Home Games Rules
These Home Games rules (the “Home Games Rules”) are the terms and conditions that apply to your use of the Home Games online poker Services available on our Website (the “Home Games Services”).
The Home Games Rules form part of and should be read alongside the General Terms. By clicking to accept the General Terms, and by accessing and using the Home Games Services, a contract is created between you and PokerStars and you will be legally bound by the Home Games Rules (as well as the General Terms). It’s important that you read and understand both the Home Games Rules and the General Terms. If you don’t agree to the General Terms or Home Games Rules or any part of them, you shouldn’t use the Home Games Services.
If there is any inconsistency between the Home Games Rules and the General Terms, the Home Games Rules will take precedence to the extent of the inconsistency.
When you see capitalised words and phrases in the Home Games Rules, it means they have a specific meaning as set out in the Definitions Section below. Any capitalised terms used in the Home Games Rules but not defined in that Section have the meanings given to them in the General Terms.
There is also a Contents list at the end of the Home Games Rules, so that you can easily navigate between the various Sections.
Our Home Games Services are designed to replicate the poker experience you would have with your friends at home. They provide you with the opportunity to invite your friends and close community members to play poker Games together regardless of where they are in the world.
The essence of our Home Games Services is that you can choose to compete in ring games and tournaments across a huge variety of poker variants, allowing you to experience the convenience, competition and fun of playing home poker games online with people you know, for your own personal enjoyment. Your use of the Home Games Services should contribute to and must be consistent with the essence of Home Games.
We process your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy, but there are some things we’d like to highlight about using Home Games Services that differ from our regular online poker Services:
- Because Home Games Services enables Users to select other Users to play with, you are likely to be playing a poker Game with people you know or can identify, some or all of whom may be playing from the same physical location.
- Your Username will also be your Club Manager or Member identifier and will be displayed to the Club Manager and Members in the Home Games lobby, Club lobby and (if the Club Manager opts-in for inclusion in directories) public directories of Clubs. Thus, people who know you through Home Games and/or your Club will also know the identity of your PokerStars Username. If you do not agree to this, you must not use Home Games.
- From time to time, we will send you emails relating to your Club activities, including schedules for HG Games, results and standings. You may opt out from receiving such emails at any time on a Club-by-Club basis. Please note that, unless you opt out from a particular Club’s emails, you will receive these emails even if you have opted out of receiving promotional or other emails in relation to the Website.
As part of the Home Games Services, we offer a feature which enables you to create, participate in and manage Clubs. While we encourage you to enjoy this feature, we maintain control over how Clubs operate and will take appropriate action where necessary. For example, we will take certain steps if the Club Manager or any Member has participated in a Prohibited Event or otherwise breached the Home Game Rules or General Terms in a serious way, or if we become aware of any other Prohibited Events relating to a Club. The sorts of actions we will take where appropriate include:
4.1.1 opening, maintaining, suspending the operation of or closing any Club;
4.1.2 granting, maintaining or removing any User’s Club Manager status;
4.1.3 granting, maintaining or removing any User’s Member status;
4.1.4 granting, maintaining or removing any User’s Administrator status;
4.1.5 suspending or preventing your access to any Club or Home Games Services; and/or
4.1.6 suspending or cancelling any HG Game or other activity relating to a Club.
These are ‘restrictions’ and ‘suspensions’ for the purposes of the General Terms.
We are not obliged to let you open or keep open any Club, and we do not need to tell you our reasons for refusing to open a Club or taking any of the actions set out in Section 4.1 above.
4.3 We will consider any representations you make, but our decisions with respect to any aspect of a Club, or your use of Home Games Services (including your Club Manager or Member status) are final and will not be subject to review or appeal. This does not affect any right you have to get help with or make a complaint about the Services as set out in the General Terms.
The Home Games Rules form a contract just between you and us. No one else, including the Club Manager or any Member, has any rights to enforce any part of the Home Games Rules, even if it seems like they might benefit from doing so.
