Getting started

New to PokerCom? Here's how to go from zero to running your first game in a few minutes.

1 — Create an account

1. Download PokerCom from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Tap Sign up and enter your email and a password.
3. Check your inbox for a confirmation email and tap the link to verify your address.
4. Set your display name — this is what your group members will see on the leaderboard.

2 — Create your first group

1. On the Home tab, tap + Create group.
2. Give your group a name (e.g. "The River Rats") and an optional description.
3. Choose a currency or chips unit — you can use real currency (USD, EUR, NOK…) or play-money "Chips".
4. Tap Create. You land on the group home screen as the owner.

3 — Invite your crew

See the Managing your group section for the full invite flow, including sharing a QR code or invite link.

4 — Create your first game

Once at least one other player has joined, tap New game on the group home screen. Choose Cash Game or Tournament — each is covered in its own guide below.

Managing your group

Set up your regular poker crew, manage roles, and keep everything organised.

Inviting players

From the group home screen, tap Invite. You'll see two ways to bring someone in:

• Share invite code — a short alphanumeric code the other person types into PokerCom's Join group screen.
• QR code — tap the QR icon to open a full-screen code. The other player scans it with their phone camera or with the PokerCom in-app scanner (Home tab → scan icon).

When the person submits the code, you'll see a join request in the Members screen (Requests tab). Approve it and choose whether to add them as a Member or a Guest — see Members vs guests for the difference.

Joining a group via code or QR

If someone else owns the group:

1. Open PokerCom and tap the scan icon on the Home tab, or tap Join a group.
2. Scan the QR code, or type the invite code and tap Join.
3. Your request goes to the group admin for approval. You'll get a push notification when it's accepted.

Member roles

Every person in a group has one of four roles:

• Owner — the person who created the group. Full control, including transferring or deleting the group.
• Admin — can create games, approve join requests, invite players, and promote/demote members. Cannot remove the owner.
• Member — a regular registered member with full leaderboard and stats access. Can sign up for open games.
• Guest — limited access; see Members vs guests.

Promoting and demoting

Go to the group home screen → Members → tap a member's row. Owners can promote any member to admin or demote any admin to member. Admins can promote guests to member or demote members to guest. A push notification is sent to players when they are promoted.

Removing a member

In the Members list, tap the member's row to open their profile within the group. An owner or admin will see a Remove option. Removed players lose access to the group but their past results are retained.

Group settings

Tap the settings icon (gear) on the group home screen to adjust the group name, description, currency, buy-in step size, and whether ordinary members can create games (off by default — only admins create games unless you turn this on).

Members vs guests

Understanding the difference helps you decide what role to give each player.

PokerCom treats regular members and one-off guests differently so that your core group's stats and records stay meaningful.

When to add someone as a guest

Use the Guest role for one-off or occasional players who aren't part of your regular group — a friend visiting for one night, for example. Guests show a gold "Guest" badge in the player list and leaderboard so your regular crew can distinguish them.

When to add someone as a member

Add someone as a Member when they'll be a regular part of your game. Members get full access to stats, can see and sign up for all open games, and can hold competitive achievements (night top earner, monthly/yearly winner, etc.).

Achievement eligibility

Achievements split into two categories:

• Individual achievements (guests can earn): First win, Comeback (won after 3+ consecutive losses), Win streak (top earner in 5 consecutive games), Profit streak (positive net in 5 consecutive games). Multiple people can hold these at once.
• Competitive achievements (members only): Night top earner, Night biggest loss, Monthly winner, Yearly winner. These have a single holder per group — awarding one to a guest would displace a member, so they're gated to members only.

Hosting a cash game

Step-by-step: from creating the game to settling the pot at the end of the night.

Step 1 — Create the game

1. From the group home screen, tap New game.
2. In the Game Details section, select Cash Game as the game type.
3. Enter a name (e.g. "Friday Hold'em"), pick a date and start time.
4. In the Players section, set the Max players (2–10 for cash games) and choose the invite mode:
   • Invite All — all group members are automatically invited and can sign up.
   • Select Players — hand-pick who gets an invitation. Admins are pre-selected and cannot be deselected. You can also invite guests from the collapsible Guests section.
5. Tap Create Game. You land on the live game screen.

