Chinese Poker Apps – Where to play in 2019?

PokerMaster has  almost come to an end. Just 2 years ago, Daniel Cates was talking on Doug Polk’s podcast about high stakes games that were being played on Chinese apps.

Since then however, the popularity of these apps may have grown but the landscape has shifted drastically. The Chinese authorities have reiterated that private games for real cash which are hosted, even on apps, are illegal. This has only added to the problems which were already mounting for PokerMaster.

PokerMaster Collapses

In the wake of China’s confirmation that its poker games were illegal, PokerMaster has been under siege, with bank accounts being routinely frozen inside and outside of China and arrests being made.

Having risen to prominence in 2017, Poker Master soon became afflicted with problems such as collusion, bots and overseas players dominating the games and winning millions.

This led to PokerMaster increasing rake and withdrawal costs before blocking access for players outside China. Many other apps sprang up, imitating the successful model PokerMaster had of games being overseen by agents. They soon followed the same pattern of kicking out overseas players however, and many of them went on to close their doors.

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Rising Alternatives

Despite the flagship Chinese app PokerMaster having capsized, there are still several viable options for players who want to play poker on Chinese apps safely. Somuchpoker has selected three apps which have gained an excellent following and are currently filling the gap in the market. Here, we give you a closer look at each of them.

Firepoker (Poker Community)

• Soft games with the majority of players being Chinese
• Action plentiful across a range of stakes (especially at NLH tables)
• Games run on iOS, Android and can be played on PC with an Emulator
• Safe access to games provided by Somuchpoker
• Good player traffic

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Poker community Firepoker has tables which run on a clock, with a time limit of between one hour and two and a half hours.

Once the time expires, the table closes, and the rake is calculated. 5% rake is collected on the profits of any players at the table who finish in profit, with losing players not having to pay any rake. If you finish a session up by 10,000 for example, you will have 500 collected, leaving you with 9,500.

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MBP (Macau’s Billionaire Clubs)

• This Chinese app is powered by GGPoker (GGnet)
• Games run in CNY
• Rake system of 5% on profits like Firepoker
• No rake taken from losing players
• The app has a great interface
• PLO is not available
• Traffic is limited compared to the other two apps listed here

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The games at MBP are certainly soft, with many Chinese players at the tables and as with all three apps listed here, Somuchpoker can provide safe access to the games.

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No1Poker

• Player traffic is excellent at No1Poker with many games running
• iOS, Android and PC access (via emulator) is supported
• Games are running at high stakes, including NL30 all the way up to NL3K
• The rake here is superior to the two other apps we have listed here, with only 3% paid on profits
• No rake is paid by losing players in any session

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PLO may not be available on No1Poker but the NLH games are flourishing, with an abundance of soft tables and high stakes on offer.

As with all the apps listed in this article, Somuchpoker can handle your money and help you find a game if you are looking to play on Chinese poker apps.