Online Poker

ClubWPT Gold Stirs Debate with New ‘Idiot Tax’ Feature Allowing Paid Hole Card Reveals

ClubWPT Gold’s latest feature — allowing players to pay to see all folded hole cards after a hand — has sparked heated debate in the poker community, with high-stakes pro Matt Berkey calling it an “idiot tax.”
author-picture Admin - 2025. August 15.

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ClubWPT Gold, the sweepstakes-based poker platform under the World Poker Tour (WPT) umbrella, has introduced a first-of-its-kind option in online poker: for a small fee, players can unlock every player’s hole cards from a completed hand, not just those revealed at showdown.

How the Paid Reveal Works

At the conclusion of a hand, a button appears offering the option to reveal all cards dealt at the table. The cost is three big blinds at most stakes, dropping to two big blinds at the highest limits. The fee is paid directly to the site.

For example, in a game with a $5 big blind, revealing all cards costs $15 (in sweep coins). Once purchased, the entire table’s holdings are shown, allowing the buyer to see exactly how each opponent played their hand.

Praise and Criticism from the Poker World

The feature immediately drew attention when poker pro Rob Kuhn shared a video demonstration on social media. While some players see potential value, others view it as a blatant cash grab.

High-stakes professional Matt Berkey didn’t hold back, labeling the charge an “idiot tax.” In his words, charging players to access data in-game — especially on top of what he called a “questionably high rake” — is an unnecessary exploitation of the player base.

Some argue there are legitimate uses for such information. Seeing all cards could, in theory, help identify suspicious play patterns and refine opponent hand ranges, potentially improving decision-making in future hands. It might even deter collusion if suspicious hands can be reviewed in full.

However, there are concerns about competitive fairness. Players with larger bankrolls could buy more reveals, gaining informational advantages over those with smaller budgets. Moreover, revealing a single hand is rarely enough to produce meaningful long-term insights — which raises the question of whether the feature is primarily designed to “milk” recreational players who are curious in the moment rather than to genuinely improve their play.

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