PokerStars vs GGPoker: How Online Poker Traffic Changed in October 2026

October 2026 revealed a widening gap between PokerStars and GGPoker, two of the most recognisable names in online poker. GGPoker strengthened its position in both cash games and multi-table tournaments, while PokerStars experienced a decline in activity across its international network. Industry traffic figures covering the 30 days ending on 12 October showed GGPoker averaging 10,143 concurrent cash-game players, compared with 2,156 at PokerStars. Tournament participation displayed an even greater difference, with GGPoker recording more than five times as many daily entries. These figures illustrate a significant shift in competitive strength, although they do not represent final totals for the entire calendar month. Understanding the reasons behind this divergence requires examining tournament schedules, regional player pools, seasonal trends and the practical implications of traffic changes for ordinary poker players.

PokerStars and GGPoker Traffic Figures in October 2026

The October 2026 online poker traffic rankings placed GGPoker firmly ahead of PokerStars in the international cash-game market. During the 30-day reporting period ending on 12 October, GGPoker averaged 10,143 concurrent cash-game players, compared with 2,156 at PokerStars. The difference amounted to 7,987 average occupied player seats, meaning GGPoker maintained approximately 4.7 times the activity of its main competitor. These measurements reflect the average number of real-money cash-game seats occupied simultaneously rather than the number of unique customers. One person participating at several tables can therefore contribute more than one occupied seat to the statistics. Nevertheless, when the same measurement method is applied to competing networks, the figures provide a useful indication of relative liquidity and the overall availability of active games.

The most revealing aspect of October’s figures was not simply GGPoker’s larger audience but the opposing direction of the two operators’ performance. GGPoker’s 30-day cash-game average increased by 8.5% compared with the preceding reporting period, rising from approximately 9,345 to 10,143. PokerStars experienced a 5.2% decline, falling to 2,156. The difference suggests that GGPoker was successfully sustaining additional cash-game activity while PokerStars struggled to maintain its previous level. Shorter-term measurements supported the same picture. GGPoker’s seven-day average reached 10,164 concurrent players, while PokerStars recorded 2,035. Although a single reporting period cannot establish a permanent market trend, the combination of monthly and weekly averages indicates that GGPoker’s lead was substantial rather than the result of an isolated unusually busy day.

Regional differences are particularly important when interpreting these statistics. The international PokerStars network does not include every player using the company’s services worldwide. PokerStars also maintains separate regulated player pools, including those serving Italy and several European jurisdictions. In the October figures, PokerStars Italy averaged 701 concurrent cash-game players, representing growth of 5.9%, while PokerStars Europe averaged 601, an increase of 2.4%. These regional improvements contrasted with the decline recorded by the international network. They also demonstrate why combining unrelated player pools into a single global total can create misleading comparisons. Regulations determine which customers can play against one another, and separate networks may have different tournament schedules, payment options, promotional campaigns and peak playing hours. The international rankings consequently describe an important part of the market without measuring every PokerStars customer or all worldwide poker activity.

Cash Games and Tournament Participation: The Main Differences

Cash-game traffic is particularly valuable because it reflects activity beyond major tournament starting times. In a cash game, players can generally join an available table, purchase chips within the permitted limits and leave when they choose. A consistently large player pool makes it easier for operators to maintain tables across different stakes and formats. GGPoker’s 10,143 average concurrent cash-game seats represented approximately 41% of the 24,747 seats included in the reporting dataset. PokerStars’ international network accounted for approximately 8.7%. These figures are shares of the measured networks rather than definitive worldwide market shares. They nevertheless demonstrate the considerable difference between the two operators. For someone looking for an active No-Limit Hold’em table outside peak hours, the larger GGPoker player pool may offer more opportunities, although availability still depends on the specific stakes and game format.

The tournament comparison was even more striking. GGPoker recorded an average of 786,266 daily multi-table tournament entries during the reporting period, an increase of 19.9% over the previous measurement. PokerStars averaged 139,994 daily entries, representing a decline of 20.5%. This placed GGPoker at approximately 5.6 times the tournament activity of PokerStars’ international network. The seven-day averages also showed substantial participation, with GGPoker reaching 886,850 daily entries and PokerStars recording 176,455. Tournament entries should not be confused with individual players because someone entering several competitions or re-entering the same event can generate multiple registrations. Even with that distinction, the difference indicates that GGPoker supported a considerably busier tournament schedule, potentially allowing more simultaneous competitions across a wider selection of buy-ins and formats.

