ClubWPT Gold’s new “Reveal Hands” button lets players pay to see opponents’ cards, but poker pros are calling it unethical, predatory, and damaging to the game’s integrity.
The World Poker Tour’s U.S. sweepstakes platform, ClubWPT Gold, is under heavy fire this week after unveiling a controversial new feature called the Reveal Hands button. The option allows players to pay a fee equal to three big blinds in order to see everyone’s hole cards once a hand has ended. That means in a $2/$4 game, players can pay $12 to look at all the private cards on the table — a move many pros argue undermines the integrity of poker itself.
The backlash was immediate and severe across the poker community. Industry voices, from high-stakes grinders to Hall of Famers, took to X (formerly Twitter) to blast the site. PokerOrg Player Advisory Board member Matt Berkey described the feature as “actually sick,” pointing out that while live games sometimes include novelty rules or “stupid taxes,” it’s very different when the platform itself monetizes player data. Poker Hall of Famer Brian Rast echoed that sentiment, calling it “one of the worst ideas ever in poker” and suggesting that if anyone should benefit, it should be the players whose hands are exposed — not the house.
Others went even further. High-stakes pro and coach Alec Torelli compared the move to a live dealer taking a bribe to expose your cards mid-game, while Greg Himmelbrand said it “may be the single worst feature ever offered in poker history.” Shaun Deeb, fresh off winning the 2025 WSOP Player of the Year, warned that ClubWPT was “long term going to kill” its own platform with such tone-deaf marketing decisions.
The debate raises important questions about where innovation ends and predation begins in online poker. Many players argue that poker’s unique appeal lies in strategy, psychology, and the unknown. By putting a price tag on revealing hole cards, critics say, the game risks losing its essence and becoming just another casino gimmick designed to squeeze more money out of players.
For now, the Reveal Hands controversy is one of the most divisive topics in online poker, with pros and recreational players alike questioning whether ClubWPT Gold has crossed a line. The platform has not yet indicated whether it will backtrack on the feature, but community pressure is mounting.
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