Simon Isbäck on How Cubeia's Poker 2.0 Aims to Redefine the Online Game

_{The young Swede is forging a path in the poker world. (Image: Simon  Isbäck)}

Cubeia’s Head of Poker Simon Isbäck shares how the platform is evolving to compete with industry giants, focusing on trust, player engagement, and regional appeal.

Isbäck told us: “Getting a developer job in the gaming industry is quite hard, so I was happy to get into the gaming industry through casino work. I later got into poker, which was a passion during the poker boom in the early 2000s.”

That path led him into online poker during the early 2000s boom. 

“Poker was a passion for me during the poker boom,” he said. “It was a thrill to get to work with it.”

A Fresh Hand for Players

Cubeia’s Poker 2.0 rollout offers a full visual overhaul alongside technical improvements designed to speed up feature development.

“From a player’s perspective, the main changes are the graphical overhaul with brand new look and feel for table graphics and UI,” Isbäck said.

 “Players will also notice faster feature development in the future due to the Poker 2.0 upgrade.”

The update comes as Cubeia continues to develop its fast-paced formats. Spin and Go tournaments, which have surged in popularity, will soon feature built-in broadcasts of major wins and the ability to replay entire tournaments.

“We plan to broadcast big wins directly inside the poker client and allow players to replay entire tournaments to follow the excitement,” Isbäck said.

Building Community with Poker Clubs

Cubeia is preparing to launch poker clubs that will allow players to organise both casual and competitive games.

“I see players using them both for casual games among friends and for competitive leagues,” Isbäck said. 

“The goal for us as an operator is to enable players to become their own affiliates, whether bringing in 5 players to play against or utilising a club and marketing it on their affiliate page.”

The approach mirrors successful club models on other platforms, but Cubeia aims to tie them more directly to player-driven promotion.

Standing Out in the UK and Europe

As a newer platform, Cubeia is investing heavily in promotions and its hybrid network to stand out.

“As an up-and-coming platform, we’re putting lots of promotion money into our hybrid network, which means there’s overlay and money to be earned,” Isbäck said.

 “We commonly have high rake back for all players.”

He adds that UK and European tournaments are scheduled to match local time zones, with freerolls and large guaranteed events offered at convenient hours.

Trust First, Even in Unregulated Markets

Isbäck emphasises that Cubeia’s technology meets recognised fairness and safety standards.

“Our platform is certified with GLI, so our RNG is certified and our games are tested,” he said. 

“We’ve actually received requests from operators to build card manipulating software, but we’ve refused to take any such development requests to maintain the integrity of our platform.”

Listening to Players

Cubeia relies on feedback routed through operator support teams and direct engagement with its player base.

“We collect player feedback and adapt accordingly,” Isbäck told casinos.com. 

“We even made an entire series after Poker 2.0 was released called a Beta test series, where we rewarded players for reporting bugs, which was both a necessity and a success.”

Blurring the Line Between Live and Online

Integration between live and online events is already showing promise for Cubeia.

“From what we’ve seen doing this ourselves, it’s been very popular and appreciated,” Isbäck said. 

“It’s a great way to share exposure because offline poker and online poker are different markets, so you’re not really competitors. It’s a win-win situation.”

Innovations That Could Spark the Next Boom

Isbäck believes the next big surge in poker will come from new, competition-focused formats rather than gambling-oriented features.

“To create a poker boom higher than 2003, there needs to be something new, like a new poker variant or tournament mode,” he said. 

He also highlighted the launch of Tennessee Hold’em, a variant where players get five pocket cards and can discard two. “We’ve tried this game out on our platform and it has been very appreciated by the player base. I believe it’s played more than Texas Hold’em actually.”

Shaping Public Perception

Isbäck sees regulation as central to how poker is perceived and treated in different jurisdictions.

“In Brazil, which is the greatest poker country in the world by number of players per capita, the laws dictate that poker is a skill game,” he said. 

“In Sweden, poker isn’t considered a skill game, which affects its popularity.”

Regulated vs. Unregulated

Drawing from his experience with professional players, Isbäck says restrictions in regulated markets can frustrate legitimate customers.

“Regulated platforms cause problems for players even when they’ve played fairly, like blocking withdrawals for extended periods due to suspicions,” he said. 

“Unregulated platforms don’t have the same requirements to protect against money laundering, so they process transactions much faster.”

Looking Ahead

Globally, Isbäck believes poker rooms will continue to thrive where legal frameworks allow, but notes that in some countries, such as Sweden, legislative changes are still far off.

Asked which poker figure he’d most like to sit across from, Isbäck doesn’t hesitate.

“Definitely Tony G, because he’s talked about not only playing poker but also providing to the industry as an entrepreneur,” he said. 

For young players, his advice is simple: “Start within your budget and don’t gamble money you don’t have.”