Since 2020, we have been awarding the best poker operators and innovators in the poker business with our PokerListings Operator Awards. Every year the operators are nominated and awarded in several categories. Below we list the winners of this year's PokerListings Awards.
Best Software Overall 2022
This award is for outstanding software. Who has the sleekest interface, the best features and the best graphics right now? In this category we award the poker operator with the best overall software solution for players.
The winner in category Best Software Overall 2022 is... PokerStars
PokerStars have dominated the online poker experience for years, and this does not look like changing anytime soon. Despite fervent competition in the form of newcomers GGPoker, other operators cannot muster online poker software anything close to what is available on the PokerStars client.
Whether it is using their incredible PokerStars VR platform or taking part in their brand new Home Games, the software is as clean-cut and dynamic as anything out there. PokerStars takes the title based on how customizable they have allowed their software to remain - you can design the layout, table, and felt colors and how you want your chips displayed with ease.
GGPoker has caught up through their modern and stylish poker client, but PokerStars has listened to players in 2022 by heightening the levels of customizability whilst also pushing on with fun innovations like PokerStars VR. For 2022, there was no better online poker software than PokerStars.
Other nominees in this category 2022 was: partypoker, 888poker, Unibet, WPT Global, Coolbet and America’s Cardroom (ACR)
Best Beginner Software 2022
Which operator offers the ideal environment for players who are brand new to the game? This prize goes to the poker site with the best product for newbies and which does the best job of attracting new online poker players.
The winner in category Best Beginner Software is... partypoker
Having a poker client that is not overwhelming, full of regulars and tough competition and that pushes for recreational involvement is crucial to the poker ecosystem. Thankfully partypoker has stepped in and created the perfect poker client where a recreational beginner who has a small bankroll but strong dedication can find a home.
Whether it is the consistent and affordable poker tournaments, the easy-to-use poker client, or the variety of poker games at lower stakes, partypoker takes the trophy for the best poker software for beginners in 2022.
Other nominees in this category 2022 was: PokerStars, Juicy Stakes Poker, WPT Global, GGPoker and 888poker
Best Grinder Software 2022
PokerListings also awards the best software option for grinders. The award in this category goes to the operator that has the best environment for professional players. This includes the most extensive game selection and the most lucrative VIP program for players who play a lot of poker.
The winner in category Best Grinder Software is... 888poker
A big area of contrition for the online poker community is the treatment of the grinders. We are seeing more and more poker operators shun them to the side, usually in the form of rakeback and the way online cash and tournaments are run. Thankfully, 888poker has given the poker community signs that they are still committed to giving the poker grinder a home to play poker.
Whilst GGPoker can use all the bells and whistles with their smart HUDs and poker hands database, 888poker has kept that realm to the grinder by not following this pathway. They have allowed integration to PokerTracker 4 or Hold’em Manager 3, whilst also allowing 888Caption to run on the client which makes the life of the grinder so much better on that site.
The customizability aspect of 888poker’s client is what makes it additionally beneficial for the grinder. You can turn off things that might affect your PC performance and stop things that cause distraction. The ability to adapt tables to the different types of tournaments is huge, and 888poker has extended this function handsomely in 2022.
Other nominees in this category 2022 was: PokerStars, partypoker, Juicy Stakes Poker, WPT Global and GGPoker
Best Poker Operator 2022
This award goes to the poker room that performed best overall this year - the all-rounder that ticked all the boxes: game options, support, promotions, tournament series and guarantees.
The winner in category Best Poker Operator is... GGPoker
If you go back only a few years ago, you probably would have been called crazy if you said that PokerStars would have their poker operating dominance unseated. Times have changed, and rapidly so.
The pandemic brought along with it opportunity in the form of online poker, as people who enjoyed the online felt had more time than ever to sit in and grind. Up stepped GGPoker, who has run with it ever since - going as far as outmatching PokerStars in player traffic in 2021 for the first time.
Every year GGPoker continues to find new ways to innovate its offering whilst giving more back to the players. They have created a seamless transition with their World Series of Poker partnership, running bracelet events and WSOP Circuit ring events so players in Europe can get a taste of the prestige.
GGPoker also carried out the first Mystery Bounty online poker tournament, following on from Wynn’s successful poker innovation and giving it to the global poker audience. They capitalized on their Triton Poker partnership in fantastic fashion too, providing affordable satellites to the biggest poker stage of them all.
