SPECIAL NOTE: Anyone from Australia who wishes to play at ACR should follow these instructions in addition to reading this ACR Poker review.
The Winning Poker Network is the second-largest, and one of the most long-lived, poker networks servicing the US market. They are especially renowned for their tournament schedule, which is among the best in the industry.
ProfessionalRakeback works only with the largest, safest, and fastest-paying operators, which in this case is represented by ACR Poker, formerly known as Americas Cardroom. Review the perks and benefits of playing here, and we're confident that you'll appreciate what this, the flagship room of the Winning Poker Network, has to offer.
Among the advantages of ACRPoker is a respectable menu of poker variants, including NL Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, PLO and 5 Card PLO (Hi-only and Hi-Lo), and 7 Card Stud. This site hosts the largest poker tournaments open to U.S. residents, including VENOM events with $5+ million guaranteed. Other highlights include lottery-style Jackpot Poker, fast-fold Blitz games, and a tournament staking platform integrated into the poker software.
We’ve written a comprehensive ACR Poker review to give you the details on these and other features of ACRPoker. Keep reading for an unbiased look at both the strengths and weaknesses of this U.S.-friendly online poker site.
Before going in-depth on every aspect of ACR, it’s probably worthwhile to give a summary of what this room does right and areas in which it could improve.
Pros:
Cons:
ACR Poker has a full roster of promotional deals running more or less constantly. Some of these promos are extended to newcomers to the platform while others can be claimed by new and existing users alike. They include:
Most websites you will visit offer only one type of account when signing up to ACR Poker. Professional Rakeback offers two: Elite Benefits VIP accounts complete with a free $10 no-deposit bankroll offer for those who wish to “try before they buy” and standard 27% rakeback accounts. Please note that you can select either the $10 free bankroll offer or the 27% RB deal but not both.
$10 No Deposit Offer
With our exclusive ACR Poker bonus code PRB10FREE, you can obtain a free, $10 no deposit deal if you reside in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, or New Zealand. The funds will be placed into your balance within three business days.
You can take advantage of the PRB10FREE offer and then obtain the 100% up to $2,000 welcome bonus like normal later on.
For all of the details regarding the aforementioned special bonus, read the full length article about this – exclusive to Professional Rakeback customers – ACR Poker promo code.
If you opt for the rakeback special, you'll be entitled to ACR Poker rakeback at a rate of 27%, the maximum amount allowed by the network. If you ever see a rakeback deal for more than 27% at ACR, then it is likely a scam or at least a shady, under-the-table deal.
Through the use of bonus code PROFRB27, our visitors can get hooked up with a legitimate flat 27% contributed rakeback deal.
Rakeback is what we recommend for most of our readers because RB is the best value for the majority of players. However, high rollers and those who can put in serious volume at the tables might do better with the Elite Benefits program. At the other end of the spectrum, freerollers and micro-stakes beginners may also prefer the Elite Benefits system complete with the $10 no deposit offer we provide.
The Initial Deposit Bonus is a 100% matching bonus up to $2,000. The bonus will be automatically applied upon your first deposit whether you choose to sign up for a rakeback account or for the no deposit $10 bonus and Elite Benefits VIP program. The poker deposit bonus clears at a rate equal to 20% rakeback.
If you opt for a rakeback account, then your ability to collect bonuses will not be compromised. There will be a reduction in the amount of your rakeback, because bonuses you earn will be subtracted from your total rake, but the combination of rakeback + bonus will still be superior to just RB alone.
Every raked cash game pot you contribute to will give you points toward The Beast leaderboard. At the end of every Saturday through Friday period, around 600 or 700 players receive free cash prizes of up to $500 as well as satellite tournament entries, which are paid out by the end of the following Monday. The top grinders each take home $500 and a free tournament ticket. If you want for information about The Beast, click over to our thorough Beast breakdown.
Sit & Crush is the SNG counterpart to The Beast. A portion of the SNG fees is diverted over to the prize pool, and players receive points with every contest they enter. Jackpot Poker is included in Sit & Crush; however, heads-up sit-and-goes don't contribute either money or points toward the leaderboard standings.
