When you sign up for a private poker app (like ClubGG, PokerBros, or PPPoker), everything seems a lot more complicated than it really is.
You download an app. Suddenly there are clubs, Unions, Club IDs, referral IDs, and even agents.
If you already play online poker, don’t worry about all this. Just think about who does what.
Private poker explained in 5 words: structure looks like this :
App → Union → Club → Agent → Player
Not everyone uses all four levels. However, once you understand this general format, understanding how most of the private poker world operates makes more sense.
Private Poker Explained – Key Facts
Private Poker Explained – App ≠ Club
Most beginners here have difficulty understanding this concept.
ClubGG, PokerBros, PPPoker, and X-Poker are examples of apps. They provide the poker client software. This is where you’ll find the lobby, tables, cards, etc.
However, within that application could be numerous completely separate private clubs.
So two players may both state:
“I play on PokerBros.”
Yet one is likely playing $1/$2 PLO5 in a U.S. Union while the other is playing low Stakes NLH in some Euro club.
So the club is important.
What is A Poker Club ?
A club is basically the room you’re entering to actually play poker.
Each club can have their own:
- games played (and their respective Stakes);
- players;
- hours of operation;
- Rules.
A club may be primarily an NLH club. Another club may be PLO5 heavy. One club may only have a handful of tables running in the daytime and then fill up after dinner.
The Club ID tells the application which room you’d like to enter.
Think of the application as the building; the club as one room inside that building.
Private poker explained simple.
What Is a Poker Union?
In simple terms, a union ties together multiple clubs so that they can share a player base.
For example, let’s say we had three smaller clubs operating under the umbrella of the same union. Those three clubs would then be able to share tables.
As such, a relatively small club with 500 members could potentially be connected to thousands of additional players.
While the size of a particular club is an important metric – particularly when evaluating potential membership – it is equally (if not more) important to evaluate the relative strength of the union(s) behind said club.
When evaluating traffic, for example, asking which union a given club belongs to can give you more valuable insight than simply asking how large that club is.
What Does a Poker Agent Do?
An agent can be considered an intermediary between a player and the various elements of a private poker room (union/club).
Depending on which room you’re using, an agent may:
- assist in locating the appropriate club;
- provide the current Club ID;
- assist you in learning how to navigate the room’s functionality as needed;
- assist you with issues related specifically to the club.
- Guarantee for the safety of your bankroll with his own reputation.
A key distinction, however, lies in recognizing that:
The application / club / agent are separate entities.
Don’t assume that someone assisting you in signing up for PokerBros represents PokerBros.
Don’t assume a ClubGG club is run by ClubGG itself.
Knowing who you’re working with helps eliminate confusion downstream.
And Where Does the Player Fit In?
At the bottom of that pyramid lies you.
More importantly though, unless you are willing to spend significant amounts of time researching numerous clubs and trying to identify which ones meet your needs, you don’t necessarily need to research 100+ different clubs.
Ask yourself 5 basic questions:
- What type of game do I typically play?
- At what Stakes do I generally play?
- What times of day/week do I usually play?
- On which device/platform do I prefer to play?
- Which rooms offer my preferred game type/stake level/during my typical hours?
Those 5 questions alone will dramatically reduce the number of rooms you need to investigate further.
How Is This Different Than PokerStars or GGPoker?
With traditional poker sites, the overall experience feels far more centralized.
You open the software. You see the main lobby. You select from among the games displayed there.
With private poker applications, however, you are often seeing a great deal of fragmentation.
You can have:
- one application;
- multiple dozens/hundreds of private clubs;
- several Unions connecting those clubs;
- regional player bases;
- traffic levels which vary greatly depending upon the club.
Thus, stating:
“PokerBros has decent traffic”
doesn’t tell me much on its own.
Ultimately, the correct question is:
Which club? Which game? During which hours?
The same logic applies to ClubGG, PPPoker & other club-based applications.
What Is a Club ID?
A Club ID is simply the identification number assigned to locate a specific private club.
Entering an incorrect ID may allow you to enter the wrong room.
Some applications utilize a referral ID as well. The two are distinct.
Club ID: identifies the specific private club.
Referral ID: identifies your connection via referral when an application utilizes referrals.
Before applying for membership in any given room, verify the current Club ID and/or referral ID.
Clusters change. IDs may change too.
Why Can the Same App Have Completely Different Levels of Traffic?
You are not viewing a single global lobby for all players.
Multiple clubs/Unions can have entirely different players.