Whether it is boosting their profile with huge player names and sponsorships or finding new ways to keep online poker interesting for the recreational player, GGPoker continues to close the gap between PokerStars and they took the top spot in 2022.
Other nominees in this category was: PokerStars, 888poker, Partypoker, WPT Global and Unibet Poker
Best Online Tournament Series 2022
There have been many great online series this year. But which one is the best in terms of overall event management, promotion and support? This award goes to the operator who gave us the best tournament series in 2022.
The winner in category Best Online Tournament Series is... GGPoker
GGPoker smashed it out of the park in a year where there were many amazing online poker series. Whilst PokerStars put forward great events in both the SCOOP and WCOOP series, GGPoker utilized their WSOP partnership to maximum effect and created a tournament schedule that was superb for all types of players.
Their World Series of Poker Online series ran from August 14 to September 27 and gave players the chance to win a humungous 33 gold bracelets. This included the World Series of Poker Million Dollar Mystery Bounty, which cost just $210 for players to enter and take a shot - something that could be the best event of the whole online poker year.
GGPoker also situated a $5,000 Main Event with a $20,000,000 prizepool, allowing both mid-stakes and high-stakes grinders to battle for the ultimate poker crown in the online world.
Keeping the schedule’s most popular events could be argued as GGPoker’s biggest success with this event, as they incorporated a $1,111 Every 1 for War Relief event which donated $111 per entry to the NBU, whilst also running a $10,000 Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship event which is just as popular for the spectators as it is for the best poker players.
Events like the $1,500 Millionaire Maker and the $1,050 WSOP GGMasters Freezeouit, with their $5 million and $2 million prizepools respectively, continued to show why this online poker series took the crown when it came to which was best in 2022.
Other nominees in this category was: The Festival (888poker), partypoker MILLIONS (partypoker), SCOOP (PokerStars) and Unibet Online Series (Unibet)
Best Poker Innovation 2022
Online poker is constantly evolving and new games and variants are constantly being added on all sites. But which operator had the best poker innovation in 2022? This award goes to the best new product idea this year.
The winner in category Best Poker Innovation is... GGPoker´s Ask Fedor
2022 saw poker operators continue to pave the way with new and quirky innovations. Whether it was utilizing technology or simply adapting and improving the online poker offering, operators continue to set the bar high and 2022 was no different.
The winner is GGPoker for their use of the Ask Fedor innovation which is something completely new to the industry. Using their partnership with the Pokercode founder and WSOP Champion, they worked with the poker genius and the AI system known as PROMETHEUS to give players on the software the opportunity to get Fedor’s opinion on how a hand was played.
No longer will you have to post your hand history in your poker chat group to deafening silence - you can now submit it through the Ask Fedor feature and get post-play breakdowns, analysis, and a rating, so you can boast to your friends when you play a poker hand exactly how Fedor Holz would have.
Other nominees in this category was: Mystery Bounty (GGPoker), PokerStars VR (PokerStars) and Franke’s Flip Flops (The Festival Series)
Player's Favorite 2022
The most glamorous award an operator can get is probably the one all the players vote for as favourite. So which poker room has the most fans and dedicated players this year? Here it were the PokerListings readers who took center stage and voted for their favourite poker operator.
The winner in category Player's Favourite is... PokerStars
The poker award of 2022 is done democratically, this award was conducted through a poll on the PokerListings website which also grants a voter a $1,050 PokerStars New Year Series Main Event seat, which can give you an idea of which poker operator won the award for 2022.
PokerStars continues to be the best place for poker fans to play due to it being the premier home of online poker. Whilst others are going to close the gap in both the prestige and the poker tournaments on offer, PokerStars has that legendary aspect of being here the longest. It continues to host the biggest and best online tournaments regularly, as well as having the best online poker players battle it out.
There is something magical about the PokerStars client and the games it offers - whether it is the famous Sunday Million or the renowned 500NL Zoom cash games, PokerStars is still the ultimate arena for poker players.
Other nominees in this category was: Unibet, GUTS Poker, Juicy Stakes Poker, 888poker, Tiger Gaming, partypoker, Coolbet Poker, WPT Global, America’s Cardroom (ACR), GGPoker and RocketPot Poker
