR Poker
Casey Nezhoda
ACR Poker
Jon Pardy
ACR Poker
Ana Marquez
ACR Poker
Katie Lindsay
ACR Poker
Drew Gonzalez
ACR Poker
Monika Zukowicz
ACR Poker
Michael Loncar
ACR Poker
Robert Kuhn
ACR Poker
Deckflow
ACR Poker
Svetarik
ACR Poker
Weazel_1991
ACR Poker
Conor
ACR Poker
Tom Dwan
ACR Poker
Patrick Ulysséa
ACR Poker
Karen Boyd
ACR Poker
Inside ACR Poker
