Revolution Poker Network: A ‘Plain Jane’ Experience

Want to play lots of games?

What about MASSIVE guaranteed tournaments?

Then let me save you some time… the Revolution Poker Network isn’t for you… you’re better off checking out the Merge Poker Network.

I am sorry, but it had to be said. If only their game selection, promotions or traffic were as robust as their history.

They got their start in 2006. Back then we knew them as the Cake Poker Network.

They leased their software out A LOT like Merge did. They had dozens of brands including PlayersOnly, Juicy Stakes, Lock Poker, Doyle’s Room and Power Poker.

But thanks to slow payments, poor management and the good ol’ US Government, many of these rooms closed, were sold or they merged with other brands.

Things really started to go downhill in 2010. It was at this time they were having cash flow issues (which they blamed on Doyle’s Room and the Yatahay Network).

So they made an attempt to fix their problems.

The first thing they tried was partnering with PokerListings.com, a huge informational portal. The deal didn’t last long, though.

What they tried next may have very buried any hopes they had of being a ‘major player.’

In 2012, Lock Poker left the Merge Network to rejoin Cake (they left Cake in 2008). At this point Lock was huge and getting more popular by the day. Apparently, when they left Merge they brought nearly half the US traffic with them.

Rumors were circulating that Lock bought the network. It was branded shortly after to Revolution Gaming.

But not long after this Lock dropped the ball. They started making late payments. Some players weren’t receiving money altogether.

Things got so bad that in 2013 they were kicked off Revolution for having outstanding debts. By this point it’s been more than a year that players received any money at all.

We also found out that Lock Poker didn’t (likely) own the network – the Cake Poker Network still owned/owns it.

And now here we are.

A few changes have been made in the last year since Lock Poker was kicked off. Cake Poker rebranded to Win Cake and stopped accepting US players. Instead US players can check out Pure Poker or Juicy Stakes. The rest of the page will have details from Juicy Stakes.

But let me tell you – there’s just not a ton of exciting stuff here.

Their Top 2 Games

There are two games worth checking out.

The first is their fast fold poker variation. Fast fold is a fun game if you like action. It works like this:

All players that sign up are pooled together. You’re seated with 8 other players. Once you receive your cards you can either wait your turn, like normal, or you can go ahead and fold before the action gets to you.

If you choose to fold you’ll be seated at a new table with 8 new players.

Hopefully you can see how this allows you to play 3-4x the amount of hands you would play at a normal table. If not, just try one out for free money – no doubt you’ll love it.

The next game worth checking out is Juicy Stakes’ freerolls. They run these 3x per day and add real money to the prize pools.

What We Like About Revolution

There are 2 things I like.

The first is their Fair Play Technology. The idea behind this is to segregate players based on skill. Weak players will play with other weak players, and strong players will play with other strong players. The point is to make the games more enjoyable for the weaker players, as opposed to fearing for their bankroll every time they sit down to play.

Unfortunately, this option is only available at Cake and Intertops (non-US sites).

Another thing I like is Juicy Stakes’ promotions. For example, they have a 100% match reload bonus up to $500. They also have a 200% match bonus up to $1,000. This is reserved for brand new accounts.

Between their promos, VIP program and real money freerolls, there are plenty of opportunities to collect free cash – the best kind.

What Can Revolution Gaming Improve?

That’s a loaded question…

Well, they would solve many of their issues just by making the sites the same. Juicy Stakes has fewer options than Win Cake and it looks to be a lower quality site.

So just bringing Juicy Stakes up to the same level would help.

But to get more specific, Juicy Stakes doesn’t have mobile games or instant play software. (Win Cake has instant play software, but it didn’t work when I last tried it.)

Their guaranteed tournaments can be larger—the biggest is 10 grand. When you compare that to MILLIONS OF DOLLARS in guaranteed money at other networks/sites, why would you play here?

And last, they’re 8th in US traffic. That’s not enough to keep games running. Their traffic might have something to do with their 3/10 rating on Poker Scout…

Summary – Who Should Play Here?

There are better options than Revolution Gaming. The Merge Network comes to mind.

That being said, if you’re a beginner or recreational player you might enjoy the games and promotions. The games will be softer which will help in clearing the deposit bonuses. That’s a good thing.

But that’s about it.