When setting up a Club, the Club Manager must choose a Club name and logo. The Club name and logo must not include any Unauthorised Content. For the purposes of Home Games Services, Unauthorised Content specifically includes any content which:
5.1.1 incorporates a URL of any kind;
5.1.2 incorporates another User's ID, if used without their consent or in a derogatory manner;
5.1.3 incorporates the name of a poker professional or any other celebrity (unless it is also your own name or such person is the Club Manager or a Member of your Club);
5.1.4 includes any special characters; and/or
5.1.5 contains the name or promotes the services of a competitor of PokerStars.
We review Club names and logos. Once approved by us, you must not change the Club name or logo unless we tell you to change it, in which case you must comply with our directions if you wish to use/continue using the relevant name/logo. We will reject Club names and logos that include Unauthorised Content. If we reject any Club name or logo, we do not need to explain our reasons for the rejection.
You have certain responsibilities and obligations as a Club Manager. If you are a Club Manager, you must:
5.3.1 read and comply with all explanations, instructions, guidelines and our reasonable directions concerning Home Games Services, your use of them, and (to the extent within your control) your Members’ use of Home Games Services, which are provided on the Website or otherwise made available to you from time to time (for example by email);
5.3.2 operate the Club responsibly and in good faith;
5.3.3 without affecting anything we say in Section 9.2 of the Home Games Rules, not charge Members any fee for joining the Club;
5.3.4 treat Members fairly and with respect;
5.3.5 provide front line support to Members for help on Club-related issues (excluding disputes between Members) and use reasonable efforts to resolve such issues (with the assistance of PokerStars' support team where necessary);
5.3.6 be the first point of contact for all disputes between Members relating to your Club and use reasonable efforts to resolve such disputes without recourse to PokerStars;
5.3.7 use the Member blocking tool judiciously and only block Members after you have given due consideration for the wellbeing of other Members and the Club;
5.3.8 respect the privacy of Members and only process their personal information in a manner which is consistent with our Privacy Policy and complies with applicable law;
5.3.9 without affecting what we say in Section 5.3.8 above, not engage in spamming or other intrusive techniques to solicit Members (including unsolicited advertising within other Clubs). You are solely responsible for the content of any emails you send in your capacity as Club Manager; and
5.3.10 reasonably monitor the activities of the Club and its Members for evidence of Prohibited Events and report any Prohibited Events to us in accordance with Part B Section 14.2 of the General Terms.
Nothing in this Section 5.3 affects your or any other User’s ability to get help with or make a complaint about the Services as set out in Part A Section 17 of the General Terms, or our rights to take certain actions in relation to Prohibited Events as set out in Part A Section 14 and Part B Section 17 of the General Terms.
Club Managers are ambassadors for PokerStars and must project the best image possible for PokerStars and Home Games Services, both to Members and to the general public. You must not act in any manner which brings or is likely to bring PokerStars or any other member of Flutter Group into disrepute or is materially adverse to the interests of PokerStars or any other member of Flutter Group or engage in any other form of Unacceptable Conduct in relation to your use of Home Games Services. To do so would be a Prohibited Event.
If you are a Club Manager and you decide to leave the Club or become unable to perform your responsibilities as Club Manager, then you must nominate another Member of your Club to become your successor.
You have certain responsibilities and obligations as a Member. If you are a Member you must:
6.1.1 act responsibly and in good faith in your capacity as Member;
6.1.2 treat other Members and the Club Manager fairly and with respect;
6.1.3 make your Club Manager your first point of contact for all queries, concerns and disputes relating to your Club;
6.1.4 respect the privacy of Members and only process their personal information in a manner which is consistent with our Privacy Policy and complies with applicable law;
6.1.5 to the extent you invite other people to join the Club, without affecting what we say in Section 6.1.4 above, not engage in spamming or other intrusive techniques to solicit Members (including unsolicited advertising within other Clubs). You are solely responsible for the content of any emails you send in your capacity as Club Member; and
6.1.6 be alert to evidence of Prohibited Events and report any Prohibited Events to us in accordance with Part B Section 14.2 of the General Terms.