Step 2 — Players sign up and buy in

1. Invited members see the game in their list and can tap Sign up to join.
2. Once everyone is seated, the host taps the Buy in button next to each player to record their initial buy-in amount.
3. If a player needs more chips during the game, tap Rebuy for that player. Each rebuy is added to their running total.
4. All buy-ins and rebuys are visible live to every signed-in player — no need to announce them across the table.

Step 3 — During play

The game screen shows each player's name, total bought-in amount, and — once a cash-out value is entered — their running net. Pull down to refresh if you want the latest data from other players' phones.

The host (and co-hosts) can also draw seats from the Seats tab on the game screen. Tap Draw Seats to randomly assign seat numbers, with the dealer, small blind, and big blind positions highlighted.

Step 4 — Enter results and end the game

1. When play is over, tap Enter Results (or navigate to the Results tab).
2. Enter each player's cash-out amount — how many chips/currency they're taking home.
3. The summary bar shows the Total Pot (sum of all buy-ins) and the Cash-Outs total. A checkmark appears when they balance.
4. When everything balances, tap End Game & Save Results. Stats, leaderboard, and achievements update instantly.

Rake / house cut handling

Sometimes the pot intentionally doesn't balance — the group keeps a small cut for snacks, hosting costs, etc. If the cash-outs come up short of the total buy-ins:

1. First double-check no buy-in was missed.
2. If the difference is intentional, toggle Short amount is rake (house cut) on the Results screen. The shortfall is labelled "Rake" in the summary instead of an error.
3. You can now tap End Game & Save Results. The rake amount is recorded and reflected in each player's net profit calculation.

Hosting a tournament

Tournament mode mirrors the cash game flow with extra settings for blinds structure, eliminations, and prize payouts.

Step 1 — Create the tournament

1. From the group home screen, tap New game.
2. In Game Details, select Tournament as the game type.
3. Enter a name, date, and start time.
4. In the Players section, set Max players (2–20 for tournaments) and Max per table (2–10). PokerCom shows a live preview of how many tables result from the combination — it warns you if the split is uneven.
5. Choose Invite All or Select Players (same as cash games).
6. In the Tournament Settings section, configure:
   • Buy-in amount — the entry fee per player.
   • Start stack — each player's opening chip count.
   • Tournament type — Freezeout (eliminated = out) or Rebuy (players can re-enter while the rebuy window is open).
   • Addon — optionally allow a one-time chip top-up at the end of the rebuy period. Set the addon stack size if enabled.
   • Late registration period — 1–4 hours during which new players can still buy in.
   • House cut % — percentage skimmed from the prize pool before payouts (0% = no cut). The net prize pool is shown live on the tournament screen.
   • Payout structure — Automatic (payouts scale as players join/leave) or Manual (you set the amounts yourself). Only visible when buy-in > 0.
7. Tap Create Tournament.

Step 2 — Players register and buy in

The flow mirrors cash games: invited players sign up, and the host records buy-ins. In Rebuy mode, a player can buy in multiple times while the rebuy window is open — each additional buy-in adds to their buy-in total and awards another starting stack.

Step 3 — Running the tournament

The tournament screen groups players by table and seat. The host manages the game from here:

• Eliminate a player — tap their row and select Eliminate. Their finish position is recorded automatically based on elimination order.
• Addon phase — if addons are enabled, a banner appears when the late-registration period ends. The host taps each player who wants an addon.
• Payout card — the prize pool and per-place payouts update live as eliminations happen.
• Late registrations — a banner is shown during the late-reg window. New players can still sign up and buy in; they receive a full starting stack.

Step 4 — End the tournament

1. When only one player remains (or the final deal is complete), navigate to Enter Results.
2. Enter each player's cash-out value — for tournament payouts, this is their prize amount. The logic is the same as cash games: total cash-outs must match the net prize pool (buy-ins minus house cut), or you mark the difference as rake.
3. Tap End Game & Save Results. Stats, leaderboard, and achievements update.

Free vs Pro

PokerCom is free to use. Pro removes all limits and unlocks the full experience.

Upgrading to Pro

1. Tap the Profile tab → Upgrade to Pro, or tap the Pro banner that appears when you hit a limit.
2. Choose a subscription plan (monthly or annual).
3. Complete the in-app purchase through the App Store or Google Play.

Restoring a purchase

If you reinstall the app or switch devices, tap Profile → Restore purchases. Your Pro status is linked to your PokerCom account, so it follows you across devices once restored.

