How Many Players Actually Win?
Profitability — what percentage of the field actually turns a profit?
Win rates range from 14% to 30% depending on the platform.
At NL200, the share of profitable players ranges from 14% (GG Poker) to 30% (WPT Gold). Straddle-format platforms show consistently higher winner rates:
- Gold 30% · Global 26% — straddle formats, high recreational volume
- ACR 20% · Coin 19% — standard formats, mixed fields
- Stars 17% · GG 14% — standard formats, reg-heavy fields, higher rake
The divergence is driven by field composition. Platforms with more recreational volume generate a larger pool of money flowing from losing to winning players. On reg-heavy platforms, rake takes a proportionally larger share because there is less recreational money to offset it.
BB/100 by percentile bucket at NL200. Wider spread = softer games. On Gold, the gap between the worst and best is 75 BB/100. On GG, it's only 42.
Spread = gap between bottom 20% and top 20% winrate in BB/100. Wider spread indicates more recreational money in the ecosystem.
The Winrate Ceiling
Skill Edge — how much can the best players actually win?
On straddle-format platforms, Experts (top 20%) remain profitable. On standard-format platforms, only End Bosses (top 5%) consistently profit.
At NL200, an Expert-level player (top 20%) earns +5.8 BB/100 on Gold but -0.5 BB/100 on GG — the same skill level, opposite outcomes. The breakeven threshold varies significantly:
- Gold & Global — Grinder-level (40th–60th percentile) players are profitable
- ACR & Coin — Analyst-level (60th–80th percentile) needed to break even
- Stars & GG — Expert-level (80th+ percentile) required just to break even
End Boss (top 5%) winrates range from +3.4 BB/100 (GG) to +10.8 BB/100 (Gold). Even at peak skill, platform selection affects earnings by 3x.
Minimum rank to break even at NL200:
Full skill breakdown — BB/100 at NL200:
| Skill Level | Gold | Global | ACR | Coin | Stars | GG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master | +9.2 | +8.6 | +7.1 | +6.8 | +6.5 | +4.8 |
| Expert | +6.8 | +6.2 | +4.8 | +4.5 | +4.2 | +3.0 |
| Analyst | +4.6 | +4.1 | +2.8 | +2.4 | +2.1 | +1.2 |
| Grinder | +2.8 | +2.4 | +1.1 | +0.4 | +0.2 | -0.8 |
| Learner | -0.2 | -0.6 | -1.8 | -2.0 | -2.4 | -3.1 |
| Newcomer | -3.4 | -3.8 | -5.1 | -5.4 | -5.8 | -6.2 |
Where Should You Play?
The Full Picture — combining profitability, skill ceilings, and field composition to compare platforms side by side.
Each platform has trade-offs. Softer fields come with higher-action formats that also increase variance and bankroll swings.
Softer fields and higher action tend to correlate — platforms with more recreational players also have bigger pots and more variance. Higher-action formats mean larger session-to-session swings.
The trade-off: softer fields offer more edge per hand but require higher bankroll tolerance. Tighter fields offer lower variance but smaller margins. Platform choice depends on skill level and bankroll management.
| Platform | W / L | Avg Pot | VPIP | % Postflop | % Multiway |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
WPT Gold Straddle
|
30%70%
|
18.8 BB | 46% | 58% | 36% |
|
WPT Global Straddle
|
26%74%
|
15.6 BB | 43% | 54% | 32% |
|
ACR / WPN
|
20%80%
|
12.1 BB | 23% | 32% | 20% |
|
Coin Poker
|
19%81%
|
11.4 BB | 23% | 31% | 19% |
|
PokerStars
|
17%83%
|
10.0 BB | 22% | 30% | 18% |
|
GG Poker
|
15%85%
|
8.6 BB | 21% | 28% | 17% |
Data Deep Dive
This section provides full transparency on our methodology, sample sizes, and inclusion criteria. Every metric in this report is derived from the data below.
