Leaderboards program 2025: comparing race promotions in GGPoker, WPN, iPoker, and Chico

By 2025, rake races were no longer a secondary part of the bonus system. Today, they are a key factor that directly affects a player’s overall EV and has become a major criterion for regulars choosing a room.

Growing competition among poker rooms led to leaderboards becoming more structured and more varied. In some places the prize pools increased, in others the number of formats expanded, and some sites focused on stability and predictable conditions.

GGPoker remains the biggest example of a large-scale approach. Their race prize pools cover dozens of disciplines and formats — from Rush&Cash and 6-max to Omaha and Flip&Go — making leaderboard participation a meaningful part of a regular’s overall expectation.

GGPoker

If we are talking about 2026 races, the place to start is GGPoker. The room has built an almost separate system around leaderboards. Whether you play Rush&Cash, PLO, or Spin&Gold, each one has its own tables and prize pools.

GGPoker Leaderboards 2025 prize pools

GG runs the largest leaderboard system in the industry, and its scale is easiest to see in the way prize money is distributed. Each format has its own pool, payout frequency, and level of competition. Those parameters directly determine EV for players — which is why analyzing prize pools is the right starting point. Below are the key details for the main disciplines. The data is based on GG’s public announcements and current leaderboards.

WPN

Winning Poker Network (WPN) is one of the few networks where rake races are built into the overall structure. Unlike GG, there are no dozens of small leaderboards here. WPN focuses on two major systems — The Beast and Blitz Poker Leaderboards. Both races are aimed at high-volume cash and SnG grinders, and their EV stays stable because the conditions are so predictable.

The Beast - a race for cash players

The Beast is a weekly race where players automatically participate when they play cash tables. Each raked hand adds to the overall prize pool, which becomes a leaderboard paying 1,600+ spots.

Key features of The Beast:

✔️ The pool is funded from a portion of rake, so the size does not depend on marketing.

✔️ The race covers all stakes — from low stakes to high stakes.

✔️ Payouts are stable, and the format has not changed for several years.

✔️ Earnings are calculated using the weight contributed system.

Payouts range from $50-$500 plus tickets. Results are locked every Monday after 18:00 EST.

Blitz Poker Leaderboards

Blitz is the equivalent of Zoom/fast-fold formats. EV here is generated through a high number of hands. The faster a player plays, the higher their position. Competition is lower than in GGPoker’s Rush&Cash, so many regulars use Blitz as a status farming format.

Advantages:

✔️ higher speed → higher volume → higher EV;

✔️ fewer regulars than in GGPoker NLH 6-max;

✔️ low variance in conditions: the formula rarely changes;

✔️ a clear EV curve by stake.

Blitz is one of the most rational formats for grinding on WPN. It does not offer artificial bonuses, but it does offer stable EV, low competition, and a predictable reward structure.

iPoker

iPoker remains one of the most predictable platforms for rake races. The network sticks to the classic Races model, which has worked for years and attracts players who value stability.

Unlike GGPoker and WPN, the network’s races are aimed primarily at low and mid stakes. That structure benefits players who are not chasing huge volume but still want a guaranteed return over distance.

How Races work in iPoker

The core mechanic is simple. Rewards are distributed according to the amount of play over the week or month. Points are awarded for participation in raked hands. The earning formula is transparent and has not changed in years.

iPoker uses a system of:

✔️ cash races (NLH, PLO, short-handed tables, and 6-max);

✔️ SNG and Twister races;

✔️ rare seasonal MTT leaderboards.

The advantage of Races is the absence of randomness and the minimal competition compared with large rooms like GG.

iPoker Races prize pools

iPoker traditionally focuses on stable and predictable rake races. In 2025, the network continues this approach. For regular players, this is one of the most balanced systems, where race EV is generated through discipline and volume rather than big spikes.

Chico Network

Chico is not one of the industry giants. Most often, the tables here are filled with regular players who come for action, not for an ideal GTO matrix. For a grinder, that environment is a rare opportunity. Because of the soft field and moderate volume, many rate Chico races higher than they would expect from a network of this size. Chico’s prize pools are not as large as GGPoker’s or WPN’s, but EV per player is often higher because there are fewer participants overall.

Cash Race and Chico Leaderboards prize pools

The network’s main race is Cash Race. Accumulated play points move you up the leaderboard, and prizes are distributed by level. There are no surprise mechanics or random bonuses. Everything is transparent and predictable.

In 2026, races are turning into a separate income source that can change a player’s monthly result by tens of percent. To understand where the real EV is, it is important to look not only at the prizes but also at format, rake, field, and volume.

Different rooms use different income models, and each one affects final profit in its own way.

Current trends show that leaderboards have fully become a mechanism for retaining and distributing traffic. In 2026, rooms will develop this model in several directions.

We should expect larger and more detailed prize pools. Instead of one big race per format, operators are moving toward a system of targeted tables — by stakes, discipline, and time slot.

Point-calculation algorithms will also change. Some networks are already testing systems that take into account not only volume and rake, but also play frequency, format, stake, or table type.

And finally, integration of races into the overall motivation system.

Rooms are gradually moving away from single weekly races toward seasonal rankings, personal challenges, and targeted races for different player groups.