PokerStars Rakeback in 2026: What PokerStars Rewards Really Pays

PokerStars rakeback comes through its loyalty program called PokerStars Rewards. It runs as a ladder of six chest levels, from Blue at the bottom to Black at the top, and each chest holds a fixed amount of cash: 15% of the rake behind it at Blue, 40% at Black.

Which rung you stand on depends on the chests you earn within 28 days. Above the chests sit two tiers for high-volume players:

1. Select pays 50% in daily cash, with a qualifying threshold of $50,000 in rake over a rolling year
2. Select+ pays 60% on Zoom and Spin & Go from $100,000.

We opened the chests in a live account, asked PokerStars support how players get to the top tiers, and modelled 364 days of play at rake levels from $100 to $10,000 per 28 days.

These figures apply to the international client. Regulated markets run their own versions: Italy and Ontario stop at 25%, and British players moved to PokerStars on Betfair in October 2026, onto a different scheme called Stack+.

Does PokerStars offer rakeback?

Officially, no: PokerStars states on its help page that it "does not offer rakeback as a player reward method." In practice, part of your rake comes back through PokerStars Rewards.

Every percentage here is a share of the rake and tournament fees you pay, and how much that is depends on the game and stake: see our breakdown of PokerStars rake.

If the Rewards ladder returns too little at your volume, our rakeback deals list poker sites where an affiliate deal is possible.

PokerStars Rewards chest levels

PokerStars Rewards, the poker room's loyalty program, has six chest levels that pay fixed cash, from $3 at Blue (15% of the rake behind it) to $1,000 at Black (40%). Every $1 of rake or tournament fees earns 100 reward points, and each time the progress bar in My Rewards fills, you get a chest.

The cash inside is set by your level and carries no wagering, so you know what the next chest pays before you open it.

How you earn reward points

Points accrue by currency:

• 100 per $1
• 110 per €1
• 130 per £1

Scheduled tournaments count the fee, and Zoom and regular cash tables count the rake.

Zoom Early Bird doubles your points at 6-max Zoom tables up to NL/PLO500 while the stake's pool holds 10 players or fewer, and the multiplier stays on for 10 more minutes after that.

How you move up and drop down

The official rule is short: five chests of your current level inside 28 days move you up, at least one chest keeps you where you are, and a window without a single chest drops you down. Each move is one level, and a downgrade also wipes your progress.

An unopened chest expires after 30 days. Above Blue, you can trade your progress for a chest of the level below. The Stars Rewards level update can take up to 48 hours, but the new level's progress bar appears in the client right away.

PokerStars rakeback by rake per 28 days

$1,000 of rake per 28 days settles you at Gold (25%), $2,500 at Diamond (30%), and Black (40%) comes only once five Diamond chests land within a single window. In our 364-day model, returns from chests are 0.6–1.9 percentage points below the rate at the level reached.

We modelled a player who pays the same rake every day, starts at Blue and plays 364 days, with leftover points carried to the next chest. The model assumes Select begins when cumulative rake reaches $50,000 and pays 50%; promotions are left out.

In this model, the player starts at Blue. The year-one return is lower because some rake earns rewards at lower levels during the climb, and any points left in an unfinished chest at day 364 have not yet paid out. The last two columns show what changes once the player joins Select. From that day the chests stop, and the rest of the year pays 50% daily. At $10,000 per 28 days, Select+ ($100,000) comes in around month 10; we counted it at the 50% base rate, because 60% applies only to Zoom and Spin & Go.

Moving up is counted in chests, not rake, though each chest has a fixed amount of rake behind it. Holding a level costs one chest per window: $500 of rake at Gold, $1,200 at Diamond and $2,500 at Black.

PokerStars Select and Select+: 50–60% paid daily

Select pays 50% in cash daily. Its qualifying threshold is $50,000 in rake or tournament fees over a rolling 12 months. Select+ pays 60% on Zoom and Spin & Go (50% on other games) from $100,000, and PokerStars moves you there automatically. Either tier takes you out of the chests and regular Rewards promotions.

Each daily payment is based on the previous day's results. Instead of regular promotions, Select players get access to exclusive bonus offers. Miss the Select+ target and you drop to Select only if you meet Select's own terms; otherwise you go back to the regular chests.

When we asked PokerStars support how players get into Select, the answer covered only Select+:

"If you rake $100,000 or more within a rolling one-year period, we'll move you to the PokerStars Select+ scheme."

Select arrived in 2024, filling the slot left by Supernova Elite, which PokerStars scrapped in 2016.

PokerStars Rewards by country

The rates described so far apply to the international client; regulated markets run their own versions, with 25% caps in Italy and Ontario, a weekly 20% in Denmark and no program at all in Germany. UK players moved in October 2026 to PokerStars on Betfair and its own Stack+ scheme.

The UK row is based on PokerNews's launch report, the US row on Pokerfuse's April 2026 report. Six months before the move, PokerStars had already cut the British chests and dropped Select after the UK raised its Remote Gaming Duty. In other regulated markets, check the Rewards section in your own client.

How to join PokerStars Rewards

Opt in once: press Start in My Rewards or open the Rewards widget in the Promotions & Rewards hub, depending on your client version. From then on, every raked hand and tournament fee counts toward your next chest. The whole route from registration to your first chest is four steps:

1. Register at PokerStars through our link and install the PokerStars client.
2. Opt in to PokerStars Rewards with the Start button or widget; joining is free.
3. Play for real money: cash rake and tournament fees both earn points.
4. Open each chest before its 30 days run out.

How to reach Black, keep 40% and move up to Select

Once you're at Diamond, earning five Diamond chests within 28 days moves you to Black. Earning one Black chest per 28-day window keeps you there.

From about $3,850 per 28 days, or $50,000 over 12 months, you reach Select's qualifying threshold within the first year, in month 12 at $4,000 a window and earlier above that. If you reach Black before joining Select, your chest rate rises from 30% to 40% for the time you remain at Black. On Select+, the extra 10 percentage points apply only to Zoom and Spin & Go.

Trade progress for a lower chest only when you won't fill the current one in time. Zoom Early Bird speeds up the bar in quiet pools.

FAQ

Final thoughts

PokerStars rakeback is a volume ladder, and your rake per 28 days decides which rung you stand on. Black is harder to reach than to hold, and from around $3,850 of rake every 28 days, you reach Select's qualifying threshold within your first year. Outside the international client, rewards vary by market, so check your market's row before you count on 40%.

If you choose PokerStars for its player pools and tournaments, sign up through our link and use PokerStars Rewards. If rakeback comes first, compare our rakeback deals at other sites.