| Stake | Players | Hands | Date Range | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL100 | 142,000 | 340M | 2020–2025 | All 6 |
| NL200 | 98,000 | 285M | 2020–2025 | All 6 |
| NL500 | 48,000 | 195M | 2021–2025 | All 6 |
| NL1K | 18,000 | 112M | 2021–2025 | 5 (excl. Gold) |
| NL2K+ | 7,800 | 68M | 2022–2025 | 4 (GG, Stars, Coin, ACR) |
| Total | 304,000 | 1B+ | 2020–2025 | 6 |
- Minimum hand threshold: 5,000+ hands at a given stake within the sample period to filter out tourists and ensure statistical significance
- Cash game only: No tournament, Sit & Go, or spin-and-go hands are included — cash game ecology is structurally different
- Table size: 4+ player tables only (heads-up and 3-max excluded as they have different strategy dynamics)
- Multi-tabling: Each player counted as a single entity regardless of table count — volume is aggregated, not duplicated
- Active window: Players must have been active within the date range specified for their stake tier
- Skill ranking: QuintAce rank tiers mapped to ecology percentiles using composite scoring (VPIP, PFR, aggression, positional awareness, showdown performance)
- Rake treatment: All winrate metrics are net of rake — this is critical because rake structures differ significantly between platforms
| Metric | Definition | Used In |
|---|---|---|
| VPIP | Percentage of hands where the player voluntarily put money in the pot preflop | Section 1 |
| Winners vs Losers | Percentage of sampled players with positive BB/100 after rake over 5K+ hands | Section 1 Section 3 |
| Avg Pot Size | Mean pot in big blinds at showdown or last action point | Section 1 |
| % Hands Postflop | Percentage of dealt hands that reach the flop — higher values indicate more action and recreational play | Section 1 |
| % Pots Multiway | Percentage of flops seen by 3 or more players — higher values correlate with weaker fields | Section 1 |
| Winrate Ceiling | BB/100 of the Nth percentile player after rake — Expert (80th) and End Boss (95th) | Section 2 |
| Breakeven Rank | Minimum QuintAce skill tier needed to achieve positive BB/100 after rake on a given platform | Section 2 |
| Field Win % | Percentage of the total player pool that is net profitable after rake at a given stake | Section 3 |
| Winrate Distribution | BB/100 values at each 20th percentile bucket — shows how wide or narrow the skill/profit gap is | Section 1 |
| Platform | Players | Hands | VPIP | PFR | 3-Bet% | Postflop% | Multiway% | Avg Pot | Win% | Rake bb/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPT Gold | 34.2K | 72M | 46% | 14% | 5.8% | 58% | 40% | 18.2 | 34% | -2.8 |
| WPT Global | 28.1K | 64M | 43% | 15% | 6.2% | 55% | 36% | 16.8 | 30% | -3.1 |
| ACR | 22.4K | 68M | 24% | 18% | 9.4% | 32% | 20% | 11.2 | 22% | -3.6 |
| Coin Poker | 18.2K | 52M | 23% | 18% | 9.8% | 31% | 19% | 11.0 | 20% | -3.8 |
| PokerStars | 24.8K | 78M | 22% | 17% | 10.1% | 30% | 18% | 10.4 | 19% | -4.2 |
| GG Poker | 14.5K | 58M | 21% | 18% | 11.8% | 28% | 16% | 10.1 | 16% | -4.8 |
| Platform | Players | Hands | VPIP | PFR | 3-Bet% | Postflop% | Multiway% | Avg Pot | Win% | Rake bb/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPT Gold | 22.8K | 62M | 45% | 15% | 6.1% | 56% | 38% | 19.4 | 30% | -3.0 |
| WPT Global | 18.6K | 52M | 42% | 16% | 6.5% | 53% | 34% | 17.6 | 26% | -3.4 |
| ACR | 16.2K | 58M | 23% | 18% | 10.2% | 31% | 18% | 11.8 | 20% | -3.8 |