Thus, a U.S.-based club focused on the U.S. market may be dead silent at 12 PM EST yet busy six hours later.
Conversely, another room may have a plethora of NLH players yet nearly none for Omaha players.
Additionally, another room may be worth investigating only if you regularly play PLO5/PLO6.
Additionally, why recent lobby screenshots are generally more valuable than past marketing claims for traffic levels.
“Lots of action” tells me almost nothing.
“18 PLO5 tables observed @ 21:00 UTC” tells me something useful.
Which Private Poker App Is Best?
Like with anything else, there is no single winner for every player.
No private poker explained guide is complete without mentioning the main platforms :
ClubGG
Large ecosystem of many private clubs & Unions. May be worthy to investigate across various game types & geographical regions. Currently the most popular poker app world wide.
PokerBros
Established structure of private clubs & Unions with NLH, Omaha & several less common formats. Main player base is USA, South America and Germany.
PPPoker
Well-established international network of clubs with strong history in localized markets & variety of games available. Primary strenght are PLO5 games and Heads Up. Bulk of traffic comes from Russia, CIS , Australia and Brazil/Latam. Philippines and India are other notable countries who love PPPoker.
X-Poker
Small footprint compared to other options but still relevant for certain regional player bases & specific clubs. Main player base is from Asia. Riskier than the other 3, as app’s security team is not as competent, nor are the main unions and club owners there. Always join with vetted agent.
Ultimately, your choice will depend upon your primary type of game played.
Not who told you was the most popular brand name.
Is Private Poker Safe?
Far too broad question to provide any usefully-specific information regarding safety issues.
Better question to ask yourself:
What am I experiencing here (i.e., the software / the club / the people involved)? And who is responsible for that piece?
There are many things to evaluate separately here.
Software
Evaluate the Rules of the app / account / technical setup as needed.
Club
Verify actual room/actual games being run by the club/actual club Rules as needed.
People
Verify identity of point of contact & their responsibilities as needed.
Data
Verify age of last update to the data provided in any room description.
Private poker is not automatically secure because it uses an established brand name.
Conversely, private poker is also not automatically unsafe because it offers a private experience either.
You must evaluate the particular room that you are joining.
What Should a Newcomer Verify Before Signing Up?
Easy stuff here!
Verify these seven items prior to joining a room:
1. Correct Club ID
Ensure that the application allows you access to the room you expected to enter.
2. Games Currently Running
Do not rely on outdated descriptions. Verify the actual games running in the room.
3. Stakes
Verify that the Stakes offered match your typical play style.
4. Hours of Operation
A good room at the wrong time will mean little to nothing for you.
5. Room Rules
Check HUD, emulator, VPN restrictions on devices used & account requirements as necessary.
6. Point of Contact
Identify who you’ll be working with ahead of time in case anything goes awry downstream.
7. Age of the Data
Verify that the data is recent. Data gets old quickly!
Enough said about this initial step…
Real-Life Example
Assume you play PLO5 exclusively.
Your typical stake range is $1/$2 to $2/$4 PLO5.
You normally play from approximately 8 PM until midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST).
You prefer to play on Windows devices.
You don’t need 100+ clubs listed here…
What you need to find out is:
- which apps support my device setup?
- which clubs currently run PLO5?
- whether they are active during my normal hours?
- whether the Stakes offered meet my needs?
- whether the club’s room Rules align with my playing preferences…
After narrowing it down that way…
The market becomes much more manageable.
Do I Need to Join Several Clubs?
No…
Generally speaking, attempting to do too much at one time usually results in confusion.
First learn one application…
Explore 2–3 relevant clubs…
Visit each room personally…
Understand how each room operates…
Expand from there if you actually need more options.
Private Poker Explained – The Short Version
Private poker can best be explained when you break down what each side brings to the table:
Application provides software.
Union connects multiple clubs together.
Club = private room joined.
Agent assists w/access & support.
Player selects room based on preferred game/stake/hours played.
That’s essentially the whole framework…
Once you understand that basic structure…
ClubGG… PokerBros… PPPoker… etc… stop looking mysterious.
Next Steps
If you’re new to private poker, follow this order:
- Research the apps.
- Identify which rooms offer your desired game.
- Evaluate individual clubs.
- Review the latest information on each room. We have a Telegram channel for that.
- Decide if you want to participate after reviewing all of this info.
Goal here isn’t to research all possible rooms in the industry….
Just to determine exactly what you are getting into.
