Is any one of the major online poker platforms clearly better than the next?
If you ask Benjamin 'bencb' Rolle, he'll tell you that the answer depends on the player – and more specifically, on what that player wants from an online poker platform.
"Online poker in 2026 is not about which is the best site. It is about which site is the best the best for you," he explains at the top of the video linked above.
As one of the most experienced and profitable online poker players in history, Rolle's resume – which includes his recent victory in the 2025 WSOP Online Main Event for $3.9M and the founding of Raise Your Edge, one of the leading poker training sites – positions him well as an authority on the matter.
In making his assessments, Rolle pulls from the millions upon millions of hands he has played, across numerous sites and at varying stake levels. If you're looking for someone who knows the online poker ecosystem inside and out, there aren't many players more qualified than Rolle.
Before launching into his reviews, Rolle offers up a disclaimer: he's a sponsored CoinPoker pro.
"Yes, there will be some bias, but I will still list all the negatives for all the sites – including CoinPoker," he says.
Rolle then goes on to break down five of the major online poker sites – GGPoker, CoinPoker, PokerStars, ACR Poker, and WPT Global – based on a number of factors including tournament and cash game offerings, player pool strength, rake and rakeback systems, software, and security. Below, we've listed Rolle's positive and negative features for each site, along with his closing thoughts.
1. GGPoker
Positives: Tournaments, Marketing, Rewards and Rakeback, Software
Negatives: Rake in 3-Bet Pots, Real Name/Nicknames, Rakeback (Low Volume), High Stakes Access
"My verdict, number one: GG[Poker]. Best tournament schedule, it's soft – not the softest site in my opinion – great marketing, lots of innovation. Great software. Rake is decent, the rakeback system is okay, but not transparent. And we need to see how Ocean Rewards really plays out once fully launched," Rolle explains. "For tournaments, GG is a must pick, but, and this is a big but, for cash games there are better options. The preflop rake makes it unprofitable for players who would normally be winning players."
2. PokerStars
Positives: Software, Flagship Events, Security, Slightly Lower Rake
Negatives: $1 Cap on NL 2/5/10, Rakeback System, Tougher Field, General Decline
"Number two: still, PokerStars. I would say definitely not recommended for micro-stakes cash games due to the insane rake cap. You're probably going to make money if you're a decent player, but compared to other sites I would not necessarily recommend micro or low stakes cash games on PokerStars," Rolle says. "Low to mid stakes tournaments have slightly higher rake than other sites, but guarantees still make it viable – just don't expect much rakeback."
"If software matters, it's a must pick. If you prefer pure value, other sites should be added," he continues. "CoinPoker is a much better cash game option considering rake, rakeback and [game] softness. That's the data, guys."
The PokerStars .COM cash game lobby.3. CoinPoker
Positives: Rake, Rakeback, Rake-free Tournaments Under $1, Good Rake for Low Stakes Cash Games, Promotions, Softness, Cash Games
Negatives: Traffic, Crypto Complications, Software
"Number three: CoinPoker. The site shines through unbelievable value for low and mid stakes tournaments [and] offers a wide variety of promos and games for high stakes nosebleeds like the Cash Game World Championships. A lot of action, a lot of battling. Also, CoinPoker, on their YouTube channel, [are] following the games, promoting it – which obviously also helps growing the games and also making them softer," Rolle says. "33% rakeback from day one, relatively low rake in my opinion. The softest site, must add to your schedule. Even beginners get a ton of value. Rake-free $0.50 hyper turbo tournaments, free rolls."
4. ACR Poker
Positives: Tournaments, Cash Game Promotions, Cash Game Rake, Rakeback
Negatives: Bad Reputation, Software, Tournament Rake
"Number four: ACR [Poker]. Solid option. For tournaments, I recommend adding some of their soft, big-field, high guarantee events to your schedule. Rake is solid, fields are soft, guarantees are big. Rakeback is okay. Nothing amazing, nothing where I would say definitely stay away. But, we have to consider security and botting issues on ACR – so keep an eye on that," Rolle tells viewers. "I play on ACR myself, it's quite soft. Cash game promos add value too, they do pretty well there. And I would choose those cash games over GG given GG's questionable rake structures."
"ACR also invests heavily in marketing: streamers, influencers, and big promos," he goes on to say. "They give Triton packages worth $100K to streamers like Jeff Boski – long-term Raise Your Edge partner, shoutout here – and 'Weazel' [Mark Rubbathan], also a Raise Your Edge partner who even won a Triton tournament."
The ACR Poker cash game lobby.5. WPT Global
Positives: Table Composition Rules, Added Value Promotions, Softness
Negatives: Rakeback, Rake and Rake Cap
"Last, but not least: WPT [Global]. If you're a recreational player, you might find very soft games where you lose less than other sites because you're better protected," Rolle begins. "And actually, players that might be losing players on other sites might be slightly winning players on WPT – but then since you're a winning player on WPT you might turn into a losing player because now you're not getitng rakeback, you have to start the tables, and then you play in tougher games. You see the problem there."
The thing about the softness – it's also really soft on GG and CoinPoker. And they also have solid rake structures and better rakeback, often with bigger prize pools. So, yeah, I don't see a reason why you should play on WPT Global," he concluded.
