How to Use PokerMates

Getting Started

Sign In

Get in fast with Sign in with Google, Apple, or Facebook, or use a classic email and password. Forgot your password? Choose "Reset Password" for a link to set a new one, or "Magic Link" to sign in instantly without changing it. On iOS and Android, recovery links open the app directly. Just exploring? Tap "Demo Mode" to browse a fully populated app without an account.

Your First Few Minutes

A brand-new account is empty, and the app says so in a useful way: instead of a screen that only tells you there's nothing there, each one explains what will appear once you've played. The Scheduled games tab reads "Set up a game and it waits here until you start it, collecting RSVPs"; the Completed tab promises "Finished games land here with their final results and settlements"; My Stats explains that after one game it fills with your running total, win rate, best and worst nights, a profit chart over time, and how you do against each opponent.

On the Games and Groups screens you also get a short "Welcome to PokerMates" checklist — start a group, set up a game, then play and settle up. It shows how far you've got ("2 of 3"), each step is tappable and takes you to the right screen, and the whole thing disappears once you've played a game. Tap "Hide this" to dismiss it sooner.

Create a Group

Start by creating a poker group for your friends. Go to the Groups tab and select "Create Group". Give your group a name, description, set the privacy level, choose a default currency, and configure default buy-in amounts.

Invite Players

Invite friends to your group by sharing the group invite link, adding them directly by email, or creating local users. Local users do not need to register and can participate in games and groups with limited features.

Invite by QR Code or Link

The fastest way to get people in. As a group or game admin, open the overflow (⋮) menu and choose "Join by QR / link" (on a game it's "Invite by QR / link"). You'll get a QR code to show at the table plus a link you can copy or send via WhatsApp, email or any other app. Whoever opens it is added with one tap — if they don't have PokerMates yet, the link takes them to the app store, and re-tapping it after they sign up finishes the join automatically.

• Group link — adds the person to your group as a full member.
• Game link — adds them to that game only as a guest and RSVPs them "going". They are not added to your group and can't see your other games or your member list. If a guest becomes a regular, add them to the group later via Add Members.

You stay in control: tap "Stop sharing (revoke)" on the share sheet and the QR and link stop working immediately. Anyone who already joined stays in, and you can create a new link any time.

Print a Game Flyer

From the same share sheet, tap "Print flyer" to produce a one-page printable PDF with the group or game name, a Join QR, and a Get-the-app QR. Post it at your poker night so guests can install the app and join themselves.

Join Existing Groups

Accept invitations from friends to join their groups, or scan a host's QR code with the scanner icon in the Groups tab ("Scan to join"). You can be a member of multiple groups simultaneously.

Share PokerMates

Want to get a friend on the app at all? Open the menu (☰) and tap "Share PokerMates" — it's on your Profile too. You'll see two labelled QR codes so whoever is next to you can scan the right one for their phone:

• iPhone & iPad — the App Store listing.
• Android — the beta signup form. Android is still in closed beta, so this code goes to a short form rather than a store page: your friend enters their email, Google Play emails them the install link, and they open it on their Android phone to opt in and install.

Each code has its own Share button beside it, and the website link at the bottom has one as well. Every Share lets you send via WhatsApp, email, copy the link, or hand it to any other app.

Managing Games

Create a Game or Recurring Games

From the Games tab, tap the "+" button to create a new game. Select your group, set the date, time, and location. You can also schedule recurring games (weekly, monthly, etc.) with automatic creation — group members are notified about each upcoming session.

Quick Game

Use Quick Game to instantly start a game with default settings. Perfect for spontaneous sessions — just select players and begin without extra setup.

RSVP to Games & Email Invites

Let others know if you're attending by RSVPing as Going, Maybe, or Not Going. You can change your response anytime before the game starts. Game admins can send RSVP email invitations to all participants for easy reminders.

Set Up Seating Chart

Use the seating chart feature to arrange players around the table. Seats can be randomized or manually assigned, helping organize the game and ensuring everyone has a designated spot. For larger games you can split players across multiple tables — each table keeps its own buy-ins and cash-outs, and when you settle up the per-table books balance while the grand totals still tally across the whole game.

Family-Safe Seating

Group members can declare each other as family within a group (couples, siblings, parent and child). When you generate a seating chart you can choose to keep declared family on separate tables, so people who arrived together aren't sitting side by side. Either person can remove a family link at any time.

Sort the Player List

Above the player list, choose Table order (by table and seat), Alphabetical, or Manual — a personal drag-and-drop order, offered while the game is still scheduled. The choice is saved on your device only, so it never changes what anyone else sees.

