Paddy Power Poker Joins PokerStars Network in 2026: What UK & Irish Players Get Now

If you opened the old Paddy Power Poker client at the end of October and it told you to download something new, that wasn’t a glitch. On Wednesday, October 28, 2026, Paddy Power Poker quietly left the iPoker Network and joined the PokerStars Network. Players got about a day’s warning.

The brand name is the same, but almost everything behind it has changed. You now get new software, a much bigger player pool, PokerStars tournaments, a new rewards scheme and a single wallet. This guide skips the corporate talk and covers what actually matters when you sit down to play.

• Migration date: October 28, 2026 (iPoker → PokerStars Network)
• Login: same Paddy Power username and password, after the client update
• Wallet: poker balance merged into one Paddy Power wallet within 3 working days
• New features: Spin & Go, Power Path satellites, Sunday Million, SCOOP, WCOOP
• Rewards: Stack+ rakeback up to 25%, with no wagering requirement
• Welcome offer: worth up to $200 for new depositing players

Why Paddy Power Poker Made the Switch

Paddy Power, Betfair, Sky Poker and PokerStars are all owned by Flutter Entertainment. For years, though, the first three ran on Playtech’s iPoker network while PokerStars ran its own platform. That meant one parent company with four separate poker rooms, all splitting the same traffic.

Flutter is now moving all of them onto one network. Betfair went first on August 13, 2026. In early October the standalone PokerStars UK site closed, and its players now log in through PokerStars on Betfair. Paddy Power is the third brand to move, which leaves Sky Poker as the only Flutter room still on iPoker. For the background on the first stage, see our Betfair Poker and PokerStars merger coverage [add internal link].

For players, the main benefit is simple: more people at the tables. Industry analysts expect PokerStars traffic to rise modestly, not dramatically. Still, if you’re a Paddy Power regular who used to wait ages for a Sit & Go to fill on a Tuesday night, you’ll notice the difference straight away.

Old iPoker vs New PokerStars Network

Feature	Before (iPoker)	Now (PokerStars Network)
Software	Playtech iPoker client	PokerStars client with Paddy Power branding
Player pool	Shared with other iPoker skins	Shared with PokerStars and PokerStars on Betfair
Wallet	Separate poker wallet, manual transfers	One Paddy Power wallet across all products
Jackpot Sit & Gos	iPoker’s own format	Spin & Go, 0.50–1,000, $1M top prize
Flagship online series	iPoker network series	Sunday Million, SCOOP, WCOOP
Live qualifiers	Limited	Power Path plus satellites to EPT, PokerStars Open, Irish Open and more
Loyalty	Paddy Power / iPoker promotions	Stack+ rakeback, up to 25%

How to Log In After the Upgrade

Logging in is easy. Paddy Power’s help centre says your existing desktop app will ask you to update the first time you open it after the upgrade. Let the update install, then sign in with your existing Paddy Power username and password. You don’t need to create a new account.

What Happens to Your Money

The biggest practical change is the wallet. Your poker balance and your main account are no longer separate. Paddy Power says any cash left in the poker wallet moves automatically into your single Paddy Power wallet within 3 working days. If you were in the middle of a transfer when the switch happened, Paddy Power will complete it for you.

Practical tip: If your money seems to be missing, first check your main Paddy Power balance, since there’s no separate poker balance any more. If nothing has arrived after three working days, contact support and include screenshots. Paddy Power hasn’t said whether old tournament tickets, hand histories or player notes carry over. Assume anything stored in the old client is gone, and save anything you need.

Spin & Go: The Headline New Game

Spin & Go games are three-handed hyper-turbo Sit & Gos. When a game starts, a random multiplier sets the prize pool. Most games pay a small multiple of the buy-in, and a few pay huge amounts. Buy-ins run from $0.50 up to $1,000. At the $5, $250, $500 and $1,000 levels, the top multiplier pays $1 million. According to PokerNews, four of those jackpots have been hit in recent months.

