Data Methodology

We tracked real-time traffic from 12 popular poker rooms and collected a total of 162,021 entries with minute-by-minute updates.

Only real-money cash game seats were counted. Formats like Zoom/SNAP/Fast Forward, tournaments, Spin&Go-type games or play-money traffic were completely excluded.

Logged-in but inactive users also do not appear in the dataset. This means that the numbers you see refer only to seated cash-game players. We didn’t count unique players, so multi-tabling users increase the raw totals.

Market Distribution

According to our sample, GGPoker holds the leading position in October with an average ~36% market share among major rooms. PokerStars follows with ~25%, and WPT Global completes the Top-3 with around 15%. Together, these three ecosystems control roughly 76% of the observable cash-game market.

CoinPoker continues to grow and now captures around 9% of active real-money seats, strengthening its position ahead of ACR and 888poker.

This is what the market looks like dynamically over the two-week period:

As you can see, GGPoker is not an uncontested leader at every moment — there are several points where PokerStars briefly overtakes GGPoker during peak activity windows. 

Peak Activity

With hourly-level data available, we identified the core peak window for all rooms and compared it with the traffic patterns of operators that are more popular in different geographic regions.

This is what the weekly heatmap looks like for the top market leaders:

All rooms here are shown in UTC, and the industry-wide peak clearly aligns with Western European evening hours. The day-of-week distribution also matters: Friday evening is the single strongest moment to play online cash games.

To understand whether region-specific traffic behaves differently, we compared this pattern with an operator that is predominantly US-based: ClubWPT Gold.

The US-profiled room shows a slightly longer tail after the peak, but overall the activity curve still closely aligns with the global pattern.

Our Findings

1. Europe is the primary driver of cash-game market share.
2. Smaller poker rooms have almost no influence on the overall picture — the market is highly concentrated.
3. CoinPoker is growing, while 888poker continues to fall behind the leaders.
4. PokerStars loses ground to GGPoker during evening and weekend peaks, but remains comparatively stable during weekdays. GGPoker captures the market during prime-time.
5. ACR was expected to behave like a US-centric room, but in reality its peak pattern is closer to the European rooms. Meanwhile, ClubWPT clearly shows a US profile with a longer post-peak tail.
6. Once night arrives in Europe, the entire market drops sharply — overseas traffic does not offset the decline.
7. The US market impact is smaller than often assumed. 

How We Collected and Analyzed Cash Game Traffic Data

We used the traffic scanner, which is available for free on the PokerListings homepage. The information is updated in real time. You can see when, at which stakes, and in which games the action is happening right now by visiting the homepage and scrolling down.

We collected data on the total number of players at cash tables across 10 poker rooms, without breaking it down by stakes, over a two-week period from October 13 to 27. This resulted in a dataset of 162,000 entries. We compiled all the data into a single file and created a graph showing player activity across the rooms. Based on this data, we’re ready to share several key insights.

Online Poker Room Traffic Chart and Trends for October 2025

• Traffic peaks occur daily during the evening hours, from 20:00 to 23:00 GMT — poker is clearly a game for night owls.
• The lowest player activity is observed early in the morning, around 05:00–08:00 GMT, when all rooms experience their daily low point.
• GGPoker leads by player count, showing a consistent daily cycle that repeats from day to day. Its peak reaches around 5,000–6,000 concurrent players, with the busiest time between 20:00 and 23:00 GMT.
• PokerStars consistently ranks second, attracting between 3,000 and 4,000 players.
• In third place are WPTGlobal and Stake, with an average of about 1,000–2,000 players.
• Rounding out the list are 888Poker, ACR, CoinPoker, 1Win, PokerPlanets, and RedStar, where an average of around 500 players are active.

Table of Traffic Peaks and Lows Across Poker Rooms in October 2025

What Cash Games Are Available in Each Room?

The Story so Far

Yesterday 31 defendants were tried under a seven-count indictment in criminal schemes to rig illegal poker games in New York, The Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami, and more, using the famous faces of NBA players to lure unsuspecting players into a game they simply cannot win at. How you ask? Through a series of intricate devices, including an X-ray poker table, a rigged card-shuffling machine, secret cameras and special sunglasses, that ensured they knew what their opponent was holding. It seems ironic that this case emerges just shy of two weeks after the video featured below was released, which shows how a card shuffler can be hacked. This, however, did not serve as inspiration for the mafioso behind the game, as prosecutors have stated that the scheme dates back to early 2019.

Everyone at the table, including the dealer, was in on the scam, other than the unsuspecting “fish” who is looking forward to play in a fun cash game with members of the NBA, and probably some mobsters. The conspiracy is said to have cost victims out of $7,000,000, with one unlucky customer losing as much as $1,800,000 alone. The games were run by members and associates of the Bonanno, Genovese and Gambino crime families in New York, who have had control over New York’s Italian American mob scene since the 1930’s, along with the Colombo and Lucchese families. These families are a part of the infamous La Cosa Nostra which emerged from Sicily.