Game Status

Games progress through stages: Scheduled, In Progress, Completed, or Cancelled. The Games dashboard organizes all games into tabs by status, with sorting and group filtering options.

Tracking Buy-ins & Cash-outs

Record Buy-ins

When a player buys in, record the amount in the game. Players can buy in multiple times during a session (rebuys), and you can set an optional cap on buy-ins per player that's enforced automatically. All transactions are tracked with timestamps. If your group turns on transaction announcements, each additional buy-in and cash-out is read aloud with the player's name — or plays a short sound cue instead — so the whole table can follow the action without watching the screen. Sound and voice are optional and set per device.

Record Cash-outs

At the end of the game, record each player's final chip count as their cash-out. The app automatically calculates each player's profit or loss.

Chip Denominations & Counter

Counting a stack at the end of the night? Tap Use Chip Calculator when you cash a player out. Your group's chip denominations are already set up — enter how many of each colour they have and the total adds up for you, then apply it straight into the cash-out.

Financial Balance

Total buy-ins must equal total cash-outs for the game to be completed. This ensures accurate record-keeping and prevents errors.

Settlements

Automatic Calculation

After a game ends, PokerMates automatically calculates who owes whom. The settlement algorithm minimizes the number of transactions needed.

Two-Way Confirmation

Settlements use a two-step process: the payer confirms they sent the payment, then the receiver confirms they received it. This ensures both parties agree the debt is settled before it's marked complete.

Payment Reminders

When someone confirms they've paid you, a reminder appears the next time you open the app or visit the group. Confirm receipt with a single tap. Reminders reappear until acknowledged.

Group Balances

Open the group's Balances view to see every unpaid settlement across all your games in one place — who owes whom, how much, and how old each one is. Payments left open too long are flagged as "stalled" so nothing slips through the cracks. Tap any balance to jump straight to that game, or settle it right there on the row.

The Settle Tab

The Settle tab gathers every unpaid settlement from all your groups into one screen, with the grand total at the top. Switch between By Group (games nested under each group) and By Game (a flat list of every game with an open balance), and use the "All groups" chip to narrow everything to a single group. Each game card has its own share icon so you can send just that game's balances to the people involved.

Remind Everyone at Once

Chasing people one at a time is the worst part of settling up. When the Settle tab is showing a single group — because you filtered to it, or because it's the only group you have money open in — the Share sheet gains "Remind members in-app". One tap pushes that group's settlement back to the top of the notifications inbox for everyone with an open balance there, on both sides of it, and you're told how many people it reached. Anyone in the group can send it (it isn't admin-only), and anyone who snoozed their balance is deliberately left alone. The same action sits on a group's Outstanding Balances screen.

Act Straight From a Balance Row

On the Settle tab and in a group's Outstanding Balances, the rows you're part of are written from your point of view — "You owe Bob" in red, "Alice owes you" in green (someone else's balance still reads neutrally as "Alice → Bob"). Your own rows carry their actions inline, so you don't have to open the game first:

• Venmo / PayPal — appears when the person you owe has saved that handle, and opens their app ready to pay.
• Mark as paid — tells the other person the money is on its way.
• Confirm received / Mark as received — closes the loop when the money lands.
• Snooze — quiets a balance for a day when now isn't the moment.

After you mark a payment sent, the row simply shows that you're waiting on the other person to confirm.

Payment Methods

Track settlements via cash, Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle. Add your payment usernames in your profile so other players can find your details and settle up outside the app.

Adding Your Venmo / PayPal ID the Easy Way

No need to hunt for your username. In Profile → Edit → Payment Accounts, each field has three shortcuts:

• Paste link — copy your profile link from the Venmo or PayPal app and paste it; we pull the username out for you.
• Scan QR — save a screenshot of your own Venmo/PayPal QR code, then pick it here and we'll read the username from the image.
• Find my ID — jumps straight to Venmo/PayPal so you can copy your link, then come back and paste.

Scan to Pay

When you owe someone, tap Pay Now and choose "Show Venmo QR" / "Show PayPal QR". The other player scans it and their app opens with the amount already filled in — Venmo also carries the game name as a note. PayPal.me carries the amount only (it has no note field). The payment itself always happens inside Venmo or PayPal, never in PokerMates, so always check the recipient before you send.

Game Moments

Capture Moments

During a game, tap "Add Moment" to capture memorable poker moments — great hands, big pots, bluffs, bad beats, all-ins, funny moments, and celebrations. Any game participant can add moments with color-coded badges for each type.

Add Photos & Captions

Attach up to 5 photos per moment. Any player can add photos to any moment, with "Photo by [Name]" attribution. Add captions up to 280 characters to describe the moment — tap to edit anytime.