Each race runs from Saturday to Friday, and the winners get cash prizes of up to $500 and satellite tickets by end of day the next Saturday. Typically, somewhere about 200 individuals receive a prize from Sit & Crush each week.
ACR runs several $50 freerolls every day, allowing you to score some actual cash even if your account balance stands at $0. Each day of the week features a different style of poker, like PLO 6-Max on Tuesdays and NLHE 8-Max on Sundays.
Not only are there many tables and simultaneously active players at ACRPoker, but they're distributed amongst quite a few poker formats. Check out the distinct types of games available:
Stakes in the ACR cash games section exist as low as $0.01/$0.02 and run up to $5,000/$10,000 in NLHE. PLO and PLO8 games meanwhile are available up to $200/$400. In December 2022, ACR Poker added 5 Card PLO and 5 Card PLO Hi-Lo for blind levels between $0.01/$0.02 and $25/$50 through all tables above $3/$6 for the split-pot version of 5 Card Omaha have since been removed.
Tables are divided into nine-seat, six-player, and four-max sizes. Heads-up cash once proliferated here, but these games were removed for game integrity reasons.
In addition to the standard commonplace formats, ACRPoker also spreads a few niche cash game types, including:
There's a fairly respectable lineup of fixed-limit games too: LO8, LHE, Seven Card Stud, and Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo. For each of these formats, you can find tables up to $40/$80, and some of them have even larger games spread.
Here's a list of all the ring games and blind levels offered at ACR:
ACR Poker introduced fast-fold Blitz Poker in February 2019. Fast-fold games quicken the pace of the action substantially because they bring players to new tables with new hole cards immediately after they fold. Participants therefore don't need to wait around after they exit a hand; they can instead jump right back into the game without delay.
ACR experimented a bit with the available stakes and formats for Blitz when it first debuted. However, the situation has now stabilized, and you can play for stakes between $0.10/$0.25 and $5/$10 for Hold'em and $0.05/$0.10 and $1/$2 for PLO. All Blitz tables seat six.
NL Hold'em SNGs at ACR Poker start at the $0.55 level and extend upward to above $200. You'll see a variety of table sizes and speeds designed to cater to all tastes. As for Omaha Hi sit n' goes, they're listed from $0.55 to $11 as are Omaha/8 contests.
Whenever there's a major poker event coming up, it's not uncommon to find satellite sit-n-goes in the lobby. They're typically held in step format whereby the winners of a given step advance to the next level until they reach the final one and compete for a prize package.
ACR Poker has a rather interesting type of SNG called On Demand. In an On Demand tournament, the game starts when a predetermined number of entrants join, but there's then a late registration period allowing others to jump in. It's thus a kind of combination of sit-and-go and multi-table tournament.
Jackpot Poker, upon its introduction, was the first lottery-style poker offering open to U.S. residents. It's a three-handed competition that uses a randomized multiplier to determine the size of the prize pool.
The specific buyins available and structure of multipliers have changed frequently since the debut of Jackpot Poker. As of November 2024, there are three buyin levels ($5, $15, and $50) with the following multipliers: 2x, 4x, 6x, 10x, 25x, 100x, 1,000x. There's also a special top multiplier that leads to a $1,000,000 prize pool for each of the three buyins.
The lowest 2x multiplier is the most frequent accounting for some 72% of games. Jackpot Poker is a winner-takes-all format except at multipliers of 100x and higher. At the higher multiplier levels, the prize pool is distributed such that every player receives something, and the participants can furthermore agree to a deal to reduce variance even further.
ACR Poker is the premier venue for online poker tournaments in the United States. The excitement is anchored by the Sunday Moneymaker, a $100 + $9 tournament that convenes every Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET and guarantees a prize pool of $300,000, which grows to $500,000 on the final Sunday of each month. This is the largest Sunday Major tournament among all U.S.-facing online poker rooms.
Meanwhile, the remainder of the weekly schedule includes more than $10 million in guarantees with buyins both high and low.
