clubwpt gold hand analysis

ClubWPT Gold Removes Dual Currency Model & Introduces Hand Analysis Feature

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Yesterday, the fastest-growing sweepstakes poker site, ClubWPT Gold, finally went ahead and implemented changes that were announced a few weeks earlier. The operator came out with a big announcement, announcing that, moving forward, it will be a poker training & playing platform.

The shift comes with several important changes to the underlying model. Moving forward, ClubWPT Gold will no longer feature Gold or Sweeps Coins. Sweeps Coins have been replaced with a new table currency simply called ‘Chips.’

With Gold Coins no longer available, players will be able to acquire chips by purchasing Hand Analysis credits. This is a brand new feature implemented on the platform that we’ll explain in more detail, but the basic premise of the model remains the same.

After purchasing $20 worth of Hand Analysis credits, players will receive 20 Chips. These Chips, just like Sweeps Coins before the change, can be used in ring games and tournaments, and can be exchanged for real money prizes at the ratio of 1 Chip for $1.

All New ClubWPT Gold: Understanding the Changes

While ClubWPT Gold has been talking about ‘big changes’ coming for a while, no one really knew what these would look like. So, when it all came to a head yesterday, people were equally excited and confused about the changes.

The most important thing players want to know about is whether they’re still able to get a fresh supply of Chips if they need to reload. Before, you could easily get more SCs by purchasing GCs, and, other than nominally, not much has changed on that front.

Instead of buying Gold Coins, you can now buy Hand Analysis credits, and for every $1 spent on these credits, you’ll receive 1 Chip. Chips work exactly the same as Sweeps Coins, so you can take them to ring game tables or use them to enter tournaments.

The same goes for redeeming prizes. Just like before, you can exchange your Chips for cash prizes at a one-to-one ratio.

ClubWPT Gold went offline for a couple of hours yesterday while implementing these changes. After the site came back online, all players’ Sweeps Coins balances were turned into Chips, so if you had 100 SC in your account, you should now have 100 Chips. As for Gold Coins, these are gone completely, as announced.

What’s the Deal With the Hand Analysis Feature?

Let’s now move on to the other important question, which is: what is this Hand Analysis feature, and how does it work?

Simply put, it does exactly what it says on the tin, i.e., analyzes your ring game hands, compares them to the GTO strategy, and lets you know about any mistakes you made.

There is a caveat here. You don’t get to pick and choose what hands will be analyzed. Every ring game hand in which you voluntarily put money into the pot (VPIP) is automatically run through the solver as long as you have Hand Analysis credits available.

Analyzed poker hands appear a few minutes later in the new ‘Training’ section of the software, and you can click on them to get a detailed, street-by-street analysis and the final score (EV).

ClubWPT Gold Recent Changes in a Nutshell

  • Gold Coins no longer exist
  • Sweeps Coins have been replaced with Chips
  • One Chip has the nominal value of $1
  • Players are awarded free Chips when purchasing Hand Analysis credits (1 Chip for every $1 spent)

Where Is All This Coming From?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, we can move on to the bigger picture, which is what prompted this change and why ClubWPT Gold is moving away from a model that’s been around for a long time now and that people understand.

Those who follow happenings in the poker world are probably aware that ClubWPT Gold has recently acquired Upswing Poker, one of the leading poker training platforms founded by Doug Polk. This was a clear indicator that they were looking to expand the scope of their business with new elements.

At the same time, things haven’t actually been great for sweepstakes poker in the US. Several states, such as Michigan and New York, have passed bills that explicitly forbid the traditional dual-currency model used by sweepstakes operators. In California, a similar bill is just one signature away from passing.

With these recent changes, ClubWPT Gold is trying to reinvent itself as a training site where players can immediately put their knowledge to the test. They are offering players something of value, i.e. Hand Analysis credits, which they can use to learn and improve.

So, is the idea to bring the site inside the current legal framework so it can continue to operate and potentially return to some states where the traditional sweepstakes model has been outlawed?

While there are no official statements to that effect, during last night’s stream, Doug Polk, the former Upswing Poker owner and a ClubWPT Gold ambassador, hinted at this possibility when asked by the viewers.

It’s hard to say how things will unfold moving forward, but it’s clear that ClubWPT Gold is dedicated to finding legal solutions that will allow them to continue growing. Will their model be something others will follow, bringing a revolution of sorts to the sweepstakes poker space?

We’ll just have to wait and see!

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