Photo Gallery

View photos in a full-screen gallery with swipe navigation, pinch-to-zoom, and dot indicators. Long-press a photo to delete it. Game admins can delete any moment or photo.

Share the Moments

There's a share icon at both levels, and each sends something different:

• From the whole set — a written rundown of the game's moments (each one's type, caption and photo count) that you can send to WhatsApp, email, any other app, or the clipboard. It's the share icon in the Moments gallery, or ⋮ → "Share moments" on the game's Moments card, and it appears once the game has at least one moment.
• From the full-screen photo viewer — the photo itself, with the moment's caption alongside it. It sends the one you're looking at, not the whole set.
• From a single moment — tap "Share Moment" on its detail sheet to send that moment's photos together.

Statistics & Leaderboards

Recent Games View

View your most recent games across all groups. Use time filter chips (Week, Month, Year, All) to narrow results, or search games by name. Your name is highlighted in all game results for quick reference.

Group Summary View

Select a group to see comprehensive analytics including total games played, total players, and a win/loss record table for every member. Drill down into game-by-game breakdowns with player rankings.

Player Rankings

Players are ranked by net result (highest to lowest). Tied players share the same rank. Net results are color-coded green for wins and red for losses.

Game History

Browse through past games to see detailed results, including all participants, transactions, and settlements.

Predictions

Make Predictions

Predict who will be the top 3 players in your group for a given time period. Select a group, choose a period (Week, Month, Year, or All-time), and pick your predicted 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

Prediction Leaderboard

See how accurate your predictions are compared to other group members. The leaderboard tracks prediction accuracy over time so you can compete with friends.

How Scoring Works

You don't have to remember it — open the ⋮ menu on the Prediction Leaderboard card and tap "How scoring works". It's 3 points for picking a player in the exact position, and 1 point for picking the right player in the wrong position.

Share or Export Any Card

The three result cards — Prediction Leaderboard, Actual Standings and All Predictions — each carry their own ⋮ menu with two actions:

• Share — sends that one card's table as a message, via WhatsApp, email, your phone's share sheet, or the clipboard.
• Export — downloads that one card as a CSV (rank, player, and points / net / picks depending on the card).

So you can post the standings to the group chat without dragging the rest of the screen along with them.

Time Periods

Predictions reset based on the selected period. Pick one from the single row of chips at the top of the screen, or tap the calendar icon beside them to choose a specific date. Make new predictions each week, month, or year to keep the competition going.

House Rules

Group House Rules

Set house rules for your poker group from a catalog of 25+ built-in rules across 5 categories: Etiquette, Showdown, Betting, Gameplay, and Housekeeping. Each rule is numbered (e.g., E1, B3, G5) for easy reference during games.

Configurable Stances

Most rules have configurable stances — for example, "Rabbit Hunting" can be set to "Allowed" or "Not Allowed", and "Minimum Raise Amount" can be "Must Double", "Any Amount", or "Pot Limit". Group admins set the default stance for each rule.

Game-Level Overrides

Game hosts can override group rules for a specific game. For example, the group might allow pre-flop raises normally, but the host can set a particular game as "friendly — no pre-flop raises". Game rules can only be changed while the game is in Scheduled status.

Custom Rules

Create your own custom rules and choose whether to make them private (your group only) or public (visible to all groups). Custom rules can include their own stance options.

Share Rules

Share your group's rules with all players via WhatsApp or email before the game. The shared message includes rule numbers, stances, and game details so everyone knows the house rules in advance.

View Rules on Game Day

Every game shows the active rules on the game detail screen. Tap "House Rules" to see the full list with descriptions. Game-overridden rules are highlighted so players can see what's different from the group defaults.

Food Orders

Coordinate Food for Game Night

Set up a food order for any game. Choose from three modes: the host orders for everyone, share a restaurant order link, or let players pick from a menu.

Order Tracking

Players tap "I've Ordered" once they've placed their order, and the host gets a progress line like "7 of 9 ordered" — measured against the confirmed (Going) players, since they're the ones expected to eat. Below it the whole roster is grouped by where each person stands: Ordered, Not ordered yet, Maybe, No RSVP, and Not going, with names listed under each heading and empty groups hidden. One glance tells you who still needs a nudge. Players can add dietary restrictions and special requests.

Share Order Links

Share the food order link via WhatsApp so players can place their orders directly. The host can see all orders in one place.

Locations & Maps

Save Game Locations

Save frequently used addresses as group locations or personal hosting addresses. When creating a game, pick from saved locations instead of typing the address each time.