Management has elected to run a couple of $5+ million guaranteed Venom tournaments per year as the recurring “prestige” tournament. There are also tourney series once every few months. The Online Super Series is the main example of this, and it has grown quite a bit since its beginnings in 2012 to now distribute more than $20 million with each running.
The software for ACRPoker is made by SJH Studio. The previous poker client was created by IGSoft, but ACR switched providers to benefit from a more robust HTML5 platform, which makes it easier to implement upgrades and roll them out to multiple operating systems. There are versions for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and iOS.
The ACR Poker download executable follows the tried-and-true formula refined over the years by the industry as a whole. Tabs at the top let you specify the format of poker you're interested in while the main display shows you the games. A powerful system of filters enables you to include or exclude whichever tables and tournaments you wish.
The cash game lobby separates the tables by blind level, and there are buttons you can press to indicate whether you wish to see full tables and new tables with zero players seated. In the MTT lobby, you can not only filter the games but also sort them according to up to three user-defined criteria.
In October 2023, ACR introduced a new reshuffle feature in some 5 Card PLO and 5 Card PLO/8 cash games, and it has since spread to certain 4 Card PLO games also. This new way of shuffling and distributing cards is intended to combat the practice of hole card sharing.
The way it works is that a player cannot view their hole cards preflop until it's their turn to act. Also, any cards folded preflop are reshuffled back into the deck. Thus, someone can fold, for example, the king of diamonds before the flop. The king of diamonds is then reshuffled back into the deck, and it can then appear in the hand of a player yet to act or even on the flop.
Therefore, cheaters attempting to gain an understanding of what cards have been folded and which ones remain in the deck are thwarted by the reshuffle.
Staking, whereby one or more individuals purchase part of the action of another player, is a commonplace occurrence in poker both live and online. ACR Poker recognizes this fact and has built support for MTT staking into its software platform.
The “Staking” tab grants you access to this interface. By selecting it, you will be able to see upcoming tournaments and the shares available for purchase.
In April 2021, ACR Poker made a software update that altered the way tables and players are displayed to observers. Called “Player Protection,” this feature hides the screennames and stack sizes of all players at a cash table until you actually join the game and pay the big blind. This move is intended to combat bum-hunting and other predatory tactics.
If you wish to view a cash game in progress, for instance if you're following a buddy's poker session, then you have three rail tickets that you can use. They let you view the players and stacks at a given table for a period of five hours although you still cannot sit at that table for a subsequent seven hours. Each rail ticket used is replenished after 24 hours up to the maximum amount of three.
In July 2023, ACR changed the way waitlists work. You can still join any particular cash table that you wish as long as there are open seats. However, if the table is full, then you will need to join the waitlist, which is a single list for all games of the same type with the same stakes.
ACR Poker first offered mobile poker in late 2017 with a very limited app that only contained Jackpot Poker games. However, it has since been expanded to list virtually the entire gaming menu that you'll find in the ACRPoker download for traditional computers. You can even multi-table up to four games simultaneously.
ACR Poker is one of the leaders in terms of game liquidity in the U.S. market. During peak hours, you'll see more than a dozen tables active in each of the micro-stakes NLHE blind levels. Even up through mid-stakes, it's not uncommon to see six or seven full tables running at once. The PLO lobbies are not quite as busy, but there are still generally between one and three games going at every micro- and small-stakes blind level.
The niche formats PLO/8, NLO/8, Seven Card Stud, and Stud/8 typically have just a handful of games going across all stakes. Limit Hold'em and Limit Omaha-8 are virtually deserted and sometimes have not a single game running.
You will generally see around 50 sit-n-goes running during peak hours. They're pretty evenly split amongst games with buyins of $60 or less with the occasional higher-buyin game running. On Demand games tend to be popular as well with perhaps two dozen of them being played at any given time.
Tournaments are the most well-populated section of ACR. The regular daily tournaments generally draw in hundreds of participants apiece. Major weekly majors, series MTTs, and recurring special events sometimes attract thousands of players.
