CoinPoker Review
Standalone · 19 ambassadors · Last updated April 2026
The nosebleed crypto livestream room where Tony G plays $500/$1000 PLO for real
CoinPoker is where the largest online poker pot in history was played - a $7.75 million PLO hand won by the site's own founder, on his own platform. Built on blockchain since 2017, it pays 33% flat rakeback from day one and rebuilt its software in 2026. Not a conventional room. A crypto-native poker engine.
Visit CoinPoker →01 The signings that matter
JNandez
Fernando 'JNandez' Habegger is CoinPoker's PLO anchor and the most credible technical voice on the roster. The Swiss PLO specialist - founder of PLO Mastermind and author of 'Mastering Small Stakes PLO' - joined in October 2023, bringing both a 2023 WSOP runner-up finish ($330K) and a 29K-strong YouTube community of dedicated Omaha students. He chose CoinPoker specifically because US accessibility and crypto rails let him play and stream PLO from Las Vegas, where GGPoker is unavailable. His presence signals what this room is fundamentally about: PLO, played seriously, anywhere in the world.
Profile →Nikhil Arcot
Nikil Arcot is CoinPoker's high-stakes streaming face in the US market, with 180K followers built entirely around cash game content. His content style - deep-stacked live sessions at mid-to-high stakes, raw and unscripted - maps directly to what CoinPoker is known for: genuine table action rather than promotional spectacle. In a room where a $7.75 million pot is a historical footnote rather than a PR stunt, Arcot's grounded approach is a better fit than any tournament pro.
Profile →Alejandro Lococo
Alejandro 'Papo MC' Lococo brings a reach no poker-first ambassador can match: 5.4 million followers across platforms, $14.9M in live tournament earnings, and a WSOP bracelet. The Argentine rapper-turned-poker-pro is the single largest distribution asset on the CoinPoker roster. His signing is a deliberate bet on Latin American growth - a region that is crypto-comfortable, under-served by regulated US-facing rooms, and where CoinPoker's no-restriction deposit model is a genuine competitive edge.
Profile →Patrick Leonard
Patrick Leonard provides the serious tournament credentials on the roster: $5M+ lifetime, consistent high-volume MTT grinder, and a vocal presence in poker strategy content. The UK pro is one of the most respected voices in online tournament poker, and his backing of a crypto-native platform carries weight in a community that remains sceptical of blockchain poker. His streamer work on CoinPoker bridges the gap between the room's nosebleed identity and its growing MTT schedule.
Profile →Claim the 150% up to €2000 CoinPoker welcome bonus with code MAXBET
Deposit in USDT and CoinPoker matches 150% up to $2,000 (approximately €2,000) on your first deposit. Use promo code MAXBET at sign-up. The bonus releases in 10% increments as you generate rake, and stacks alongside the permanent 33% weekly rakeback - making your effective return during clearing one of the highest available anywhere online.
02 At a glance
03 What CoinPoker actually is - and why it matters that Tony G owns it
Most poker room founders stay out of the games. Tony G (Antanas Guoga) - Lithuanian entrepreneur, former European Parliament member, and CoinPoker co-founder - plays the nosebleeds on his own platform, publicly, in pots that break records. In February 2022, he and an opponent known as 'HannibalGetya' played the largest online poker pot in history: a $7.75 million PLO hand at $5,000/$10,000 on CoinPoker, broadcast and verified on-chain. That is not a marketing claim. It is a hand history on a public blockchain.
CoinPoker was founded in 2017 by Guoga and Isabelle Mercier (Open Face Chinese Poker world champion) to solve three problems that plagued online poker: slow withdrawals, high and opaque fees, and unverifiable RNG. The solution was to build the entire infrastructure on blockchain - provably fair random number generation using smart contracts, USDT-denominated play with instant peer-to-peer settlement, and CHP (the site's native token) as the fuel for the rakeback engine. That architecture is still running in 2026, now on a fully rebuilt client.
The 2026 software relaunch (March 2026) replaced the previous client with a rebuilt platform featuring smoother animations, PLO6, Double Board Bomb Pots, All-In or Fold, a redesigned lobby, and a new iOS app alongside the existing Android and browser clients. It also reversed the HUD policy: as of January 2025, CoinPoker permits third-party tracking software including Hold'em Manager, which is a meaningful policy shift for cash-game regulars and a direct contrast to GGPoker.