| Coin Poker | 12.4K | 42M | 22% | 18% | 10.5% | 30% | 17% | 11.2 | 19% | -4.0 |
| PokerStars | 18.4K | 68M | 21% | 18% | 10.8% | 29% | 16% | 10.8 | 17% | -4.4 |
| GG Poker | 10.0K | 45M | 20% | 19% | 12.2% | 27% | 14% | 10.4 | 14% | -5.1 |
| Platform | Players | Hands | VPIP | PFR | 3-Bet% | Postflop% | Multiway% | Avg Pot | Win% | Rake bb/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPT Gold | 10.4K | 38M | 44% | 16% | 6.4% | 54% | 35% | 20.1 | 26% | -3.2 |
| WPT Global | 8.8K | 32M | 41% | 17% | 6.9% | 51% | 32% | 18.2 | 22% | -3.6 |
| ACR | 8.6K | 42M | 22% | 19% | 10.8% | 29% | 16% | 12.1 | 17% | -4.0 |
| Coin Poker | 6.2K | 28M | 21% | 19% | 11.1% | 28% | 15% | 11.6 | 15% | -4.2 |
| PokerStars | 9.2K | 48M | 21% | 19% | 11.4% | 28% | 15% | 11.2 | 14% | -4.6 |
| GG Poker | 5.0K | 35M | 20% | 20% | 12.8% | 26% | 12% | 10.8 | 11% | -5.4 |
| Platform | Players | Hands | VPIP | PFR | 3-Bet% | Postflop% | Multiway% | Avg Pot | Win% | Rake bb/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPT Global | 4.2K | 22M | 38% | 18% | 7.6% | 48% | 28% | 19.4 | 18% | -3.8 |
| ACR | 4.8K | 28M | 21% | 20% | 11.6% | 27% | 13% | 12.6 | 13% | -4.2 |
| Coin Poker | 3.4K | 18M | 20% | 20% | 11.9% | 26% | 12% | 12.0 | 12% | -4.5 |
| PokerStars | 5.4K | 36M | 20% | 20% | 12.2% | 26% | 12% | 11.8 | 11% | -4.8 |
| GG Poker | 3.6K | 26M | 19% | 20% | 13.4% | 25% | 11% | 11.2 | 8% | -5.6 |
| Platform | Players | Hands | VPIP | PFR | 3-Bet% | Postflop% | Multiway% | Avg Pot | Win% | Rake bb/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACR | 1.8K | 18M | 20% | 21% | 12.4% | 25% | 11% | 13.2 | 10% | -4.4 |
| Coin Poker | 1.6K | 12M | 19% | 21% | 12.7% | 24% | 10% | 12.8 | 9% | -4.6 |
| PokerStars | 2.6K | 28M | 19% | 21% | 13.0% | 24% | 10% | 12.4 | 8% | -5.0 |
| GG Poker | 1.8K | 22M | 18% | 21% | 14.1% | 23% | 9% | 11.6 | 6% | -5.8 |
- Data provenance: Hand histories aggregated from HH tracking databases and platform APIs. Cross-validated with independent third-party tracking tools where available.
- Anonymization: All player identities are fully anonymized. No screen names, account IDs, or personally identifiable information appear in the dataset or this report.
- Rake methodology: Rake calculated from actual hand-level data, not published rake schedules — accounting for rake caps, promotions, and rakeback that varies by platform and stake.
- Skill mapping: QuintAce ranks mapped using a composite algorithm: VPIP/PFR/3-bet profiling, positional awareness, aggression frequency, and showdown performance. Calibrated against known solver-optimal play.
- Survivorship bias: High-stakes samples are naturally subject to survivorship bias — losing players at NL2K+ quit faster, skewing the remaining pool toward stronger players. Sample sizes reflect this.
- Platform comparisons: WPT Gold and Global run straddle/ante formats that structurally inflate VPIP and pot sizes. Direct VPIP comparisons across platforms should account for format differences.
- Temporal weighting: More recent data (2024-2025) is weighted slightly higher to reflect current ecology conditions, though full 5-year trends are preserved.
- Full analysis: Raw data tables and extended methodology available on Confluence — Ecology Analysis workspace.
Ready to find your edge?
Get ranked on QuintAce and see which platforms match your skill level.
Get Started — It's Free