Doug Polk transfers ownership of Upswing Poker to ClubWPT Gold
In a move that signals a new chapter for online poker training, Upswing Poker has been acquired by ClubWPT Gold, a sweepstakes poker platform owned by WPT Enterprises. The deal, which combines Upswing Poker's popular training tools with ClubWPT Gold's platform, aims to enhance player skills and engagement.
Upswing Poker, founded by poker pros Doug Polk and Ryan Fee in 2016, was designed to streamline the learning process into a series of lessons that build on each other, making the learning process more efficient. The main selling point of Upswing Poker was a small team of players who had success in high-stakes poker games.
The trio, including digital marketing expert Matt Colletta, invested a couple of $5,000 checks each to get Upswing Poker off the ground. In the post-Black Friday world, Colletta's expertise proved crucial in ensuring the platform's success.
Doug Polk, finding himself busy with multiple businesses, agreed to a deal with a World Poker Tour brand for Upswing Poker. He expressed some sadness about passing Upswing Poker into new hands but is optimistic about its future. Polk mentioned millions of dollars in revenue and tens of thousands of paying members, but did not reveal specific numbers.
The resources of the World Poker Tour promise a bright future for Upswing Poker. The deal, while strategic details of which are described, includes the integration of Upswingβs preflop charts and cross-promotional offers. However, the sale price of Upswing Poker remains undisclosed.
Upswing Poker generated several million dollars in revenue within a couple of years. One of its early customers was poker pariah Ali Imsirovic, who purchased the Upswing Poker course a few days after Polk's first customer requested a refund.
The deal, beneficial for all parties involved, boosted Upswing Poker's reputation further when Doug Polk and Ryan Fee won the inaugural WSOP Tag Team event a year after launching Upswing Poker.
As Polk looks to the future, he reflects on the recipe for Upswing Poker's success, which was not immediate. He recalls a story from the first sale of his first product, The Lab, as a testament to the platform's potential. Despite the sale, Polk remains optimistic about Upswing Poker's future under its new ownership.
[1] Source: PokerNews (August 2025) [2] Source: PokerFuse (August 2025) [3] Source: PokerGuru (August 2025) [4] Source: World Poker Tour Press Release (February 2021)
This strategic partnership between Upswing Poker and ClubWPT Gold, involving the acquisition of the poker training platform by WPT Enterprises, could potentially expand into offering not only casino-games like poker but also sports-betting opportunities for users. With Upswing's preflop charts now integrated into ClubWPT Gold's platform, players might find themselves engaged in a variety of casino-and-gambling activities, including poker tournaments and sports betting.