Looking at cash games and tournaments together provides a clearer interpretation of the competitive situation. GGPoker achieved growth of 8.5% in cash-game traffic and 19.9% in tournament entries, whereas PokerStars declined by 5.2% and 20.5% respectively. These opposite movements indicate that GGPoker’s stronger performance was not confined to one type of poker. However, regional PokerStars results again showed a more varied picture. Tournament participation in PokerStars Italy declined by 8.1%, while PokerStars Europe recorded growth of 4.1%. The contrast suggests that local player behaviour and individual tournament calendars influenced results. It is also important to distinguish attendance from profitability or customer satisfaction. A network can generate more entries through numerous low-buy-in competitions without necessarily attracting the same increase in unique customers. Traffic remains a strong measure of activity, but it should be interpreted alongside the type of games being played.

Why GGPoker Gained Ground While PokerStars Lost Traffic

One of the clearest differences between the competitors was the timing of their tournament schedules. GGPoker entered October following its WSOP-branded online tournament series, which continued until 29 September 2026. The final stages of that competition fell within the rolling 30-day period used for the October traffic measurements. The operator then introduced its Bounty Hunters series on 2 October, followed by APT Online on 11 October. This sequence provided a relatively continuous programme of tournaments, reducing the gap between major events and giving players further opportunities to participate. A busy calendar can help maintain regular attendance because players interested in different formats and buy-in levels have more reasons to return. The timing of these competitions coincided with GGPoker’s rising tournament activity, although the available statistics do not isolate the precise contribution of individual events.

The popularity of accessible tournament formats also helps explain the scale of GGPoker’s participation figures. Knockout events offer rewards for eliminating opponents, introducing an additional objective alongside the conventional prize structure. Lower-buy-in tournaments can attract large fields because participation requires a relatively modest initial payment. During October, particular attention surrounded a $5 Ocean KO tournament that attracted an exceptionally large field. Events of this kind can produce substantial registration totals, especially when re-entry is permitted. However, a tournament’s size does not automatically indicate the number of unique participants or guarantee that the typical entrant receives better value. Players still need to consider the entry fee, possible re-entry costs, payout structure and tournament duration. From a traffic perspective, the importance of such events lies in their ability to attract participation at scale and potentially encourage continued activity elsewhere in the tournament schedule.

GGPoker’s cash-game growth suggests that its momentum extended beyond the popularity of major tournament festivals. The operator’s 30-day average of 10,143 concurrent cash-game players exceeded its 90-day average of 9,709, while its seven-day figure reached 10,164. These measurements indicate stronger recent activity than the longer-term average. Increased tournament attendance may have contributed indirectly by bringing more players into the poker client, some of whom could also have participated in cash games. Other possible influences include promotional incentives, the availability of different stake levels and seasonal changes in playing habits. Nevertheless, the available figures cannot demonstrate a direct causal relationship between tournament participation and cash-game growth. Nor do they prove that a particular number of players abandoned PokerStars for GGPoker. Such claims would require individual account or customer migration data that aggregate traffic reports do not provide.

How Major Poker Series Influenced Player Activity

PokerStars also organised a substantial championship series during the period, meaning its weaker traffic cannot simply be attributed to an absence of prominent tournaments. The 2026 World Championship of Online Poker, better known as WCOOP, ran throughout September and concluded on 30 September. Eighteen of the series’ 25 days fell within the rolling reporting window used for the October comparison. The championship distributed approximately $49 million in prizes and remained an important part of PokerStars’ competitive identity. Despite this, the international network recorded a 20.5% decrease in average daily tournament entries compared with the preceding measurement. The result demonstrates that a prestigious competition with significant prize money does not necessarily produce an increase in overall network attendance. Participation across smaller daily events, the accessibility of buy-ins and the timing of tournaments can all influence the broader figures.

The overlap between September tournaments and October traffic data is essential to interpreting the results accurately. The figures published in October did not measure only tournaments taking place from 1 October onwards. Instead, they included much of September, allowing the closing stages of WCOOP and GGPoker’s WSOP-branded series to influence the same dataset. GGPoker subsequently benefited from the beginning of additional October competitions, while PokerStars’ WCOOP had reached its conclusion. This difference in scheduling provides a plausible partial explanation for the contrasting tournament results. However, it would be inaccurate to present the decline at PokerStars as definitive evidence that WCOOP itself performed poorly. The published traffic averages describe broader network participation rather than a complete breakdown of registrations for each championship event.

