How to Play
Sign in to track your Elo and join sessions.
How to Play
Z-Poker helps your office track poker sessions and rank players using the Elo rating system.
1. Create a session
From the leaderboard, tap "+ New Session", choose a game mode (Physical Cards or Online — more coming), set the buy-in (default: 100 chips), then tap Create. Multiple sessions can be open at the same time.
2. Join the session
Players join by tapping an active session on the leaderboard and pressing "Join Session". The host (creator) can choose to play as a Dealer — they get full control without using a seat.
3. Count your chips
When the game ends, each player enters their own remaining chips and confirms. The host can edit chips for everyone and see a live progress bar showing how many players have confirmed.
4. Lock & calculate
Only the host can lock the session. Once the chip progress bar turns green (total matches buy-in × players), the "Lock & Calculate Elo" button activates. Tapping it finalizes the session and immediately updates everyone's Elo.
Tips to Play Right
Count chips carefully
The session can only be locked when the total matches exactly. The chip bar turns green when the numbers are correct.
Lock before leaving
The session creator should lock the session right after the game ends. Locking instantly calculates and records Elo for all participants.
Play with the same crew
Elo is most meaningful when the same group plays together regularly. Occasional guests can skew ratings.
Report chips honestly
The system only works if everyone reports accurate chip counts. Agree on chip totals before entering them.
Roles
Z-Poker has two roles in a session: Player and Dealer (Host).
🃏 Player
Joins the session and takes a seat. Enters their own chip count after the game. Elo is updated when the session is locked.
🎟️ Dealer / Host
The session creator. Can choose to play as a Dealer — standing outside the game to manage it. As Dealer, you can edit chip counts for all players and lock the session without occupying a seat. Your Elo is not affected.
🃏 Physical vs 💻 Online
Physical Cards: you play with real cards at the table and use Z-Poker only to track chips and Elo. Online mode is coming soon — it will integrate directly with online poker platforms.
The Elo System
Elo is a rating system originally designed for chess. It measures relative skill between players — your rating goes up when you beat stronger players and down when you lose to weaker ones.
Starting rating
Every new player starts at 1200 Elo. This is the baseline — everyone is considered equal until they play.
Rank tiers
How ratings change
After each session, Z-Poker compares your current Elo against the table average. Performance is measured by chips_end vs buy_in — above buy-in is positive, below is negative. Every chip-winner is guaranteed at least +5 Elo (a +2 raw floor plus a +3 flat bonus) to reward volume — playing regularly slowly lifts your rank.
Asymmetric K-factor
K=70 for chip-winners, K_LOSS=50 for losers (≈30% softer to stop high-rated players from over-braking themselves). Both scale by N/2 so big tables swing harder — 2-player winner swings up to ±70, 6-player up to ±210. Winners also get a +3 flat bonus on top, so the pool's overall Elo drifts upward over time (mild inflation by design).
Full formula
Expected: 1 / (1 + 10^((avg_elo − your_elo) / 700)). The 700 (relaxed from Arpad's 400) flattens the curve so high-rated players still score on small wins. Actual: 0.5 + 0.5 × (chips_end − buy_in) / (buy_in × (N − 1)). Raw = round(K × N/2 × (actual − expected)) — K=70 if you won chips, K=50 if you lost. Winner: change = max(raw, 2) + 3. Loser: change = min(raw, 0). Streak bonus is added once you hit 3 in a row.
Win/loss streak bonus
After 3 sessions with the same outcome, a bonus kicks in. Win streak = streak × 2 (3→+6, 4→+8, 5→+10, unbounded) — rewards being on a heater. Loss streak grows step 1 then caps at −5 (3→−3, 4→−4, 5→−5, 6→−5...) — punishes losing slumps without spiraling. A tie (chips = buy-in) resets the streak to 0.
Concrete example
6-player table, buy-in 100. You're 1300 Elo, table avg 1200, you finish 180 chips (+80). Expected = 1/(1+10^(-100/700)) = 0.582. Actual = 0.5 + 0.5×80/500 = 0.58. Raw = round(70 × 3 × (0.58 − 0.582)) = 0. As a winner: max(0, 2) + 3 = +5 Elo. On a 3-game win streak: +5 + 6 = +11 Elo. Upset case: 1000 Elo player at avg-1300 table sweeps the full pot (600 chips) → expected 0.272, actual 1.0, raw = round(70 × 3 × 0.728) = +153 → +156 Elo with the bonus.
Level Up Your Elo
Z-Poker Elo is driven by chip counts — your final chips vs buy-in is your score. These strategies help you end up with more chips consistently.
Protect your stack early
Elo rewards finishing above buy-in. Avoid big coin-flip pots in the early game. A small, steady gain beats a wild all-in that leaves you short.
Beat a high-Elo table
Your expected score is calculated against the group average Elo. Sitting at a table with high-Elo players is scary, but winning there earns you far more points than winning against a weaker group.
Position is everything
Act last whenever possible. Being in position lets you control pot size, bluff more effectively, and extract max value from strong hands — all of which grow your chip count.
Avoid marginal all-ins
A 55/45 edge in a pot that comprises your whole stack is a bad Elo trade. You risk a big negative delta for a small positive one. Fold equity and chip accumulation beat gambling.
Bluff with a plan
Bluffs work best on dry boards, against single opponents, and when you represent a credible hand. Pure bluffs in multi-way pots leak chips over time — and chip leakage directly tanks your Elo.
Poker 101 — Hand rankings
Texas Hold'em hands ranked strongest to weakest. Probabilities show how often you make each hand from 7 cards (2 hole cards + 5 community).
1. Royal Flush — 0.003%
A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ — Ace-high straight flush. The best possible hand. Absolutely unbeatable.
2. Straight Flush — 0.028%
Five consecutive cards of the same suit (e.g. 7♥ 8♥ 9♥ 10♥ J♥). Beats everything except a higher straight flush.
3. Four of a Kind — 0.17%
Four cards of the same rank (e.g. K♠ K♥ K♦ K♣). Also called quads. Extremely rare — almost always wins the pot.
4. Full House — 2.6%
Three of a kind + one pair (e.g. Q♠ Q♥ Q♦ 9♠ 9♥). Ranked by the three-of-a-kind first. Very strong and hard to fold.
5. Flush — 3.0%
Any five cards of the same suit (e.g. 2♣ 7♣ J♣ Q♣ A♣). Ranked by highest card. Watch the board for three-of-a-suit.
6. Straight — 4.6%
Five consecutive cards of any suits (e.g. 5♠ 6♥ 7♣ 8♦ 9♠). Ace can be high (A-K-Q-J-10) or low (A-2-3-4-5).
7. Three of a Kind — 4.8%
Three cards of the same rank (e.g. J♠ J♥ J♦). Called 'trips' with one hole card, 'set' with two hole cards. Sets are well-disguised and very strong.
8. Two Pair — 23.5%
Two different pairs (e.g. A♠ A♥ 8♣ 8♦ K♠). Ranked by highest pair, then second pair, then kicker. Common — don't over-commit.
9. One Pair — 43.8%
Two cards of the same rank (e.g. K♠ K♣). Most frequently made hand. Strength depends heavily on the kicker and board texture.
10. High Card — 17.4%
No combination at all. Highest single card plays. Can still win if all opponents also miss — pay attention to who's bluffing.