Affiliate disclosure: some links are affiliate links. Operators are rated according to the JoyFactory methodology. Positions in the table are not for sale.
Poker differs from casino games in one key way: you play against other people, and poker rooms make money from a commission on the pot. That is why a poker room ranking is built not around RTP or bonuses but around rake, rakeback and how weak the field at the tables is.
The JoyFactory team has put together poker rooms in Ukraine where you can play poker online for money: two licensed operators with a poker permit and four offshore platforms with full-fledged poker rooms. What makes the best ones stand out here is not the bonus size but the cost of playing over the long run.
Online poker rooms roughly fall into two groups. Classic networks such as GGBet offer high traffic and strong opponents, while poker rooms attached to casinos have a weaker field, because their audience comes from slots and sports betting. The top poker rooms in Ukraine listed below cover both types.
Ranking of Poker Rooms in Ukraine
The scores in the JoyFactory online poker room ranking are taken from full platform reviews and calculated using the methodology weights. Poker is one section of each brand here, so the position reflects the operator’s overall reliability, not just the quality of its poker.
Poker rooms in Ukraine are regulated separately from casinos: an operator must obtain a permit specifically for organizing online poker. There are few such licensees, so the best poker rooms in Ukraine are effectively a short list of two names, and both are already in our reviews as full-fledged brands.
GGBet runs its poker vertical under a permit granted by decision No. 129 of KRAIL (Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries) dated 08.08.2023. It is the world’s largest poker network, and traffic here is consistently high at any time of day. Cash game rake is the standard 5%, but the platform is one of the few that takes a commission preflop on 3-bet pots from 25 BB. Spin & Gold costs 7% of the buy-in, tournaments about 10% plus a 0.5% administration fee from the prize pool.
An important change in 2026: on January 30, the Fish Buffet program was shut down, and levels were automatically converted into the new Ocean Rewards system with progress based on Tide Points and cashback of up to 80%. Older reviews that mention Fish Buffet are out of date.
VBET operates under KRAIL decision No. 31 dated 31.05.2021, one of the first poker permits in Ukraine. Rake is 5% for all disciplines: Hold’em, PLO, Hold’em 6+ and Badugi. Weekly rakeback of up to 80%, a welcome bonus of up to 300% and a maximum of 87,000 ₴ with a deposit from 320 ₴.
Traffic is noticeably lower: the online counter shows about a thousand players during the day and five thousand in the evening. But this is exactly what gives it its main advantage: the field here is weaker, because the core audience comes from the brand’s sportsbook rather than from international poker networks. Tournaments draw a few dozen players, guarantees are small, and buy-ins start at 20 cents.
Rake and Rakeback
Rake is the commission poker rooms take from every cash game pot or from a tournament buy-in. Over the long run, it matters more than any bonus.
Commission by format
Cash: market standard
5%
Cash: Stake
7% for Hold'em and PLO
MTT tournaments
about 10% of the buy-in
Spin and fast formats
7%
GGBet: extra
0.5% administration fee on some MTTs
The most expensive room in the selection is Stake. Seven percent in cash games versus five elsewhere means you pay 40% more commission on the same volume. This is offset by a weak field: the audience comes from the casino and sportsbook, not from poker networks.
Also note the “no flop, no drop” rule: if a hand ends before the three community cards are dealt, no commission is taken. It applies at BC.Game and Pinco.
One more detail about BC.Game: on May 9, 2026, cash game caps were cut by up to 70%. A cap is the maximum that poker rooms can take from a single pot, and inflated caps used to be the main complaint about the platform.
How Much Rakeback Actually Returns
VBET: up to 80% weekly, the highest stated figure among licensed operators.
GGBet: up to 80% through Ocean Rewards, but the system is multi-tiered, and some bonuses are paid not in cash but in the internal currency Cash Game Dollars.
1win: seven levels from 15% to 50%, paid weekly.
BC.Game: 18 levels from 10% to 50%, but most players sit at 10–21%. The 50% mark is a ceiling, not an average.
Stake: 3.5% of the house edge through the VIP system. Sources disagree on whether this applies to poker, so check the terms in your account.
Traffic and Formats
Online poker rooms differ not in their interface but in whether there is anyone to play with at 2 a.m. at your stakes. The JoyFactory team has put traffic figures and available stakes into one table.
Traffic and stakes
GGBet
consistently high around the clock
VBET
about 1000 during the day, 5000 in the evening
Stake
peak of about 1500 connections, stakes up to $2.50/$5
1win
drops 1.5–2 times during the day, tables for 2, 4, 6 and 9 players
BC.Game
mostly NL2–NL50, tables above $2/$4 are occasional
Pinco
stakes from $0.01/$0.02 to $1/$2
Here is how formats compare. 1win has the widest choice: besides Hold’em and Omaha, it offers Stud, Badugi and Razz, tournaments from $0.50 to $1500, and a freeroll with a $1000 prize pool every three days.