Historical October comparisons emphasise the unusual nature of the divergence. Within the five-year comparison presented in the industry report, GGPoker’s 19.9% increase in tournament entries was its strongest October movement since 2022, exceeding the 4.4% improvement recorded in 2025. PokerStars’ 20.5% tournament decline was its weakest October result within the same comparison. Cash-game figures showed a similar contrast. GGPoker’s 8.5% increase surpassed its previous best October rise of 3.5% in 2024, while PokerStars’ 5.2% decline was its weakest October cash-game movement during the period examined. These comparisons provide historical context, but they should not be interpreted as evidence that the same growth or decline will continue every month. Tournament calendars, regional market conditions and seasonal demand can change substantially from one reporting period to another.

What October 2026 Traffic Trends Mean for Online Poker Players

For cash-game players, the practical importance of traffic lies in the availability of active tables and suitable opponents. A larger player pool generally makes it easier for an operator to maintain multiple tables at popular stake levels throughout the day. GGPoker’s substantially higher average suggests that it offered greater overall cash-game liquidity than the international PokerStars network during the measured period. However, total network traffic is only one part of the decision. Players interested in low-stakes No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha or specialised formats may encounter very different levels of activity. Peak playing hours also matter, particularly when a network serves customers across several time zones. A busy operator may still have limited availability in a particular game during quieter periods, while a smaller network may offer sufficient activity for a player’s preferred format.

Tournament players should interpret attendance differently. A network with many daily entries can support frequent starting times, a varied schedule and tournaments with substantial fields. GGPoker’s average of 786,266 daily entries indicates a much larger measured tournament operation than PokerStars’ international average of 139,994. Nevertheless, more entries do not automatically mean that every tournament provides better conditions. Buy-in affordability, blind structure, late-registration rules, re-entry options and prize distribution remain important considerations. A large-field event can offer a significant advertised prize pool while also involving considerable competition and a lengthy playing session. Players who prefer smaller fields or particular tournament structures may therefore find suitable options at either operator. The October statistics establish differences in participation, not a universal ranking of tournament quality or individual playing experience.

The broader rankings also demonstrate that online poker competition extends beyond PokerStars and GGPoker. CoinPoker averaged 2,057 concurrent cash-game players during the October reporting period, placing it just 99 behind PokerStars’ international network. WPT Global followed with 1,793, while Winamax recorded 1,194 across its southern European network. Tournament rankings presented a different competitive order, with Winamax reaching an average of 355,949 daily entries and placing ahead of PokerStars’ international network. These differences illustrate how operators may perform strongly in one format without reaching the same position in another. Regional restrictions also influence which games are available to individual customers. Consequently, international traffic rankings are most useful when considered alongside a player’s location, preferred poker format and the specific conditions offered by an accessible operator.

Will GGPoker Maintain Its Lead Over PokerStars?

GGPoker’s October performance established a substantial advantage, but the available data cannot determine whether its strongest growth rates will continue. Online poker traffic changes with tournament calendars, promotional activity, school and work schedules, public holidays and seasonal playing habits. Autumn often brings increased indoor entertainment activity in several major poker markets, although the precise effect varies between regions. In the October 2026 comparison, a consistent group of 16 established cash-game networks recorded combined growth of 5.0%, the strongest October increase within the report’s five-year comparison. This suggests that the broader market experienced favourable conditions rather than a universal decline. GGPoker’s growth therefore occurred during a period of expanding measured activity, while PokerStars’ international network moved against that broader trend.

PokerStars continues to possess characteristics that cannot be measured solely through attendance rankings. Its established history in online poker, major championship brands such as WCOOP and SCOOP, and separate regulated regional operations remain relevant to its competitive position. GGPoker’s clearest measurable advantages in October were its larger international player pool, stronger tournament participation and positive growth across both major game categories. Future performance will depend partly on how consistently each operator maintains regular activity outside flagship tournament periods. New schedules, changes in tournament structures, regional licensing developments and the introduction of shared or separated player pools could all influence subsequent results. It is therefore more useful to monitor several comparable reporting periods than to treat a single month’s figures as a definitive forecast of the market’s future.

October 2026 confirmed a clear difference in the measured international traffic of PokerStars and GGPoker. During the 30 days ending on 12 October, GGPoker averaged 10,143 concurrent cash-game players and 786,266 daily tournament entries, compared with PokerStars’ 2,156 and 139,994 respectively. GGPoker increased activity in both categories, while PokerStars recorded declines, creating one of the most pronounced October divergences in the historical comparison. The figures support the conclusion that GGPoker held the stronger international position during the reporting window, but they do not establish final calendar-month totals or prove direct migration between the two operators. For players, the most relevant distinction remains the availability of suitable games and tournaments under accessible conditions. Continued comparisons using consistent measurement methods will show whether October’s substantial gap develops into a longer-term trend.