Unfortunately, many of the ring games here are a bit tougher than at other competing sites. This is because the Elite Benefits program, rakeback deal, and leaderboards reward those who can really put in significant volume, attracting many multi-tabling grinders and aspiring poker pros These categories of individuals tend to be more solid and competent than your average casual user, which definitely impacts game quality.
However, micro-stakes tables at $10NL and below don't generally contribute much toward earning rewards, so they tend to be pretty soft. Also, the multi-table tournaments are very beatable. Many of the prestige events, like the Venom and various OSS tournaments, support countless satellites that pepper the fields with more novice and recreational players than you might expect given the high buyin amounts.
ACRPoker has experimented with various payment channels over the years, and it has now settled on a mix of processors that work well for most players. The specific methods available will depend on your geographic area, but there are useful options for everyone.
Most individuals don't experience any delays or errors when attempting to deposit at ACR, but in the event that you do, the deposit and withdrawal team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via email. Below, you will find the deposit methods for both USA and ROW poker players:
METHOD | MIN DEPOSIT | MAX DEPOSIT | DEPOSIT SPEED | DEPOSIT |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bitcoin | $10 | $25,000 | Up to 10 minutes | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Ethereum | $10 | $25,000 | Varies, but usually a few minutes | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Litecoin | $10 | $25,000 | Varies, but usually a few minutes | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Tether | $10 | $25,000 | Varies, but usually a few minutes | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Visa | Varies (around $25) | Varies (around $2,000) | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Mastercard | Varies (around $25) | Varies (around $2,000) | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Amex | Varies (around $25) | Varies (around $2,000) | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Discover | Varies (around $25) | Varies (around $2,000) | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Money Transfer | $50 - $50 | $500 | Up to an hour | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Neteller (non-US) | $10 | $25,000 | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Skrill (non-US) | $10 | $25,000 | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
EcoPayz (non-US) | $10 | $25,000 | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
E-Transfer (Canada) | $25 | $2,400 | Up to 30 minutes | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Luxon Pay (non-US) | $10 | $10,000 | Up to 5 minutes | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Pay 4 Fun (Brazil) | $10 | $2,500 | Instant | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Player Transfer | $1 | $30,000 | Up to 24 hours | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Most of the information above is self-explanatory; yet, several notes are in order. Bitcoin is our recommended deposit method because of its speed and convenience. It is the most popular crypto-currency, so it's the natural choice for those looking to benefit from this innovative fintech solution.
Unfamiliar with Bitcoin? No problem, we have created a step-by-step Bitcoin guide to teach you how to quickly and easily deposit and withdraw to online poker sites using this exciting, new digital currency.
Bitcoin is our recommended deposit channel, and one of the reasons why is the simplicity of completing a transaction. If you wish to make a Bitcoin deposit, simply follow the instructions below:
Many of the same options you can use to deposit at ACR are also listed for withdrawals with the exception that credit cards are not valid instruments for getting a payout. Look below for details on the limits that apply and processing speeds:
METHOD | MIN PAYOUT | MAX PAYOUT | PAYOUT SPEED | FEES | GO TO ACR |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bitcoin | $50 | $25,000 | Up to an hour | Free | VISIT NOW! |
Ethereum | $50 | $25,000 | Up to an hour | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
Litecoin | $50 | $25,000 | Up to an hour | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
Tether | $50 | $25,000 | Up to an hour | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
Checks (USA + CAN) | $100 | $3,000 | Up to 8 weeks | 1 free per month, $55 additional | VISIT NOW! |
Money Transfer | $100 | $350 | Up to 5 business days | $60 - $70 | VISIT NOW! |
Neteller (non-US) | $10 | $10,000 | Instant | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
Skrill (non-US) | $10 | $10,000 | Instant | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
EcoPayz (non-US) | $10 | $5,000 | Instant | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
E-Transfer (Canada) | $100 | $2,200 | Up to 30 minutes | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
Luxon Pay (non-US) | $50 | $25,000 | Instant | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
Pay 4 Fun (Brazil) | $10 | $2,500 | Instant | FREE | VISIT NOW! |
Player Transfer | $1 | $30,000 | Up to 24 hours | FREE | DEPOSIT NOW! |
Because ACR Poker wishes to make sure that you aren't engaging in fraud or money laundering, it requires that you certify your account before making your first cash out. You'll have to submit a copy of your ID (like a drivers license) and proof of address (such as a utility bill).