Advice for beginners: Spins are fast and fun, but the swings are huge. Most of the prize money comes from the common low multipliers. That means your profit comes from playing short stacks well, not from waiting for a jackpot. Before you move up in stakes, learn push/fold ranges for stacks of 25 big blinds and under.

Power Path: A Free Road to Live Events

Power Path is PokerStars’ satellite ladder. It may be the best value in the new client, because the first step costs nothing.

Step	How You Get In	Value / Format
Step 1	Free ticket every day you log in	$0.50 ticket
Step 2	Win Step 1	$1 Sit & Go or $1.50 MTT
Step 3	Win Step 2, or buy in directly	$11 MTT (last step you can buy into)
Step 4	Win Step 3	$55 tournament
Power Pass	Win Step 4	Spade $109 · Bronze $530 · Silver $2,500 · Gold $10,300

You can use Power Passes for tournament packages and live event seats, including EPT packages. There are also regular satellites to the EPT, PokerStars Open, Sunday Million LIVE, BSOP, APPT and the Irish Open, which usually start at around $1.10. For Irish players, the chance to qualify online for the Irish Open through Paddy Power is a nice extra.

Stack+ Rakeback: Levels and Percentages

Stack+ is the loyalty programme for UK players on the PokerStars Network. You opt in once from the lobby and remain a member. You earn one point for every cent you pay in rake or tournament fees. Points reset at the start of each calendar month. Whatever level you reach, you keep it for the rest of that month and all of the next. There’s no wagering requirement and no rakeback cap.

Level	Monthly Points	Spin & Go / Zoom / All-In	Regular Cash	Other Formats
1 Midnight	0	0%	0%	0%
2 Scarlet	500	10%	7.5%	5%
3 Emerald	2,500	12.5%	8.5%	6%
4 Onyx	10,000	15%	9.5%	7%
5 Saffron	25,000	17.5%	11%	8.5%
6 Azure	50,000	20%	12.5%	10%
7 Apex	150,000	25%	15%	12.5%

What this means in practice: a casual player who pays about $50 a month in rake and fees earns roughly 5,000 points. That puts them in Emerald, where rakeback is 6–12.5% depending on the game. Spin & Go and Zoom pay the highest rates at every level, so if rewards matter to you, the fast formats give the best return.

One caveat: PokerStars’ international rewards programme and GGPoker’s Fish Buffet advertise higher top-end rakeback, so high-volume grinders should compare. For recreational players, Stack+ is simpler than most programmes, because the cash comes with no conditions.

Paddy Power Poker Welcome Offer

PokerNews reports that new depositing customers can claim a Paddy Power Poker welcome offer worth up to $200. When this was written, the launch coverage didn’t include the full terms, such as the bonus code, release rate, wagering or expiry. In the past, Paddy Power poker bonuses have usually been paid as tournament tickets and tokens rather than straight cash. Before you deposit, open the promotions tab in the new client and read the terms, especially the expiry date. Sports and casino sign-up offers are separate, and you can usually claim only one welcome deal.

What Changes for UK and Irish Players?

UK players now play in the same games as PokerStars on Betfair customers and the wider PokerStars Network. Cash games should fill faster at quiet times, and tournament guarantees should be bigger. Your safer gambling settings, such as deposit limits and self-exclusion, are still managed through your Paddy Power account.

Irish players come out better than they did with Betfair. When Betfair moved, Irish customers were sent to PokerStars.com instead. Paddy Power, a Dublin-born brand, kept its Irish players. Both UK and Irish players can play the Sunday Million, SCOOP and WCOOP through the Paddy Power client.

Final Verdict

This is the biggest upgrade Paddy Power Poker has had in years. The old iPoker client worked, but traffic was thin and there wasn’t much to play for. Now you get the PokerStars tournament schedule, Spin & Go, a free daily shot at live events through Power Path, and rakeback that’s easy to understand.

There are still a couple of weak spots: it’s unclear what carried over from the old client, and the welcome offer terms haven’t been published. If you already play on Paddy Power, here’s what to do: update the client, check that your balance has arrived, opt in to Stack+, and use your free Power Path ticket every day.

FAQs