PokerStars rakeback and Stars Rewards in 2026

Does PokerStars pay rakeback?

PokerStars has no flat rakeback deal. Rakeback, in general terms, is money a poker room returns to you out of the rake it took from your games. At PokerStars that return is packaged as Stars Rewards: you collect Reward Points from rake and tournament fees, the points fill a progress bar, and a full bar opens a chest.

Each chest level has a fixed value, and PokerStars publishes the share of rake it returns: 15% at Blue Chest, rising step by step to 40% at Black Chest. Two players at the same chest level who pay the same rake get the same return.

Above the chests sit PokerStars Select and PokerStars Select+, reserved for players with high rake over the previous twelve months. Select returns 50% and Select+ up to 60%, both paid in cash every day. The 60% rate at Select+ covers Spin & Go and Zoom only, and other games at that level return 50%.

How you earn Reward Points

Stars Rewards starts after a one-time opt-in with the Start Now button in the PokerStars client. Rake paid before you opt in does not count toward a chest.

In cash games and Zoom, the PokerStars fast-fold format, you earn 100 Reward Points for every $1 of rake. Tournament fees also earn Reward Points. Points only move the progress bar, they cannot be spent or withdrawn on their own.

Stars Rewards levels and what each returns

Stars Rewards has six chest levels and two Select levels above them. Your level decides which chest the progress bar opens and how much of your rake that chest gives back.

1. Blue Chest, the entry level for every account that opts in, returns 15% of your rake.
2. Bronze Chest returns 17.5%.
3. Silver Chest returns 20%.
4. Gold Chest returns 25%.
5. Diamond Chest returns 30%.
6. Black Chest, the highest chest, returns 40%.
7. PokerStars Select returns 50% in daily cash instead of chests.
8. PokerStars Select+ returns 60% in Spin & Go and Zoom, also in daily cash.

You move up a level by opening a set number of chests within a rolling period. A long stretch without opening any chest moves you down a level, so your chest color follows your recent volume closely.

PokerStars rakeback example with $400 in rake

Say you play Zoom and regular cash tables and pay $400 in rake in a month. At 100 Reward Points per $1, that rake fills your progress bar several times, and every full bar opens a chest at your current level.

Your chest level sets what that rake is worth. At Blue Chest the month returns 15% of the $400 in chest rewards, at Gold Chest 25%, and at Black Chest 40%. The same $400 brings back more as your level rises, so keeping a steady pace that holds your level matters as much as the rake itself.

To check your own rate, add up the chest rewards in your account history at the end of the month and divide by the rake you paid. You can then test other volumes and levels in the rakeback calculator.

Rake at PokerStars micro stakes cash tables

Rake is the share of each pot the room keeps, and at PokerStars it decides how fast your progress bar fills. At $0.05/$0.10 No-Limit Hold'em the rake is 5% of the pot with a cap of $$1, and Pot-Limit Omaha at the same blinds takes 4.25% with a cap of $$1.50. The table below gives the rate and cap for every stake up to $100/$200.

PokerStars applies a no flop, no drop rule: a hand that ends before the flop is not raked and adds nothing to your Reward Points.

PokerStars in the US, Ontario and Italy

Stars Rewards on this page covers the international PokerStars player pool. The US is different. In New Jersey, Michigan and Pennsylvania, PokerStars now runs exclusively on FanDuel under FanDuel licenses, with one shared player pool across the three states. The old state PokerStars sites redirect to FanDuel support pages, and PokerStars is not offered in other US states.

Ontario followed the same path. The old PokerStars platform for the province closed, and Ontario players now reach PokerStars through FanDuel. Rewards on FanDuel follow FanDuel rules, so the chest levels above do not apply there. In the rest of Canada, PokerStars serves players from its international site under its Malta Gaming Authority license, without a local Canadian license.

Several European countries have their own segregated PokerStars sites with separate player pools. Italy has its own version of PokerStars Rewards, with its own chests and points per euro that differ by game type. If you play on the Italian site, the rates listed above do not apply to your account.

On the international site the minimum deposit is $$10, and the cashier works in USD, EUR, GBP, and CAD but does not accept cryptocurrency. PokerStars runs on desktop, on mobile and in a browser.

Who gets the most from Stars Rewards

Stars Rewards pays off for players who keep a steady weekly volume, because chest levels respond to recent activity and drop when you stop. A player who opens chests every week holds or raises the chest level, while one who plays a few big sessions a quarter keeps sliding back toward Blue Chest.

Players who would rather have a rate tied to a weekly or yearly total than to a rolling chest count have other options. GGPoker rakeback sets its Ocean Rewards level by points over the calendar year, partypoker cashback pays a set weekly percentage, and Betfair Poker now uses PokerStars software with its own Stack+ program. The partypoker vs PokerStars comparison puts chests next to weekly cashback, the rakeback comparison lines these models up, and the rakeback guide explains how level-based rewards differ from flat percentages.

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