Nothing in this Section 6.1 affects your or any other User’s ability to get help with or make a complaint about the Services as set out in Part A Section 17 of the General Terms, or our rights to take certain actions in relation to Prohibited Events as set out in Part A Section 14 and Part B Section 17 of the General Terms.
You must not act in any manner which brings or is likely to bring PokerStars or any other member of Flutter Group into disrepute or is materially adverse to the interests of PokerStars or any other member of Flutter Group or engage in any other form of Unacceptable Conduct in relation to your use of Home Games Services. To do so would be a Prohibited Event.
As set out in Part A Section 20 of the General Terms, we do not guarantee which Games or other Services will be available via the Website at any time. For example, if we need to perform necessary maintenance, then we may need to suspend Home Games Services and cancel scheduled HG Games.
If you are a Member, you acknowledge that the Club Manager has no control over the availability of Home Games Services. However, if you have any queries about suspension of Home Games Services or cancellation of HG Games, then you should refer to your Club Manager in the first instance.
If you are a Club Manager, you agree to take primary responsibility for dealing with Member queries relating to any suspension of the Home Games Services or cancellation of HG Games.
Nothing in this Section 7 affects your or any other User’s ability to get help with or make a complaint about the Services as set out in Part A Section 17 of the General Terms.
You may unregister from an HG Tournament any time up until 2 minutes before its scheduled start time. You will forfeit your buy-in if you fail to play an agreed HG Tournament without unregistering in time, and PokerStars will not refund you.
Home Games Services are intended solely for your personal entertainment, whether you use them as a Club Manager or as a Member. Player data, rankings, club statistics and other Game results (“Data Tools”) are provided via the Home Games Services with the sole aim of furthering your social and competitive experience amongst your friends or close community members.
You must not in any way use Home Games Services or any part of them to create any financial gain or other pecuniary advantage to you or to any other User of Home Games Services. To do so would be Unacceptable Conduct for the purposes of Part B Section 12.1.10 of the General Terms and a Prohibited Event.
Without affecting anything we say in Section 9.2 above or elsewhere in the Home Games Rules or General Terms, the following are Prohibited Events for the purposes of Home Games Services:
9.3.1 setting up an escrow account or any other method, scheme or system, whether online or offline, to distribute funds to any person based on the results of any ring or tournament poker Games played via Home Games Services;
9.3.2 charging or receiving from any Member a fee for joining the Club;
9.3.3 except as expressly set out in Section 10 of the Home Games Rules, earning money or gaining any other form of remuneration from advertising revenue via Home Games Services; and/or
9.3.4 using, providing, or making available any Data Tools or any information deriving from Data Tools to any Club Manager, Member, User, or other person, for any financial benefit.
Without affecting anything we say in Section 9 of the Home Games Rules or Part B Section 12 of the General Terms, you must not:
10.1.1 use Home Games Services to promote any service or product of anyone other than PokerStars or another Flutter Group company (for example by linking to the websites of third parties or displaying the advertising of third parties), or in any way encourage any Member to play online poker on the websites of PokerStars’ or Flutter Group’s competitors; or
10.1.2 post links on or otherwise link from the Website or any part of it (including those parts of the Website connected with your Club) to any third-party website that promotes a competitor of PokerStars or Flutter Group, suggests an association, approval or endorsement of the Club on the part of PokerStars or Flutter Group, or breaches any provision of the Home Games Rules or General Terms.
To do so would be Unacceptable Conduct for the purposes of Part B Section 12.1.10 of the General Terms and a Prohibited Event.
You may link to the Website from any website that is owned by you or in an email sent by you, provided that: (a) you do so in a way which is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it; and (b) you do not suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part where none exists. Your right to link pursuant to this Section 10.2 cannot be sub-licensed, assigned or otherwise transferred by you to anyone else. If we ask you to stop using the link, then you must do so immediately.