04 Cash games: the real reason to be here
CoinPoker's cash game range is genuinely unusual for its size. The lobby lists stakes from $0.01/$0.02 up to $500/$1,000 in the standard lobby, with $2,500/$5,000 available on request - a stake level that almost no room outside of private high-roller clubs will accommodate. The game formats include NLHE, PLO (4-card), PLO5, and PLO6, all at most stake levels. This is a PLO-first room in a way that GGPoker and PokerStars are not.
The platform also runs the Cash Game World Championship (CGWC) - a structured, rake-free NL10K event that in its November-December 2025 edition attracted close to 100 players and generated nearly 80,000 hands of documented nosebleed action. The top finisher, 'Biluzin,' won $369,225 in EV. This is the kind of structured high-stakes infrastructure that previously only existed in private Macau games or London cash rooms - now running on a crypto poker platform with provable RNG.
Peak concurrent traffic sits at approximately 3,000-5,000 players, which is a fraction of GGPoker or PokerStars but double what it was six months ago according to Pokerati's January 2026 traffic analysis. For most stake levels ($0.25/$0.50 and below), finding a game at peak hours is straightforward. Above $5/$10, table selection and timing matter.
05 Rake: the honest math
CoinPoker charges 5% rake across all cash game formats, with caps that increased for 6-max games above NL2 following the March 2026 client relaunch. The rake change is worth knowing: at full tables (5+ players) above NL2, caps rose 25-100% depending on stake. Tournament rake runs 2-8% depending on event, down from the prior flat 8%. The All-In or Fold format has a fixed commission.
The rakeback math is what sets this room apart. The 33% weekly rakeback is flat - no tiers, no VIP levels, no volume thresholds to maintain. It pays every Monday in CHP tokens. The critical requirement: you must hold enough CHP in your account to cover 50% of your session's rake at the time you leave the table. If your CHP balance is insufficient when you exit, that session's rakeback is forfeit entirely - there is no partial credit. This is the mechanical gotcha that catches new players who do not set up their CHP balance correctly.
CoinPoker cash game rake - PLO bb/100 (average playing style)
| Stake | Gross rake (bb/100) | Net rake with 33% RB (bb/100) |
|---|---|---|
| PLO10 ($0.05/$0.10) | 13 | ~8.7 |
| PLO25 ($0.10/$0.25) | 13 | ~8.7 |
| PLO50 ($0.25/$0.50) | 11 | ~7.4 |
| PLO100 ($0.50/$1) | 11 | ~7.4 |
| PLO200 ($1/$2) | 11 | ~7.4 |
| PLO500 ($2/$5) | 10 | ~6.7 |
| PLO1K ($5/$10) | 10 | ~6.7 |
CoinPoker rakeback system at a glance
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Rate | 33% flat - no tiers or volume requirements |
| Paid | Every Monday, 2 PM GMT, in CHP tokens |
| Calculation method | Contributed (actual rake per pot) |
| CHP requirement | Must cover 50% of session rake at table exit |
| Partial credit | None - all-or-nothing per session |
| Applies to | Cash games + USDT buy-in MTTs (not satellite tickets) |
| MTT rake | 2-8% depending on event format |
One additional rakeback consideration: the 150% welcome bonus releases at $1 per $5 of rake generated, in 10% increments of the bonus amount. During the clearing window, the combination of rakeback and bonus release pushes your effective return to approximately 83% of gross rake paid. For a player depositing $1,333 USDT to trigger the full $2,000 bonus, the math rewards disciplined volume grinders rather than casual players.
06 Tournaments: CSOP and the daily schedule
The Crypto Series of Online Poker (CSOP) is CoinPoker's flagship tournament event, running twice per year. The Fall 2025 edition was the largest to date: $6,000,000 guaranteed, close to 89,000 total tournament entries, a genuine milestone for a room this size. Each CSOP event has three buy-in tiers (low, medium, high) to accommodate all bankrolls. The spring and autumn cadence aligns with the wider online poker calendar.
Outside the CSOP, the daily schedule includes regular MTTs, Progressive Knockout (PKO) events, Sunday majors, and freerolls. A weekly Tournament Leaderboard awards $5,000 in tickets to the top 50 finishers, calculated automatically with no opt-in. The CoinRaces cash game leaderboards - $15,000 in daily prizes split across four-hourly windows - reward volume grinders across all stake levels. The World Poker Masters and CoinMasters series provide additional branded event series through the year.
The weakness to acknowledge: outside the CSOP series windows, major MTT guarantees are modest by the standards of GGPoker or PokerStars. The room's identity is cash-game first, and the tournament schedule reflects that. For dedicated tournament grinders who need $1M+ weekly guarantees as a minimum, this is the wrong primary room. For grinders who want a workable MTT schedule with genuinely soft fields and supplemental cash action, it works.