How It Worked

According to the Department of Justice, the modified shuffling machines were altered so they could read all the cards in the deck, determine which player would have the winning hand, and transmit that information off-site. the card information was passed to an “off-site member of the conspiracy,” then relayed via phone to a “Quarterback/Driver” at the table, who signalled to co-conspirator players, whether to bet, raise or fold.

Pictured above is the x-ray table that was used. As always, the game is a lot easier when you can see the cards, and the players not in on the scam had absolutely zero chance to win. There were analysers inside the chip trays too, that could also read cards. With the sunglasses, they worked as the cards were marked before the game using infra-red barcodes and special inks that could only be seen by a certain type of lens. Secretive cameras were planted around the room in light fixtures and tables, giving them even more information. Below is a statement on the case from am attorney involved in the case.

Sports Betting Scandal

Rozier, and retired NBA player Damon Jones were arrested in relation to betting irregularities. The former is alleged to have told his friend that he will pull himself from the game early through faking an injury, so that he should wager that Rozier will not make the overs line. He told others to bet “more than $200,000” on that outcome, which resulted in big wins for those involved, as he only put up five points before coming off. For Jones, its a double whammy, as he is involved in the rigged poker game, and leaking non-public news regarding the injury of “Player 3”, who has reported to be basketball all-time-great LeBron James. It is alleged Jones text someone to on February 2023 to: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight” as the Lakers would be missing a certain player.

What’s Next?

More is sure to come from this story as more details emerge. Rozier’s lawyer has staunchly denied the allegations made against his client, saying:  “Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.” The tune sung by that of Billups’ lawyer is the similar, saying:

That’s all for now, folks. And just remember, make sure you know who you are really playing with and whether the game is fair. Until next time, stay tuned to pokerlistings.com.

What Happened Between Monarch and X

Ketola himself got on a Twitch stream and announced that multiple X profiles associated with him, including his personal timeline and the brand accounts for Duel and CSGOEmpire, were suspended at roughly the same time tis week.

Since the accounts were taken down, all you can find is standard suspension messaging in place of each profile. There’s no public note detailing the specific rule cited. As of publication, none of the accounts have been restored yet.

The suspension definitely came from the platform-side and it was immediate. All the profiles are currently inaccessible, and past posts, replies, and media are no longer viewable to the public.

As for now, X hasn’t given us much to work with. There’s been no formal statement from the account holders on whether an appeal has been filed, nor any indication from the platform about duration or review timelines.

What We Don’t Know

Like we said, there’s not much to work with for now. While his accounts were definitely suspended, there’s no specific the policy trigger, we don’t have a timetable for review, and we don’t know whether the takedown is permanent or temporary.

However, while we might not know anything for certain, Monarch has his own take on the situation and he gladly shared it on the same Twitch stream we mentioned earlier. If you ask Ketola, the X suspension was targeted. He tied the timing of the takedown to the launch of new RTP-based games on Duel.

The Fin didn’t stop there, going a step further and calling the suspension part of an orchestrated effort to disrupt his business. He characterized the situation as a fight, stating that Duel is going to keep working and keep fighting,

He closed the segment with a line that’s already circulating widely among his followers:

A Little More Context About Monarch

If you’ve been following this story but still aren’t exactly sure who Monarch is, here’s a crash course on the controversial figure. In recent months, Ketola’s emerged as one of the most divisive figures in poker and crypto gambling. In September, he won a record-breaking $12.7 million pot in a heads-up clash with Hong Kong’s Bjorn Li in what was one of the largest televised poker hands in history.

He’s also known for cultivating a fiercely loyal online fanbase, many of whom quickly rallied in his defense after news of the suspension broke.

Photo Credit: Triton Poker Series

With all that said, Ketola’s critics have long flagged his use of racially charged and offensive language on social platforms. While it’s not known if such content contributed to the current suspensions, it’s definitely a narrative that’s been present around his image.

As for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.

The Whistleblower of the GGMillion$ Controversy: Buzzcut

On October 17th, 2025 the third place winner of the $10K GGMIllion$ nicknamed Buzzcut shared on X (ex-Twitter) information about a potential breach of GGPoker rules during the final table of that event.

His information seemed to be solid because it was received from the source — the poker community chat that he was personally invited to by Ren Lin.

According to evidence Buzzcut published, the winner RealOA shared his final table in real time in the group chat and was (at least partially) coached by Ren Lin during the game. He later even thanked Lin by message: “Thanks Tony for the coaching”.

It is worth noting that all messages shared by Buzzcut are in Chinese, including screenshots of the RealOA stream from this group.

However, Tony is the only person directly called out by name and thanked by the winner in these messages that made Lin the only confirmed person involved in real-time assistance from this chat. 

While Buzzcut continued to collect more information about this situation, Ren Lin messaged him to apologize and discuss the issue — but somehow managed to make situation look worse:

However, Lin swore “to never ever give real-time advice to other players in the future”. Buzzcut decided to go public anyway and inform the other finalists and the entire community of what went down and the fact that it wasn’t okay, no matter who you are and how you excuse it for yourself.

Was Ren Lin’s Assistance a Ghosting

While a lot of poker players and media labeled this situation as a textbook example of ghosting, Buzzcut himself hasn’t used this term in his post even once.