Cancelling Pro

Subscriptions are managed through the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android). Go to your device's subscription settings to cancel. Your Pro access continues until the end of the current billing period.

Stats, leaderboards & achievements

Track who's really winning — across every session, all year long.

Leaderboard

The group leaderboard ranks players by net profit over all completed games. On the free plan it shows the top 5 players and net profit only. Pro unlocks all players and all metrics.

Guests appear on the leaderboard with a "Guest" badge but are excluded from group records (Most Games Played, Best Win Rate).

Group stats

The Stats tab on the group home screen shows:

• Profit trends over time
• Head-to-head records between members
• Group records (highest single-night win, biggest loss, most games played, best win rate)

Stats are visible to members only — guests cannot access this screen. Full access requires Pro; free accounts see a limited view.

Personal stats

Tap your own row on the leaderboard (or go to the Profile tab) to see your personal stats: profit trend, games played, win rate, best night, worst night, and head-to-head records against each player in the group.

Achievements

Achievements are awarded automatically when you end a game. They appear on your player profile and in the group leaderboard.

• First Win — first time you finish top earner in this group.
• Comeback — won after three or more consecutive losses.
• Win Streak — top earner in five consecutive games.
• Profit Streak — positive net in five consecutive games.
• Night Top Earner — all-time highest single-night win in the group (members only).
• Night Biggest Loss — all-time largest single-night loss in the group (members only).
• Monthly Winner — best net profit in a calendar month (members only).
• Yearly Winner — best net profit for the year (members only).

Free accounts see the 2 most recent achievements. Pro unlocks full achievement history.

Account & settings

Notifications, privacy, and managing your account.

Notification settings

PokerCom sends push notifications for:

• New game invitations
• Game ended (results are in)
• Join request approved / role promotion
• Buy-in requests (for hosts)

To adjust which notifications you receive, go to your device's Settings → Notifications → PokerCom. You can also manage notification preferences inside the app under Profile → Settings.

Editing your profile

Tap the Profile tab → Edit profile to update your display name, full name, avatar, and currency preferences. Your display name is what other players see on the leaderboard and in the game.

Deleting your account and data

To delete your account, go to Profile → Settings → Delete account. You can also request deletion via our Privacy Policy page. When you delete your account:

• Your personal information (name, email, avatar) is anonymised.
• Your game history (buy-ins, results) is retained but no longer linked to your identity — this preserves the integrity of past game records for other group members.
• You are removed from all groups.

If you own a group, you'll be prompted to transfer ownership or delete the group before your account can be removed.

FAQ & troubleshooting

Quick answers to the most common questions.

I entered the invite code but got an error

Invite codes are case-insensitive but must be exact. Check for typos or extra spaces. Codes don't expire, but the group owner can regenerate them — if you're sure the code is right, ask the group owner to confirm it's still active.

I can't see a game that my friend says exists

You might be a Guest in the group. Guests only see games they've been explicitly invited to — open games are hidden from guests. Ask an admin to invite you to the specific game, or to promote you to Member if you're a regular.

The pot doesn't balance when I try to end the game

Either a buy-in was missed (most common) or there's a typo in one of the cash-out amounts. Check each player's total bought-in vs their entered cash-out. If the difference is intentional (a house cut), toggle Short amount is rake on the Results screen.

A player bought in but doesn't appear in the results list

The results list only shows players who are both signed up and marked as playing. A player who was invited but never signed up, or a host/co-host who's marked as non-playing, won't appear. Check the player's status on the game screen.

Why does the game creation button say "Upgrade to Pro"?

You've reached your free-plan limit of 6 hosted games per year. Only the host needs Pro — other players can participate without upgrading. Upgrade under Profile → Upgrade to Pro.

My Pro status disappeared after reinstalling the app

Go to Profile → Restore purchases. Your subscription is tied to your App Store or Google Play account — restoring it will re-link Pro to your PokerCom profile.

Can guests see leaderboard stats?

Guests appear on the leaderboard (with a "Guest" badge), but they cannot access the Stats screen, view player profiles, or see group records. These features are available to members only.

Can I run a game with play-money chips instead of real currency?

Yes. When creating a group, choose Chips as the currency unit. All buy-ins and results are recorded in chips. You can change this in group settings.

Something else isn't working

Email us at hello@stackr.no with a short description of what happened and we'll get back to you.