How to Track a Poker Home Game: Spreadsheet, Splitwise or App
Every home game needs a record of who bought in for how much, and who owes whom at the end. Here are the four ways groups do it, what each one is good at, and a spreadsheet layout that always balances.
The short answer
- One-off game: paper and a calculator are fine.
- You love spreadsheets: use the layout below, and let one person own it.
- Your group already uses Splitwise: work out the results first, then enter them.
- You play every week or two: an app built for home games saves the most time and keeps everyone's history.
A Poker Home Game Spreadsheet That Balances
A good poker ledger needs only four columns: buy-ins, total in, final chips and result. The result is final chips minus total in. The check that matters is the bottom row: total chips must equal total buy-ins, so the results add up to zero. If they don't, someone's rebuy is missing or a stack was counted wrong.
| Player | Buy-ins | Total in | Final chips | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anna | 100 + 100 | 200 | 340 | +140 |
| Ben | 100 | 100 | 160 | +60 |
| Chris | 100 + 50 | 150 | 0 | -150 |
| Dana | 100 | 100 | 50 | -50 |
| Eli | 100 | 100 | 100 | 0 |
| Total | 650 | 650 | 0 |
Settling up by hand: sort the losers from biggest to smallest and do the same with the winners. The biggest loser pays the biggest winner as much as they can, then you move down both lists. In the example, Chris pays Anna 140 and Ben 10, and Dana pays Ben 50. Three payments, and Eli is square.
Where spreadsheets break: the sheet is only as good as the person updating it at 1am. Rebuys get logged late or not at all, a formula gets overwritten, and editing cells on a phone is slow. Most groups that start with a sheet end up with one person doing all the bookkeeping.
Can You Use Splitwise for Poker?
Yes, for the last step. Splitwise is built for shared expenses like rent and trips. It doesn't know about buy-ins or chip counts, so you still need to work out everyone's result first, on paper or in a sheet. Then you enter the results, and Splitwise's option to simplify debts reduces the number of payments.
It works well for groups that already use it and settle up over several games. What it can't do is follow the game while it's happening, check that the chips add up, or keep poker stats.
What a Poker App Adds
Pokertally does the same bookkeeping as the spreadsheet above, but during the game instead of after it:
- Create the game. Pick the currency and the buy-in, and add players from your friends or as guests.
- Log rebuys as they happen. Tap Rebuy and pick the player. Players can follow the game from a link on their own phone.
- Enter the final chips. The app checks that the chips match the buy-ins before it settles.
- Settle up. Losers pay winners directly, biggest first, so a table of eight settles in seven payments or fewer. Share the results to the group chat as an image.
It is made to be used one-handed at the table: haptic feedback when a buy-in is logged, light and dark themes, native iOS controls, and 11 languages. Every game is saved, so everyone gets lifetime stats like profit, hourly rate and win rate without anyone building them.
Paper vs Spreadsheet vs Splitwise vs App
| Paper | Spreadsheet | Splitwise | Pokertally | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logs rebuys during the game | If someone writes them down | If someone keeps it updated | No, built for expenses | Yes, a couple of taps per rebuy |
| Checks that chips match buy-ins | By hand | With a formula | No | Yes, automatically |
| Works out who pays whom | By hand | By hand | Yes, once results are entered | Yes |
| Players see it on their phone | No | Shared sheet, hard to edit on a phone | Yes | Yes, live during the game |
| Lifetime poker stats | No | If you build them | No | Profit, hourly, win rate, biggest win |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free tier | Free to join, hosting $9.99/year |
Pokertally Pro has a 30-day free trial. Comparing poker apps instead? See the best poker home game apps.
Skip the Spreadsheet
Pokertally keeps the ledger during the game, checks that the chips add up and shows who pays whom when the night ends.
Free to join games. Hosting needs Pro: 30-day free trial, then $9.99/year.