Instead he embedded screenshots of GGPoker Online Poker Security Ecology Policy (SEP)  into the text, explaining what rules he considered to have broken by Lin and RealOA:

If we read GGPoker rules closely, it becomes clear that even according to them, Lin advising another player is not the case of ghosting.

GGPoker defines ghosting as a practice when “a player allows another player, usually a player of much higher skill, to take control of their account”.

There are no accusations or proof that Ren ever had an access to a RealOA account and played through it — only that he assisted his friend during at least a portion of the final table.

Merit Poker and WSOP Punished Ren Lin Instantly

As we mentioned, during the $10,300 GGMIllion$ final table Ren Lin was simultaneoulsly playing the WSOP Circuit on Cyprus. As you can remember, WSOP as a brand is now owned by GGPoker — so, the consequences came from where you’d least expect them.

On October 18th, 2025 WSOP Tournament Director Andy Tillman made a decision to disqualify Ren Lin from the Main Event of WSOPC and remove his stack from the tournament. Ren was escorted from the venue by security without a chance to return.

Interestingly, even two days after his DQ, GGPoker remained silent about the whole situation: no public statement on X, Reddit or Discord, no termination of Lin’s ambassadorship, no comments at all. But poker players rushed to discuss everything. 

While the general consensus was that Lin is punished fairly, not all players saw the TD’s decision as a just or even logical one.

For example, Todd Witteles stated that banning people for cheating is an undoubtedly correct action but not like that:

Chris Hunichen named the mid-tourney ban “def ridiculous”, and Patrick Leonard shared that he is against this practice in these circumstances:

“To me disqualification during the tournament should generally not happen, especially in case like this where that offence can’t impact this tournament and time for a sufficient investigation has been less than 24 hours.

I feel online/live should cross over to some point, but mid tournament DQ like this I’m against.

Maybe I’m biased because Ren is so likeable, but I’d like to think I’d have the same stance if it was somebody else.”

However, there was one question all the commentators agreed on: Okay, sure, Ren Lin was punished live for breaching GGPoker rules — but what about RealOA who literally won the GGMIllion$ tournament?

The answer (and punishment) came from an unexpected source — Ren Lin himself. 

Rel Lin Took Measures to Set Record Straight

On October 19th, 2025 Ren Lin issued a public statement with an apology and his side of this story:

“I must state unequivocally that I gained no form of profit from this incident. I held no stake in any player’s entry, received no payment, and derived no benefit whatsoever. My actions were purely an instinctive reaction in an inappropriate setting—one that contradicted the principles of fair competition I have always strived to uphold.

On the day of the incident, I was competing in a WSOP event in Cyprus. During a ten-minute break, I clicked a Tencent Meeting link shared by RealOA. Upon joining, I saw he was playing the GG10300 Final Table. When he asked for my opinion on a hand, I responded instinctively, offering my personal advice simply out of a desire to help a friend. The entire interaction lasted only a few minutes, after which I left the call and returned to my live tournament. As it was my first time entering such a live session, I failed to recognize it as a rule violation at that moment, mistakenly equating it with post-tournament hand discussions common in our chat groups.

Later, I learned in our poker group that RealOA had won the event. He sent a $100 red packet in our 500-member group, tagged me, and thanked me for the advice. I did not accept the red packet. It was only when another player, Yl3i, posted about his third-place finish that I realized Buzzcut was his in-game ID, and I congratulated him accordingly.”

Finally, Ren shared that his friend RealOA “has returned the majority of the prize money last night” and that Lin himself will cover the remaining portion. All the money returned to GGPoker will be fairly distributed among the other finalists.

Lin also confessed to being deeply ashamed of this situation, feeling remorse “for failing to live up to the standards” he advocates, and being ready to take any further penalties for his actions.

Poker Community Reaction to Ren Lin’s Public Statement

While Ren’s assistance was widely condemned by the poker community, his public statement gave him back a couple of points in the eyes of other players.

For example, fellow GGPoker ambassador Daniel Negreanu praised Lin for accepting consequences:

“This all rings very true to me knowing Ren for several years and his character in regards to poker and his passion for it. 

He made a mistake trying to help a friend he was excited for and I think this apology owns it appropriately. 

He accepts his consequences responsibly IMO.”

Aarone Barone joined this opinion by stating:

However, Lin’s post also got a few raised eyebrows. In particular, Sam Greenwood shared his surprise with Ren deciding what to do with the winner’s prize:

This question is fair because Lin’s statement implied that GG didn’t confiscate money from RealOA for breaching the SEP. Rather, he and Lin returned the money voluntarily without any additional punishment for Ren or his friend.

While we’re all waiting for the GGPoker comments, we’ll refrain from speculating about what this brand will do with ambassadors breaking rules. Mostly because it is actually hard to predict something after what happened with Nacho Barbero on ACR Poker.

A statement from GGPoker

On October 21, 2025, GGPoker released a statement confirming everything that had already been published and announced by all other parties, with one exception: the room clarified that RealOA was permanently banned and Ren Lin was suspended indefinitely from all GGPoker, WSOP and partner platforms.
However, the statement did not specify whether Lin had lost his contract with GG or his role as ambassador.