At the end of June 2021, ACR Poker introduced a new feature called “Bankroll Beneficiaries.” This allows you to set up crypto addresses to which your account balance will be sent, in the percentages you specify, should you fail to log in to your account within a timeframe that you select.
The ACR Poker Elite Benefits VIP program is the poker room's rewards plan. As you play at the tables, you'll collect Rank Points that will allow you to progress through the ranks from Lieutenant at the bottom all the way up to 5 Star General at the top.
Your position in the system will depend on your monthly totals of Rank Points although the top two tiers (General and 5 Star General) are instead based on your annual points. Players who elect to receive rakeback, however, are excluded from participation in Elite Benefits.
As your total annual Rank Points pass specified milestones, you'll pick up cash prizes. Furthermore, every Rank Point you earn also awards you Combat Points at a rate that gets better the further you advance in the program. These Combat Points can be traded for cash bonuses in the Points Exchange section of the poker client.
If you can play poker consistently enough and at meaningful stakes, then you may be able to achieve General or 5 Star General status. If this is the case, then Elite Benefits VIP is likely better than rakeback for you. The $10 no deposit promo code PRB10FREE described above enrolls you into Elite Benefits automatically. For further insight into the merits of rakeback versus Elite Benefits, head over to our WPN Elite Benefits vs. rakeback comparison page.
To illustrate how it works further, here's a summary of the Elite Benefits tiers and the benefits associated with them:
Many poker players enjoy filling in the time between games with other gambling activities, so the good news here is that ACR does offer casino gaming and sports betting options all from within the same interface. When you click on the “Sports” or “Casino” tab, the appropriate product will open up in your web browser.
Unfortunately, the casino contains only around 300 games by lesser-known developers, like Reevo and Dragon. If you're really a serious casino gamer, then you'd almost certainly do better by selecting from our list of the best online casinos for U.S.A. residents.
The sportsbook contains reasonable roster of matches to bet on, like football, baseball, soccer, and other popular athletic sports. This is fine if you're looking to put some money down on a game or two every once in a while, but dedicated bettors may wish to go elsewhere because there's no rewards program or bonus at the ACR sportsbook. For a more well-rounded sportsbetting experience, check out our recommended best online sportsbooks for U.S.A. citizens.
No review would be complete without a forthright examination of the negatives of any given site. We have already explained what ACRPoker has to offer, and now we'd like to illuminate some of the areas in which it falls short.
Although ACRPoker has been very active in adding new features and games to its poker software, the process doesn't always go smoothly. This operator seems to have more trouble than most of its peers performing software upgrades, which often lead to unexpected downtime and tournament cancellations.
In fairness, the developers eventually resolve any software issues that crop up. But it can be a trying few hours or days for players before they succeed in fixing everything.
ACRPoker used to boast several ways of contacting support, including Live Chat. However, this functionality disappeared during the COVID era and has not reappeared. Now, you can elect to chat with a virtual assistant, which often misinterprets user requests, or send a message through a contact form on ACR's website. There's no form of telephone support available.
Though the word “poker” is essential to the branding of the site and is included in the name “ACRPoker,” this room has added a bunch of randomized features that dilute the status of the game as a contest of skill. These include Spin to Get In, a type of slot game you can play to attempt to gain entry into tournaments, and Double or Nothing, which lets you attempt to risk your cash game winnings (or losses) to try to double them.
These gimmicks may appeal to certain casual users. However, we find them annoying and prefer to leave them alone. Fortunately, you don't have to participate in these elements of the gaming platform if you don't want to.
ACR Poker doesn't hold any license to conduct online gaming services. It's a duly registered corporation of Costa Rica and complies fully with the laws of this country, but it's not licensed by Costa Rica specifically for internet poker.
