Reddit Supplanting Twoplustwo for Online Poker Discussion?

A behemoth in the online poker space, Twoplustwo boasts forums covering just about every aspect of the game. Players and fans have long headed to these forums to discuss hand histories, debate the best internet poker rooms, and seek help with any issues they're having. However, the growth of Reddit has provided another venue for poker discussion: one that's arguably poised to displace Twoplustwo as the leading destination for high-quality online poker conversations.

Background

Twoplustwo Publishing, founded in 1987 by Mason Malmuth and the late David Sklansky, is a publisher of books about poker and other gambling games. In 1997, the company opened an internet forum at twoplustwo.com.

Twoplustwo Forums as They Appeared in January 1998

Over the next few years, the twoplustwo forums grew steadily especially during the early 2000s poker boom. By the time Steve Huffman, Alexis Ohanian, and Aaron Swartz launched Reddit in June 2005, Twoplustwo had become THE place to go for sharing breaking poker news, discussing strategy, and comparing online poker sites. Meanwhile, Reddit remained a niche site for quite a while.

However, Twoplustwo started losing traffic and is now considered but a shell of its former self. Most veteran forumites decry the lack of activity at Twoplustwo and bemoan the fact that the site is no longer the unquestioned hub of the online poker community. It is still considered by the cognoscenti to be a valuable resource with quite a few active users, but it's no longer the Mecca of online poker.

Reddit, by contrast, has seen steadily increasing traffic particularly since the latter half of 2013. Quite a few online poker players now prefer to head over to Reddit for news, information, and conversation about the game they love.

Reddit Organic Web Traffic Historical Graph

About Reddit Communities

Reddit is set up a bit differently than Twoplustwo or other traditional internet forums. Rather than a static list of forums and subforums, Reddit consists of thousands of communities, or subreddits. Within these subreddits, users make posts and comment on others' posts.

Reddit users join subreddits that interest them. Based upon their interests, memberships in subreddits, and browsing histories, users see a customized feed of posts tailored to them personally. Of course, they can always browse over to particular communities to view the content that they want to see at any given moment.

Poker Content on Reddit

Though the structure of Reddit differs substantially from that of the Twoplustwo forums, the kinds of topics that users post about are very similar. People complaining that the rake is too high, disgruntled CoinPoker players seeking alternative sites, rigged conspiracy theorists, and people with questions about how to clear bonuses populate Reddit. You will encounter individuals with cashout woes, those who want to know where to find soft games, and frustrated Bovada customers upset that they can't connect to their favorite gaming site and wondering where else they can play.

In other words, it's basically the same type of content you would find on Twoplustwo. It's just arranged and accessed a bit differently on Reddit.

Reddit Poker Communities

In case you're new to Reddit and wish to explore the online poker-related subreddits that are available for your viewing and posting pleasure, you might want to check out the following:

• r/onlinepoker – for all things related to online poker
• r/Poker_Theory – questions and discussions about poker theory
• r/Bovada – subreddit devoted to Bovada, including its poker room
• r/IgnitionCasino – community for discussing the Ignition poker site and casino
• r/betonline_ag – discussions of BetOnline, including its poker room
• r/AmericasCardroom – conversations related to ACRPoker
• r/Global_Poker – place to talk about sweepstakes site Global Poker
• r/coinpoker – topics about CoinPoker
• r/Rakeback – info and questions regarding rakeback and rakeback deals

Reddit vs. Twoplustwo

As we've just said, Reddit has much the same kind of content about poker as the Twoplustwo forums. However, as of late 2026, Twoplustwo still has the edge when it comes to number of online poker-related posts being made.

This gap appears to be narrowing, though, and Reddit already has more poker-related threads being created than Twoplustwo does. The reason Twoplustwo has more posts even though Reddit has more threads is that there are a few threads on Twoplustwo that elicit deep conversation and draw dozens of responses per month. Reddit conversations tend to be a bit shorter and to the point, and they lack the sophisticated back-and-forth of some of the best of the Twoplustwo discussions – for now.

Why Is Reddit Poised to Surpass Twoplustwo?

We can't quite pin down a single reason why Reddit appears to be booming while Twoplustwo is stagnating. It's likely a combination of several factors:

Deal With Google

In November 2023, Google began deploying updates to its search algorithms that boosted the rankings of social media, forum, and blog posts. Reddit was a major beneficiary of this shakeup in SERPs. Furthermore, in February 2024, Google and Reddit signed a formal agreement granting the search giant additional access to Reddit data.

One of the consequences of this relationship appears to be superior rankings in SERPs and a massive overall boost to Reddit's traffic numbers. As a part of Reddit, the poker-themed subreddits benefit from this overall trend. There's nothing similar happening to Twoplustwo.com to inflate its traffic figures.

Traffic Distribution

According to data from ahrefs, 71% of Twoplustwo.com's organic traffic comes from the United States while the corresponding number for Reddit.com is 64%. This means that Reddit has a more international user base.

Following poker's Black Friday in April 2011, most online poker players from the United States were driven away from the game, and Twoplustwo's traffic suffered immediately and significantly. Though the situation has stabilized for the most part, the 2+2 forums never recovered the primacy over poker websites that they had enjoyed before Black Friday.

Because Reddit is less reliant on U.S.-based traffic, this factor does not come into play as much with the poker subreddits.

Different Content Models

Twoplustwo follows the tried-and-true internet forum formula of a few paid staff members watching over other mods and users within the framework of a few tightly defined forums and specific subforums within them. By contrast, most moderators of communities on Reddit are volunteers, and new subreddits can be created by regular users basically any time they wish.

This has led to a situation where there are countless active subreddits, including some that cover the same ground and compete with each other. Meanwhile, the moderation and rules of each community are tailored to the needs of that specific group without much interference or oversight from the corporate Reddit team.

It could be that this freewheeling approach appeals more to poker players who, as a group, are known for their independence and lack of respect for arbitrary authority.

Join Reddit Today

If you want to read and participate in the most active discussions of online poker, then simply having a Twoplustwo account won't do in this day and age. It's essential that you possess a Reddit account too. Click the button below to get started:

Nov. 11, 2026 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief