CoinPoker has responded to another round of criticism over its controversial cash-game rake increases, telling players that time will tell if the changes prove successful.
The October 23 response comes more than a week after the operator introduced higher rake caps, increased antes and started charging rake on certain pots won before the flop. Some players say they have already quit the site, while others are questioning whether its cash games remain beatable. CoinPoker’s latest comments suggest management is aware of the complaints. However, there has been no confirmed reversal of the new rake structure.
CoinPoker Responds to Cash-Game Players
The latest exchange took place on the Two Plus Two poker forum, where a user named lev321 accused CoinPoker’s representative of avoiding critical posts while continuing to answer routine questions. The player questioned why detailed complaints were apparently receiving less attention than ordinary support requests.
Posting under the official Coin_poker account on October 23, the representative replied:
“Nothing is ignored, everything is read and sent to management.”
The representative then addressed the possibility of CoinPoker reconsidering its decision:
“Time will tell at this point if the changes are a positive”
The representative added that management, rather than forum support, makes these decisions. CoinPoker had already explained its reasoning the previous week, and the representative did not repeat that explanation.
It is a response, but not the detailed breakdown some grinders have been looking for. Players still want to know how much additional rake is being collected and what proportion they can realistically expect to recover through rewards.
How the CoinPoker Rake Controversy Developed
The dispute has continued since the middle of October, with complaints moving from rake calculations to questions about player retention and the room’s longer-term plans.
| Date | Event | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| October 15 | Preflop rake confirmed | CoinPoker acknowledged that qualifying pots could be raked before the flop. |
| October 15–16 | Players challenge the changes | Forum users posted rake calculations, hand histories and complaints about the revised caps. |
| October 16 | CoinPoker acknowledges feedback | Its representative said complaints were being passed to management. |
| October 18 | Players report leaving | Two forum members said they could no longer justify playing under the new structure. |
| October 18 | Bobby James comments | The CoinPoker ambassador said he intended to address the controversy in a video. |
| October 23 | CoinPoker responds again | Its representative said management was receiving feedback and that the results of the changes remained to be seen. |
| October 23 | PokerGO Tour Online announced | CoinPoker unveiled a year-long tournament schedule carrying $250 million in guarantees. |
| October 24 | Heads-up concerns continue | A forum player claimed several regular opponents had been unaware of the higher rake. |
The original figures, including the largest cap increases and player reactions, are covered in our CoinPoker rake increase investigation.
Players Say the New Rake Is Driving Them Away
The complaints have been particularly strong among heads-up regulars, who can see a substantial portion of their expected winnings disappear when rake is high.
On October 18, forum user adoyal wrote:
“I’ve made the decision to leave the platform”
Another user, bouglas, replied that the higher charges made continuing to play financially unworkable.
Those are individual accounts, rather than verified evidence of a significant decline in traffic. Still, they illustrate the sort of problem CoinPoker faces when regular players no longer believe a game offers enough value.
A further complaint appeared on October 24.
Forum user Mckittrick19 claimed to have explained the revised rake to more than five low-stakes heads-up regulars who had not realised the charges had increased. According to the player, those opponents subsequently stopped joining their tables.
Poker Type cannot independently verify those conversations or establish whether the players have stopped playing on CoinPoker altogether. However, the account raises another question: how many casual or lower-volume players properly understand the new rake structure?
The New Heads-Up Caps Are Not the Same for Everyone
CoinPoker’s published heads-up rules contain an important detail that some of the criticism has overlooked.
When its reduced Battle Caps are inactive, the heads-up cap is three big blinds. When two players classified by CoinPoker as Battle Players meet, a significantly lower cap applies.
At $10/$20 and $25/$50, that reduced cap is 0.25 big blinds.
The difference is substantial. A player facing the standard three-big-blind cap can encounter considerably higher charges than two qualifying Battle Players playing against each other.
CoinPoker also confirmed on October 15 that qualifying preflop pots can attract rake once specified action and pot-size thresholds are reached. A straightforward open raise followed by folds does not automatically generate a charge.
At $25/$50, another change has attracted attention: the regular cash-game cap for pots involving three or four players increased from $12 to $40, a rise of approximately 233%.
These figures represent maximum charges, not the amount collected on every hand. Likewise, claims of rake exceeding 20 big blinds per 100 hands depend on the games, opponents and calculations involved.
For any serious grinder, the relevant figure is the effective cost over a meaningful sample, after accounting for rewards actually received.
CoinPoker Points to Tournament Players and $250 Million in Guarantees
Perhaps the most revealing part of the October 23 response was the representative’s comparison between cash-game and tournament players. CoinPoker argued that its official forum thread contains a concentration of professional cash-game players, which could explain the volume of criticism.
The representative suggested sentiment was more positive elsewhere, particularly among tournament players. No supporting survey figures or independently verifiable sentiment data were supplied.
Instead, the representative highlighted CoinPoker’s newly announced PokerGO Tour Online partnership, which will feature six tournament series and $250 million in guaranteed prize pools between November 2026 and November 2027.
The opening PGT KickOff Online series begins on November 8 with $50 million guaranteed. The wider schedule will culminate in a $1 million winner-takes-all live final in Las Vegas in January 2028.
CoinPoker certainly has ambitions in tournament poker. Earlier this month, TonyTheToenailcollector won CoinPoker’s The One and collected $1 million after navigating a tournament with more than 24,000 entries. The operator also staged its $50 million Global Online Poker Championship earlier this year, although that series experienced opening technical problems.
Large tournament guarantees are good news for MTT players. They do not, however, establish that the revised cash-game pricing is sustainable. Cash-game and tournament economics are different. A profitable MTT schedule cannot, on its own, settle an argument about the cost of playing heads-up cash games.
Will Bobby James Address the Controversy?
CoinPoker ambassador Bobby James previously said he intended to make a video discussing the rake changes.
James indicated that he would present CoinPoker’s reasoning if the operator could provide a convincing explanation. Otherwise, he would make his own position clear.
As of October 24, Poker Type has not been able to verify a subsequent explanatory video or detailed public statement from James directly addressing the new rake structure.
His response remains one to watch, particularly given his experience playing and promoting high-stakes poker on the platform.
Can CoinPoker Keep Its Cash Games Beatable?
Poker rooms need rake to operate. Regular players understand that, and few expect to play for free. But there is a point at which the cost of playing starts eating too deeply into a winning player’s edge. A regular beating a game for five big blinds per 100 hands before rake cannot simply absorb unlimited increases.
Rakeback, leaderboards and splash pots can offset some of those costs, but the amount returned varies between players. Advertised reward totals are not the same as guaranteed rakeback in a player’s account.
CoinPoker has explained the mechanics of its changes and says feedback is reaching management. What remains unclear is whether the operator intends to adjust the structure if players continue walking away.
The new PokerGO Tour schedule may attract plenty of tournament traffic. Cash-game players, meanwhile, will be watching their results, their rake bills and the number of opponents willing to sit down.
CoinPoker says time will tell.
For players deciding where to put their bankroll, the sums on their next session may tell them considerably sooner.
