PPPoker and PokerBros: How Clubs and Rakeback Work, and What to Watch Out For (2026)

Updated on October 6, 2026.

PPPoker and PokerBros are poker apps where real money never actually passes through the app itself. Whoever receives your deposit, loads your chips and pays out your withdrawal is a club or an agent. Rakeback is also arranged with them, and each club sets its own offer.

The biggest risk is simple: no regulator protects your balance. If the club shuts down or the agent disappears, you have no one to turn to.

Quick summary

• The apps themselves are free and use play chips. Real money stays between the club, the agent and the player.
• Rakeback depends on each club or agent, not on the app.
• Rake can be high, and some clubs charge extra fees.
• Deposits and withdrawals go through the agent. Crypto is the most commonly mentioned method.
• There’s no regulator, and we haven’t found evidence that these apps hold a gambling license anywhere.

How poker club apps work

The app only provides the software. The tables live inside clubs created and run by third parties. The system has four pieces:

• Club owner: creates the club, opens the tables and sets the rake charged.
• Agent: recruits players, receives deposits, loads chips, pays out withdrawals and settles up with the club.
• Union or league: a group of clubs that pool their tables together. On PokerBros, the union can keep up to 10% of the rake. On PPPoker, one of the unions was the Brazil-based Liga Suprema, according to an affiliate site, in 2023.
• Chips: inside the app, everything is a play chip. The real-money value is agreed outside the app.

In practice, the money flows like this:

1. An agent recruits you into a club.
2. You send your deposit to the agent.
3. The agent loads chips onto your account inside the club.
4. You play, and the club takes rake from the pots.
5. To withdraw, you ask the agent, who collects the chips and pays you.
6. The agent settles up with the club.

At no point does the app hold your money. The agent and the club are the ones holding it.

PPPoker vs. PokerBros vs. ClubGG

All three apps use the same model. The numbers below come from reviews and affiliate sites, and they change from club to club.

App	Who controls the money	Typical rake	Rakeback
PPPoker	Clubs and agents	Set by the club owner; usually 5% capped at 3 big blinds, no rake on hands without a flop (2023 data)	10% to 50%, depending on the club (2023 data)
PokerBros	Clubs and agents	Standard range of 3% to 5%; the owner can raise it to 10% to 12% and charge extra fees with no cap	Depends entirely on the club
ClubGG	Agents, usually in crypto	Varies by club	20% to 75%, depending on the agent

PPPoker was launched in 2017 by AceKing Tech Limited and holds an RNG certificate from Gaming Labs, but it doesn’t hold a gambling license. ClubGG runs on GGPoker’s software and holds an RNG certificate from BMM Testlabs, but real money still moves through agents.

An RNG certificate shows that the card shuffling has been tested. It doesn’t protect your balance.

How rakeback works in these clubs

In these clubs, rakeback isn’t set by the app. It’s negotiated with the club or the agent, who decide how much they give back, how and when. The ranges quoted by affiliate sites are wide, as the table above shows.

A high percentage on its own doesn’t guarantee a good deal. Look at three things:

• The rake charged. A high rakeback at a high-rake club can end up costing you more than a smaller rakeback at a low-rake club.
• Extra fees. On PokerBros, the club owner can charge fees on top of the rake, with no cap.
• Payment guarantee. An agreed rakeback deal is only worth something if the agent actually pays it.

That’s why it’s worth comparing this to the fixed rakeback offered by traditional poker rooms. There, rake follows the room’s own table, and rakeback comes with a set percentage and rules defined before you even start. To run the numbers for your own game, use our rakeback calculator.

Deposits and withdrawals: how the money moves

Since the app doesn’t sell chips for cash, deposits and payouts go through the agent or the club owner. On PokerBros, according to PokerListings, withdrawals are negotiated with the club and usually paid in crypto or to a digital wallet. On ClubGG, the money also moves through agents, mostly in crypto.

If you’re going to use crypto, understand the fees and the exchange-rate swings beforehand. Our Bitcoin in poker guide walks you through it step by step.

What about bank transfers? We haven’t found a reliable source documenting bank transfers to agents as standard practice on these apps. If an agent asks you to send money to a personal account, keep in mind you’re sending funds to an individual, with no guarantee you’ll get it back if something goes wrong. If the agent doesn’t pay, there’s no poker room or regulator you can turn to.

The risks you need to know about

• No regulator. There’s no authority that oversees these clubs or that will return your balance if something goes wrong.
• The operator doesn’t take responsibility. According to PokerListings, ThinkLean, the operator behind PokerBros, states that it isn’t responsible for lost funds.
• The club or the app shutting down. If the club closes or the app goes offline, your balance can be lost.
• Collusion, bots and hacks. There have been accusations of collusion, bot use and hacking attacks on PokerBros. In 2020, PokerTube reported a suspicious hand on PokerBros, account breaches with superuser access, pyramid schemes inside clubs and a fraudulent club on PPPoker.
• The agent not paying up. The agent holds your money. If they don’t pay out your withdrawal, you’re the one who takes the loss.

Rule of thumb: only keep as much in the club as you’re willing to lose.

Checklist before you join a club

1. Research the agent’s reputation. Ask other players how long the agent has been paying out on time, and look for reports of problems.
2. Read the club’s rules. Confirm the rake percentage, the cap per pot and whether there are extra fees.
3. Agree on rakeback in writing. Note down the percentage, the payment method and the payment date.
4. Test a small withdrawal. Deposit a small amount, request a withdrawal, then check how long it takes and whether the right amount arrives.
5. Never leave a large balance sitting idle. Withdraw your winnings regularly and keep in the club only what you’re going to use.
6. Use a separate wallet. If you’re using crypto, keep a wallet just for poker, away from your savings.
7. Be wary of pressure. If the agent pushes you to make a large deposit right away, say no.

Clubs, apps and the law in your country

Rules for real-money poker and betting vary from country to country, and they change often. Some places license and regulate online poker directly; others don’t address it at all, and fixed-odds betting may be treated differently from player-vs-player games like poker.

We haven’t found evidence that PPPoker or PokerBros hold a gambling license anywhere. Before you join a club, check the gambling laws where you live to see whether you’re allowed to play and from what age.

Alternative: traditional rooms with fixed rakeback

At traditional poker rooms, you deposit directly with the room, rake follows the room’s own table, and rakeback terms are set before you ever sit down to play. There’s no agent holding your money. This doesn’t remove every risk — licensing rules for online poker vary from country to country — but you’re dealing with a company, not an individual.

Check out our list of the best online poker sites and our post about exclusive clubs. If you’d like a recommendation suited to your profile, get in touch.

Ask for a recommendation on Telegram

Play responsibly. Poker is for players 18 and older — check the legal age where you live. Set deposit and session-time limits.

FAQ

Sources

• WorldPokerDeals: how the PPPoker agent works (January 26, 2024)
• WorldPokerDeals: PPPoker review (2023)
• WorldPokerDeals: ClubGG review (updated September 15, 2026)
• PokerListings: PokerBros review (updated July 25, 2026)
• PokerTube: poker app incidents (2020)

Play responsibly. 18+ only, and check the legal age where you live.