Getting started
Is Poker Rooms really free?
Yes. Cash games for up to 9 players and a one-table tournament of 9 are free for every host, every night, with no ads. Premium adds extras for hosts who want them, from £1.99 a night.
Is there any real money?
No. Chips only keep the score. Nobody can buy them, sell them or cash them out, and they aren't worth anything outside the game. Poker Rooms never handles money between players, and the rules don't allow playing for money or anything of value.
Do my friends need an account?
No. They tap your link, choose a name and an avatar, and sit down. Anyone who wants to keep their nights, hands and stats can sign in with a free account, by email, Google or a passkey.
Do we need to download anything?
No. Poker Rooms runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or laptop. On a phone you can add it to your Home Screen so it opens full screen, like an app.
Does it work on iPhone and Android?
Yes, in Safari, Chrome and every modern browser, on phones, tablets and computers. Phones are what we design for first. Add it to your Home Screen for a full-screen app and turn notifications on.
How many people can play?
A cash table seats 2 to 9 players free, or up to 10 with Premium, and up to 50 more can watch. A tournament is one table of 9 free, or up to 60 players over six tables with Premium.
Playing
Which games can we play?
No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha, as cash games or tournaments, plus side games like bomb pots, straddles and running it twice.
What happens if my Wi-Fi drops?
You keep your seat and your chips. The app reconnects as soon as your phone wakes or the signal comes back. If you're not connected when a hand is dealt, you're skipped for that hand and pay no blinds.
Can I switch from my phone to my laptop mid-game?
Yes. "Move to another device" in Settings carries your seat, chips and cards across with a QR code or a 6-character code.
Can we play with strangers, or against the computer?
No. Poker Rooms is for playing with people you know: every table is private to the people with its link, there's no public lobby, and there are no computer players.
Can we talk at the table?
Yes: table chat, six quick reactions over your seat, and the dealer's lines saying what happened. Anyone can mute, block or report another player.
Hosting
What can the host control?
Almost everything: blinds, buy-ins, time to act, seats, who may sit down, adding chips, side games and pausing. The host can name a co-host or hand the table over. How to host a poker night walks through it.
How does settling up work?
The ledger tracks every buy-in and result in chips, then shows the fewest chip transfers to even everyone up, such as "Alex passes Sam 1,250 chips". Share results sends it to the group.
Can we run a tournament as part of the night?
Yes. Start one from the home page, or from a cash table's Ledger tab so its results land in that table's ledger. Pick Turbo, Standard or Deep, or set up every level yourself. More on tournaments.
Fair play and safety
Is the deal fair?
Every deck is shuffled and locked before the first card, with a random seed from each player's browser mixed in. After a hand, "Verify this deal" checks the cards you saw against the lock, in your own browser, and once the night is over every card can be checked. How fair dealing works.
Can anyone join my table?
Only people with the link, and you decide who sits down. You can lock the table, approve each new player, allow or turn away watchers, and remove anyone.
How do I report someone?
Tap their message in the chat, or open Players in the menu. Reports go to the Poker Rooms team. You can also contact us directly.
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