Ya Poker started in 2001 as a stand-alone poker site catering for players in central America. In 2013 it joined the Winning Poker Network (WPN), a community of poker sites with an excellent reputation for fast and reliable pay-outs and customer service facilities. Since joining the WPN network, Ya Poker has expanded its reach to accommodate players from many other parts of the world beyond its traditional base in places like Brazil, Argentina and Costa Rica.
While all games are played in US dollars, it doesn’t accept North American Players, similar to most other gambling sites duo to laws prohibiting online gambling in the majority of US states. The sites affiliation with WPN, however, does provide access to a shared customer base with other WPN partners, such as American Card Room and Blackchip Poker. The WPN network can generate significant traffic levels most times of the day, with over 10,000 players online during peak times.
As with all WPN poker skins, the Ya Poker platform is reliable and stable. The user interface is a little challenging to navigate until you get used to it. This is primarily due to the way cash games, Sit and go’s and tournaments are organised in the menus, but there is plenty of info on the site to help you get started. Ya poker is available for download on Windows XP or higher and Mac. Just go to the download page, and the software will download automatically. Account admin in this poker room is impressive. From the admin panel, players can view all bonuses and awards at a glance, so you know exactly where you are at all times.
Multiple customisation options are also present to enable you to set up your playing environment according to personal preferences. Another big plus is the vast number of payment options available. All popular E-wallets are supported, which often allow for 48hr withdrawals. You can transact with multiple cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dash, Ether, and Monero, and even Western Union and MoneyGram are supported if you're okay with sucking up the high transaction fees.
Ya Poker supports an exciting variety of games, cash games, Sit & Go's, tournaments and MTT’S are held throughout the day with options to play various Hold’Em, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 card stud and draw poker variations. The main focus for cash games is 'the Beast', which is a progressive-points race that costs nothing to enter. As you play cash games, you earn leaderboard points depending on the size of the stakes you wager, regardless of whether you win or lose the hand. Interesting!
Stakes on cash and heads up tables lean towards the lower and mid-range levels. Tournaments ranging from $100 to $40k pot guarantees are also available daily, with significantly less traffic at the high-roller levels as to be expected. MTT players are also well catered for, with a vast number of tournaments available every day of the week offering 6 figure guaranteed prize pools.
The big welcome bonus giveaway at Ya Poker is their headline bonus which is a 100% bonus up to $1,000. This doubles to 200% when you deposit using a cryptocurrency of your choice. Nice! Bonuses are award per $1 for every 27.5 points earnt while playing at the tables. Keep in mind; you have to play this through within 60 days. New player freerolls are also available in abundance, as well as other promotions offered daily, plus deposit bonuses offered from time to time.
For regular players, Elite Benefits is their VIP program. This program pays out up to a whopping 70% in Rakeback (cashback) received from rake paid out. Plus, you can earn even more with bonuses added from promotions such as ‘the beast’ and ‘Sit&Crush'. If loyalty programs are not your thing, you can still benefit from Ya Poker’s standard 27% Rakeback Rate of 27%, based on a weighted contribution which is available to claim anytime.
The Ya Poker platform has a range of innovating features not found elsewhere outside of the Winning Poker Network. Take, for instance, the Maximizer. This tool finds automatically up to ten games in line with your personal preferences, so you are never hanging around waiting for a game to start. Spin to Get IN is another excellent feature to gain entry to SNG's and tournaments at a minimal cost. Just choose your wagering amount and spin the slot. If you hit three-of-a-kind, you've won your seat. An excellent option for players who want the chance to win big, with minimum outlay. These and other great feature can be found on the feature list available at the YaPoker.com website.
So, what level of competition can you expect at Ya Poker? Well, that often depends on the type of game you are playing. Generally speaking, tournaments can be quite competitive, since players can take their time to make decisions due to another great feature called 'Time Bank'. Cash games can be a little softer since many players play loose to improve their position on leaderboard rankings. But overall, the competition is far from soft so players should expect to find a medium to medium-high level of competition across the board.
Ya poker is a particularly good option for Latin American Players since Spanish is the default language. Though English and Portuguese are also available. Customer support and account administration is to a very high standard, as you might expect from a WPN poker site. Apart from the many standard payment methods available, Ya Poker is very Cryptocurrency friendly, with support for up to 60 digital currencies. If you want to play by depositing crypto, Ya poker makes a great choice, not least due to its 200% welcome bonus up to $1K. While we are on the subject of bonuses, Ya Poker offers a range of bonuses, promotions and Rakeback (cashback) benefits that rival some of the best poker rooms in the online industry.
All in all, Ya Poker makes a perfect option for any player with previous experience playing competitive online poker. Especially those who want to benefit from proper competition levels, lively tables and fantastic rewards.