Open in Maps

Tap any game location to open it in Google Maps or Apple Maps with one tap. Get directions straight from the game detail screen.

Share Location with Players

Game admins can share the location with all participants via a push notification so everyone gets the address without having to ask.

Privacy Controls

If you host at your home, control which groups can see your address. Toggle visibility per group from the Address Sharing settings. Players in groups where you haven't shared will see "Private Location" instead of your address.

Notifications & Sharing

Push Notifications

Receive real-time push notifications for new games, RSVP updates, buy-ins, game started/ended, settlements, rule changes, food orders, location shared, and role changes. Each group has its own notification settings — turn them on for your main groups and off for casual ones.

They Tell You Who

Push notifications name the person, so a glance at the lock screen tells you who it was about and whether it needs you now:

• "Avery is going" — under the game's name, when someone RSVPs.
• "Avery added a moment in Friday Night"
• "Avery opened a food order for Friday Night"
• "Avery settled $40.00 with you"
• "Avery bought in for $20.00" / "Avery cashed out $65.00"

Privacy is respected: in a public group, where members may not all know each other, the same alerts show a first name and last initial rather than a full name, and a deleted account is never named retrospectively.

RSVP Emails

Game admins can send RSVP invitation emails to all participants. Each email includes game details (date, time, location, buy-in) and one-click RSVP buttons — players can respond directly from their inbox without opening the app.

The Notify Sheet — Five Ways to Reach People

Tap Notify on the RSVP card, on a food order, or on a game's settlements, and you get the same five choices rather than WhatsApp on its own:

• Push Notification — pick who it goes to, and it lands on their phone.
• Send Email — same audience picker, sent as a formatted email.
• Share to WhatsApp — opens WhatsApp with the message ready.
• More… — your phone's own share sheet, so Signal, Messages, Discord, Slack or anything else you actually use works too.
• Copy to Clipboard — take the text and paste it wherever you like.

The message itself is pre-formatted with bold text, emojis, player lists, and app links either way.

Share via WhatsApp

Share game details, RSVP status, settlement summaries, house rules (previously called "rules of engagement"), and food orders via WhatsApp. Messages are pre-formatted with bold text, emojis, player lists, and app links for easy reading.

Share via Email

Share rules and game info via email to all group members. The app shows you the recipient list for confirmation, then opens your email client with all addresses and the message pre-filled.

Settlement Sharing

After a game, share the settlement summary via WhatsApp showing who owes whom, player results (wins and losses), and an app link to view full details.

Location Sharing

Game admins can send the game location to all participants as a push notification. Players receive the address and can open it directly in Google Maps or Apple Maps.

Profile & Payments

Edit Your Profile

Update your name, email, phone number, and upload a profile avatar. Add your Venmo, PayPal, and Zelle usernames so other players can easily find your payment details to settle up outside the app.

Address Sharing

Add your address to your profile for use as a game location. Control which groups can see your address on a per-group basis from the Address Sharing settings screen.

Group Administration

Admin & Game Admin Roles

Group creators are automatically admins. Admins can invite/remove members, create/edit games, manage rules, and configure group settings. Game admins can be assigned for individual games to help manage buy-ins, seating, rules, and game progress.

Member Management & Local Users

Admins can promote members to admin status or remove them from the group. You can also create local users who do not need to register — useful for quick setup or guests.

Hide Dollar Amounts

Prefer to keep the money private? Turn on Hide dollar amounts in group settings and games show chip counts and results without dollar figures for everyone in the group — handy for casual or mixed-stakes tables. It can also be toggled per game.

Group Settings Dashboard

The group detail screen shows a settings summary at the bottom: active rules count, notification status, RSVP email settings, max players per table, display preferences, and more. Tap to jump straight to the edit screen.

Feedback & Support

Send Feedback

Use the Feedback screen to submit feature requests, bug reports, or general feedback. Choose a category, describe your feedback, and submit directly from the app.

Rate Us

Open the menu (☰) and tap "Rate Us", then tap a star. Where you land depends on the score, because the two answers need to go to different places:

• 4 or 5 stars — "That means a lot!" and a button to the store listing for your platform, where a short review helps other poker players find the app. There's a quiet link if you'd rather tell us something instead.
• 1 to 3 stars — we lead with "Tell us what to fix", which opens in-app feedback, because a problem we can act on is worth more to us than a star we can't.

The store button is offered either way — we never hide it based on your score. We may also ask on our own once you've played a few games; it's capped at two asks ever, and "Don't ask again" means exactly that.

Get Help

Access the Support screen from the navigation menu for help documentation and contact information. You can also email the development team directly.