CoinPoker signature formats and events
| Format/Series | Key details |
|---|---|
| CSOP (bi-annual) | Flagship MTT series; Fall 2025 had $6M GTD, 89,000 entries |
| Cash Game World Championship (CGWC) | Rake-free NL10K structured event; ~100 players, 4 weeks |
| CoinRaces | $15,000 daily cash game leaderboards, 4-hour windows |
| Weekly Tournament Leaderboard | $5,000 weekly in tickets, top 50 finishers, auto-qualifying |
| CoinMasters | Recurring branded MTT series |
| Cosmic Spins | Lottery-format Sit & Go, 3-player jackpot games |
07 Crypto banking: the actual advantage
CoinPoker accepts USDT, BTC, ETH, SOL, USDC, BNB, POL, and TRX for deposits and withdrawals. All transactions are on-chain, instant, and settled peer-to-peer without a banking intermediary. For players in jurisdictions where bank transfers to offshore poker rooms are blocked (a growing list), crypto rails eliminate the single biggest friction point in online poker bankroll management.
The Anjouan eGaming license is a lighter regulatory framework than Malta (MGA) or Isle of Man - CoinPoker makes no claim to meet the same compliance standard as licensed EU operators. That is a transparent trade-off: in exchange for global access and no bank restrictions, you are playing on a Curacao-equivalent license. The provably fair RNG (verifiable on-chain using smart contracts) is a meaningful transparency advantage that compensates in part for the regulatory gap.
Withdrawals are instant and uncapped. There are no processing windows, no hold periods, and no third-party payment processor delays. For players who have experienced week-long payout queues at US-facing rooms, this is a material quality-of-life difference. The CHP/USDT exchange (5% fee in the cashier) is the one friction point: converting between tokens costs money, so set your CHP balance correctly at the start of each session rather than converting repeatedly.
08 Who CoinPoker is for - and who it is not
Cash game players who want PLO action, provably fair RNG, instant withdrawals, and a flat 33% rakeback from day one: this is the primary use case, and CoinPoker is one of the best answers available. The combination of net rake and transparency is hard to beat. The HUD permission (since January 2025) removes the main reason serious grinders previously avoided the room.
US-based players in states without regulated online poker: CoinPoker is one of the few credible, established options. The crypto deposit model bypasses the bank-blocking problem entirely, the room has operated continuously since 2017, and the Anjouan license provides at least a baseline of operator accountability. It is not a regulated US room. It is the most technically transparent unregulated alternative.
High-stakes recreational players who want to watch - and potentially play in - genuine nosebleed games: this is where CoinPoker's identity lives. No other room streams $500/$1000 PLO as a routine event. The CGWC has brought close to 100 serious high-stakes players to documented, rake-free NL10K action. If that type of game appeals to you, there is no substitute.
Tournament-first players who need the deepest possible MTT schedule and $1M+ weekly guarantees: look at GGPoker or PokerStars first. CoinPoker's CSOP is impressive for its size, but the day-to-day tournament lobby is not competing with the top two in volume or variety. Use CoinPoker's tournaments as a complement, not a replacement, for your primary MTT room.
09 Quick facts
10 Full CoinPoker ambassador roster (19)
Top 5 by lifetime earnings
| Ambassador | Country | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Rolle | Germany | $40M |
| Alejandro Lococo | Argentina | $15.9M |
| Johan Guilbert | France | $7.4M |
| Patrick Leonard | United Kingdom | $5.1M |
| Mariano Grandoli | Argentina | $3.8M |
Full roster
Mariano Grandoli
CoinPoker
Nikhil Arcot
CoinPoker
Brantzen Wong
CoinPoker
Benjamin Rolle
CoinPoker
Johan Guilbert
CoinPoker
Ryan DePaulo
CoinPoker
Corey Eyring
CoinPoker
Patrick Leonard
CoinPoker
Frank Cucchiara
CoinPoker
Mario Mosböck
CoinPoker
Jon Van Fleet
CoinPoker
Bert Stevens
CoinPoker
Abby Merk
CoinPoker
Alejandro Lococo
CoinPoker
Lasse Jagd Lauritsen
CoinPoker
JNandez
CoinPoker
Frankie C
CoinPoker
Tom Talboom
CoinPoker
Gary Blackwood
CoinPoker
Inside CoinPoker
