KKPoker vs. Pokio: Club-based apps with a direct cashier

PPPoker was launched four years ago as an evolution of the now-disgraced PokerMaster. In the beginning, those sites were promoted as a solution for Asian players to bypass regulations in their countries. A new era in real money poker applications has started with legal apps like Pokio and KKPoker that combine the best of both worlds: mobile and legal poker.

Pokio and KKPoker benchmark with PPPoker, UPoker, and PokerBros

Let's start with a brief explanation of how PPPoker and other real money poker apps work:

The app is a platform where play money games run 24/7;
Clubs and tables are created by hosts, who can be anyone;
The club sets an exchange rate for PP chips to real money. This is discretional, and only the club and the players are involved in this process;
Agents process deposits and withdrawals using a wide variety of local payment methods according to the exchange rate agreed with the club.

In short, we could say that PPPoker is a play money platform where real money games take place as a gentleman's agreement.

This is the main reason for global expansion: they don't follow any regulation and operate globally, because, in theory, they are not a poker room. This is also their main risk: untrustworthy clubs or players can run away without consequences.

Pokio and KKPoker adopted the model introduced by PPPoker and other apps but decided to take the legal path. They applied for licenses to different authorities and operate with a direct cashier like a regular poker site.

Main differences:

Pokio and KKPoker hold active gambling licenses;
Players process deposits and withdrawals via the app's direct cashier and not via agents;
There is a centralized cashier;
Only playing from mobile devices is allowed (no emulators);
The app requires players to pass an account verification with documents.

KKPoker vs. Pokio

Pokio vs. KKPoker

KKPoker and Pokio have a similar business model (licensed club-based app with a direct cashier), but we can highlight several differences:

License

Pokio has been licensed since 2018 by the Malta Gaming Authority (License number MGA/B2C/457/2017, B2C - Gaming Service Licence, Type 3 Gaming Services, peer-to-peer Poker). Its parent company is QFUN Qufan Internet Technology Ltd.

KKPoker holds an active license issued by the Isle of Man to its parent company Aceking IOM LImited.

Random Number Generator (RNG)

Both sites claim to have a certified random number generator (RNG) by Gaming Laboratories, but we didn't have access to the certificates, nor is the information available on the GamingLabs website.

AceKing Tech Limited holds a certificate of integrity, but it's only for PPPoker. Pokio states that having an RNG is part of the licensing process with the MGA.

Restricted countries list

Although Pokio and KKPoker restrict playing from a similar number of countries (about 70 each), there are remarkable differences:

Pokio takes players from Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden;
KKPoker accepts registration from Croatia, Hungary, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Monaco.
Both sites restrict access from the United States of America, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Estonia, Colombia, Bulgaria, Belgium, Australia, China, Czech Republic, just like any other licensed site that doesn't hold a local permit.

These differences must be related to the gambling authorities that issued the licenses for each site.

Promotions

Pokio is targeting northern European countries, and the most prominent circles are backed by famous players like Viktor "Isildur1" Bloom.

KKPoker is developing in Japan by holding local tournament series and recruiting popular players.

Both sites appeal to similar strategies used by new poker rooms, like hosting freerolls events, random promotions, and rake-free tournaments.

Traffic

Pokio and KKPoker remain as small reservations with great potential. Now (mid-2020), the second one boosts more tables, mainly due to its relationship with PPPoker.

Worldpokerdeals operates its own clubs on all apps as follows:

Pokio:

United Poker Clubs (Norway), ID 102147;
Mediterranean Poker, ID 102148;
Irish Poker Community, ID 102149;
Finnish Poker Circle, ID 102150.

KKPoker:

ID 44461.

These clubs work together with the largest circles (Pokio) and unions (KKPoker).

Stake [€]	Pokio [Tables]	KKPoker [Tables]
NL20	8	16
NL40		6
NL60	2	6
NL100		6
NL200+		3
NL400+	1	3
PLO20	5	4
PLO40	4	3
PLO100	1	3
PLO200+	1	3
OFC 1	2	2

Note: In Pokio, almost all PLO tables are played in 5-card format.

The peak time in Pokio falls in the evening and nights in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean region (Turkey, Greece, Cyprus), and the best time to play at KKPoker is early evening in Asia (Japanese time-zone).

MTTs with small guaranteed prizes and tournament series like the Pokio Springfest are held regularly on both sites.

Cashier

Both sites offer a direct cashier with different payment methods: e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, cards.

Please note that it's necessary to verify the gaming account with documents before processing any transaction. In this area, Pokio requests more information from the player (ID, bills, etc.)

KKPoker process payments via ecoPayz, credit cards, and cryptocurrencies, and Pokio has a more comprehensive offer that includes cards, Skrill, Neteller, paysafecard.

All payments are handled directly by the poker room team and usually are processed within 24 hours.

Why do I need an affiliate to play on KKPoker or Pokio?

Although real money poker apps users are used to deal with agents to process all transactions, this isn't needed in KKPoker or Pokio. Nevertheless, joining both sites with a poker affiliate has several benefits as follows:

Private rakeback deals;
Access to private clubs, unions, and circles;
Money swaps (VIP players);
Experienced team and excellent customer service.

Pros and cons

Playing in KKPoker and Pokio have advantages and disadvantages, highlighted by our scouting team:

Pros:

Active gaming license;
Direct cashier;
Modern clients.

Cons:

Low traffic;
Players from different regions may need to adapt their schedule;
There are no HUDs or support for trackers.

Conclusion

Topic/Poker app	Pokio	KKPoker
Traffic	20+ tables	50+ tables
Payment methods	Skrill, Neteller, ecoPayz, credit cards	ecoPayz, Bitcoin
Client	Own client	Similar to PPPoker
License	Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)	Isle of Man
Parent company	Qfun	Aceking IOM LImited
HUD support	No	No
Traffic	+	++
Emulator	Not allowed	Not allowed

KKPoker and Pokio are trying to jump into the hype of mobile poker. They are currently developing exciting markets, and in the short term, they can become a real alternative to poker rooms and apps.

Certainly, KKPoker or Pokio will be unlikely to reach the traffic levels that PPPoker or Upoker boast right now: the first sites operate on a more restricted market while the second ones are expanding around the world without restrictions.

However, many users prefer to play on their gadgets in safer environments, and in this case, gambling licenses are more important than traffic.

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