Stake runs 2–3 multi-table tournaments every hour with buy-ins from $0.01 to $100 and guarantees up to $2000, plus the Next! fast-fold format up to NL50 and separate All-in or Fold tables with their own jackpot.
Pinco has the thinnest schedule: cash and MTT only. No fast poker, no Sit&Go, no Spin&Go, which is to be expected for a room that opened in early 2026.
Cashier and Withdrawals
In poker, money moves differently than in a casino: you need a deposit to sit at a table, and winnings build up gradually, so the predictability of a cashout matters more than its speed.
BC.Game: five coins in the cashier: BC, USDT, USDC, ETH and BTC. Minimum deposit $15, minimum withdrawal $14, crypto transfers within five minutes. But there is a separate rule: if your balance exceeds your total deposits tenfold, the monthly limit drops to $1000 instead of $2000. Before withdrawing, you must generate rake of at least 10% of your deposit.
Stake: over 20 cryptocurrencies, web3 wallets and asset purchases through third-party gateways. There is no maximum cashout.
Pinco: cryptocurrencies and bank cards from various countries; players confirm that withdrawals are fast.
VBET: hryvnia cashier, withdrawals within three days.
Also note: Stake and Pinco have no desktop client, so you play in the browser. At BC.Game the Android client is installed from a separate file, while the GGBet poker client has no web version at all, only an app.
Trackers and HUDs
This is something the casino vertical does not have, but it is critical for poker. A HUD is an overlay that shows opponents’ stats right at the table, and a tracker collects hand histories.
All four offshore poker rooms in the selection prohibit HUDs and third-party software: Stake, BC.Game, 1win and Pinco. BC.Game additionally uses the BC Shield system and bot detection.
For regulars this is a downside, since their usual analytics are unavailable. For recreational players it is the opposite: an experienced opponent gets no technical edge, and the field evens out. That is why popular poker rooms attached to casinos are consistently considered softer than classic networks.
How to Choose a Poker Room
Calculate the rake at your stakes. Over the long run, the difference between 5% and 7% eats up more than any welcome bonus gives.
Check the caps, not just the percentage. The cap sets the maximum taken from a single pot, and it is what determines the cost of play at mid stakes.
Look at traffic during your playing hours. Stake peaks at night and early morning European time, while 1win traffic halves during the day.
Assess actual rakeback, not the advertised figure. At BC.Game only a handful of players reach 50%; most stay in the 10–21% range.
Find out which formats are offered. If you play Spin&Go or fast poker, Pinco will not suit you at all.
FAQ
Which poker rooms in Ukraine are legal?
Permits specifically for organizing online poker are held by GGBet under KRAIL decision No. 129 dated 08.08.2023 and VBET under decision No. 31 dated 31.05.2021. The other poker rooms in the ranking operate under offshore licenses.
What rake is considered normal?
The market standard is 5% in cash games and about 10% in tournaments. Stake's seven percent is noticeably above average: on the same volume you pay 40% more commission.
Where is the weakest field?
In poker rooms where players come from the casino and sportsbook rather than from poker networks. In our selection these are Stake, BC.Game, 1win and Pinco, and all four also prohibit HUDs, which levels the playing field.
Can I use trackers?
Not at the offshore poker rooms in our selection. Stake, BC.Game, 1win and Pinco prohibit HUDs and third-party software, and BC.Game also uses a bot detection system.
What changed in GGPoker rakeback?
At GGBet, the Fish Buffet program was shut down on January 30, 2026 and replaced with Ocean Rewards, with progress based on Tide Points and cashback of up to 80%. Reviews that still mention Fish Buffet are out of date.
Where is the widest choice of formats?
At 1win: besides Hold'em and Omaha, it offers Stud, Badugi and Razz, tournaments from $0.50 to $1500 and $1000 freerolls every three days. Pinco has the narrowest schedule, with cash and MTT only.
If gambling has stopped being entertainment, see our article on responsible gambling.
Changelog
09.10.2026: scheduled update, content refreshed and data fact-checked.
07.08.2026: poker room ranking compiled. Data on rake, rakeback, traffic and formats was checked against public sources, and license statuses against KRAIL and PlayCity decisions. The next check is in a month.
Poker license, KRAIL decision No. 129
Consistently high traffic around the clock
Preflop rake on 3-bet pots from 25 BB
App available iOS & Android