In the past, a variety of skins on the Winning Poker Network proliferated under third-party control. However, the network has been slowly folding these sites into network ownership. As the flagship of the WPN, ACR is owned directly by and is under the exclusive control of the parent network. This brings a measure of security for players who are not subject to the issues that can sometimes arise when having to deal with multiple companies together running a poker product.
We believe, based upon our own experience, that ACR Poker has more strengths than weaknesses, but we decided to do some research on the internet to find out what other players think. We've found that player reports on this poker room are largely positive although there are a few minor complaints from time to time. Check out the posts below for further info on how real customers feel about ACR:
After examining all the relevant info, we conclude that ACR Poker is a well-rounded online poker site that has something for almost everyone. Micro-stakes grinders will appreciate the ultra-low blind levels spread here, as low as $0.01/$0.02, while high-rollers can dabble in games up to $200/$400. Devotees of big-bet poker can get their fill of NL Hold'em, PLO, PLO/8, and 5PLO action, but limit players are supported too with LHE, Stud, and LO8 games. The tournament selection here is especially impressive with some of the largest guaranteed MTTs available to Americans online.
There are a few negative points about ACR to be aware of though. Player traffic is high, but some of the individuals at these tables are the best pros in the game. Thus, the cash games here tend not to be as soft as they are elsewhere. If you're a newcomer to poker, there are easier fishing grounds to be had.
Overall, we find that the positives outweigh the negatives. ACR Poker is an honest and upstanding internet poker destination that has enough going for it to interest almost every player.
Use ACRPoker bonus code PRB10FREE for an Elite Benefits account with a $10 free bankroll:
Use ACRPoker bonus code PROFRB27 for a 27% rakeback account:
Most gambling operators nowadays pay some attention to protecting their players from the harms that gambling can cause. ACR Poker has a page on the site dedicated to the subject and offers a number of ways that account holders can protect themselves:
After reading our in-depth review, you may still have unanswered questions. Or perhaps you wish to look for answers to your pressing queries first before devouring our content above. Whatever the case, we have addressed some of the most frequent concerns about ACR Poker below.
Absolutely. There are no Federal laws that make online poker illegal. Furthermore, only one US state has any language that specifically addresses online poker (Washington State). As such, it is perfectly legal to play on ACR, Black Chip Poker, True Poker, or any other online poker site while residing in the United States.
Yes, ACR rakeback at 27% does exist, and we offer it directly upon creating an account with us. To create such an account, simply click on the appropriate link in our signup instructions above.
Log into the appropriate poker software, find “My Account” in the top menu and click it. Then, click on “Rewards” and “Rakeback” and redeem with the button on the bottom-right of the screen.
There is a Mac version of the ACR poker software. However, some users have found that it doesn’t run as smoothly as the Windows executable.
You can try it out to see if it works well on your system. If not, you can always attempt to run the normal Windows poker client via emulation software, like Parallels.
ACR Poker has released a poker app for Android tablets and phones, and it contains almost the entire gaming roster that you can access from a PC. However, the iOS client is much less robust, featuring only Jackpot Poker, Blitz cash games, and Cyclone satellites at present. Thus, if you have an iOS system and wish to join any other type of poker games, you'll have to play through the regular desktop software on your computer instead.
ACR recognizes that sometimes people make mistakes, and sometimes a player's profile of play changes dramatically. If you signed up for either Elite Benefits or rakeback and now want to move over to the other, this is allowed.
Be warned, however, that you can only swap between Elite Benefits and rakeback once over the lifetime of your account. Make sure that this is really what you wish to do, and then contact live chat from the ACR website or send an email to support[at]winningpokernetwork.com explaining your request. They will make the necessary adjustments to your account.
Here at Professional Rakeback, we endeavor to present a comprehensive treatment of every site we cover (just look at the length of some of our reviews if you doubt this). Still, there's a wealth of additional information on the internet that even we cannot realistically include on our site. If you seek additional comments, answers, and general reports of what playing on ACR Poker is like, then we direct you to consult these outside resources:
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