If you are signed up to PokerStars’ affiliate scheme, the provisions of this Section 11 apply in relation to your use of Home Games Services. Capitalised terms used in this Section but not elsewhere in the Home Games Rules or General Terms have the meaning given to them in the terms and conditions for the affiliate scheme (as updated from time to time) that you have signed up to (the “Affiliate Agreement”).
So long as you comply with the Affiliate Agreement, you are permitted:
11.2.1 to market and promote Home Games Services by placing Marketing Codes and/or Trackers on Your Site as part of your marketing and promotion of the Website. Any Club created through any unauthorised marketing and promotion will be immediately closed; and
11.2.2 to invite Your Site’s users, including via email, to become a Club Manager and to include in such invitation your Marketing Code and/or Tracker HOWEVER it is strictly prohibited for anyone else, including users of Your Site and any Club Manager or any Member, to invite potential Members to a Club by use of the Tracker and/or the Marketing Code supplied to you pursuant to the Affiliate Agreement.
You must not:
11.3.1 include any Marketing Code and/or Tracker supplied to you pursuant to the Affiliate Agreement, or any inducement whatsoever, in any invitation sent by you to any third party, including Your Site users, to become a Member of a Club established by you;
11.3.2 ask anyone else, including Your Site’s users, to invite potential Members to a Club by use of the Tracker and/or the Marketing Code supplied to you pursuant to the Affiliate Agreement;
11.3.3 offer or provide (or procure that any third party offers or provides) any incentive in any form whatsoever (explicit or implicit, financial or otherwise) via email, website, social media or via any other media (online or offline) to any third party through your use of Home Games Services including the sharing by you of any Commission earned by you through your use of Home Games pursuant to the terms of this Agreement; or
11.3.4 use Home Games Services in any way which is an abuse of the product (including using it in order to increase Commission or Fees otherwise payable to you).
We may at any time specify a limit on the number or percentage of Members linked to you via a Tracker in any Club or other conditions or limitations, or revoke any permissions granted to you. You must comply with all instructions and guidelines issued by us concerning your permissions and obligations under this Section 11.
Any breach of this Section 11 is a serious breach of the Home Games Rules and therefore a Prohibited Event. If you are found to have breached this Section 11 or if you are found to be taking or attempting to take any action to circumvent the prohibitions contained in this Section 11, we will take appropriate action. Such action will where appropriate include closing any relevant Club and/or terminating your Affiliate Agreement.
In relation to your use of Home Games Services, if there is any inconsistency between Section 10 or Section 11 of these Home Games Rules and your Affiliate Agreement, the Affiliate Agreement will take precedence to the extent of the inconsistency.
The following capitalised words and phrases used in the Home Games Rules have the following meanings:
Administrator: a Club Manager or a Member who has been granted the ability to arrange and cancel HG Games, configure the parameters of HG Games, schedule the start times of HG Games, and otherwise act in an administrative capacity in relation to HG Games.
Club: a poker club established by a User through Home Games Services.
Club Manager: a User who establishes and/or runs a Club.
Data Tools: this is defined in Section 9.1 of the Home Games Rules.
HG Game: a Game of online poker using Home Games Services.
HG Tournament: an HG Game which is an online poker tournament.
Member: a User who is a member of a Club but is not the Club Manager.
Any login details connected with the Home Games Services including any Home Games account numbers and passwords, Club and User IDs used for Home Games Services, and Club invitation codes, are Login Credentials for the purposes of the General Terms and must be treated as such.
Contents
ABOUT HOME GAMES
2. What are the Home Games Services?
YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES
4. Club Management
5. Club Manager responsibilities
6. Club Member responsibilities
INFORMATION ABOUT GAMES AND SERVICES
7. Availability of Home Games Services
YOUR USE OF THE HOME GAMES SERVICES
9. Homes Games Services are for personal entertainment
10. Advertising
11. Affiliates
12. Definitions and interpretation
Version no: 1.0
In force from: February 3, 2026