ClubWPT Gold Ends Coins, Launches Chips and Hand Analysis Credits

ClubWPT Gold has removed its dual-currency system, ending the use of both Gold Coins and Sweeps Coins. Started September 24, the site now operates using Hand Analysis credits and Chips – a new structure that arrives as the legality of sweepstakes-based poker continues to face pressure in multiple U.S. states.

How the New System Works

ClubWPT Gold’s revamped model centers on Hand Analysis credits – a paid tool that activates whenever a player voluntarily enters a hand. The system evaluates each decision using a game theory optimal (GTO) solver and assigns ratings like “solid,” “close,” or “lacking,” depending on how closely the action matches solver-approved play. Players can also explore alternate lines and see how different choices would have scored.

The analysis runs automatically and only if credits are available at the time the hand is played. Hands folded without voluntary action – like standard big or small blind folds – don’t qualify. If a player runs out of credits, the hand is skipped and can’t be reviewed later, even if the account is topped up.

With each credit purchase, players also receive Chips – the site’s new real-money currency. Chips operate exactly like the now-retired Sweeps Coins: they’re used to enter poker games and can be redeemed for cash. All existing Sweeps Coin balances have already been converted to Chips at a 1:1 ratio.

Gold Coins, previously used for non-cash play, are no longer part of the platform. Players can still acquire Chips through promotional methods and mail-in postcard requests, satisfying sweepstakes requirements – but there’s no longer a mode for casual, no-stakes play. Every hand now comes with either real money on the line, solver feedback, or both.

Designed to Withstand Legal Pressure

ClubWPT Gold has connected its new model directly to shifting U.S. gaming laws. In California and New York, legislation aimed at banning the dual-currency sweepstakes format – where players buy one currency and receive a redeemable one as a bonus – is already in motion. Both bills specifically target the type of system ClubWPT Gold just removed.

While the company still lists California as an active state, the bill there has passed and awaits only the governor’s signature. A similar measure is pending in New York. ClubWPT Gold has already pulled out of several states, including New Jersey, Louisiana, and Connecticut, and its future access to key markets may depend on how this new structure is interpreted.

By linking purchases to a GTO analysis tool – positioned as a genuine product – the company appears to be distancing itself from the bonus-based model lawmakers are targeting. But the core mechanic remains: players pay, they receive Chips, and they can cash out winnings. Whether that distinction is enough to satisfy regulators may become a legal question.

Upswing Poker and the Solver Behind ClubWPT Gold’s Hand Analysis

With its acquisition of Upswing Poker, ClubWPT Gold gained full control of Lucid Poker – the solver built by Doug Polk’s team. Lucid, originally designed to power Upswing’s training platform, now drives the analysis system tied to every credit purchase on the online poker site.

Polk, who co-founded Upswing and developed much of its training content, is now a ClubWPT Gold ambassador, publicly promoting the platform and its shift toward integrated strategy features.

ClubWPT Gold says features like stat tracking and drills are in development, expanding the training system already tied to live hands.