Americas Cardroom suits US poker players who want big guaranteed tournaments and a room that still lets them run a HUD. The catch is the money side: the welcome bonus is paid out $1 at a time as you earn points, you get 60 days to earn it, and you can't withdraw anything until you've paid rake equal to 10% of everything you've deposited. It's also closed to nine states, Michigan among them.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Welcome bonus | 100% of your first deposit up to $2,000, $25 minimum, no code |
| How it releases | $1 for every 27.5 points you earn at real money tables |
| Time to clear | 60 days from receiving the bonus |
| Before you withdraw | Rake or tournament fees equal to 10% of your total deposits |
| Restricted states | Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey and Washington |
| Tracking software | HUDs allowed from your own hand history; real-time advice banned |
| Software | Windows, Mac (Apple chip and Intel), mobile web app |
| Licence | Anjouan Gaming Board ALSI-202607066-FI2 |
Who runs ACR and who can play
Americas Cardroom, now branded ACR Poker, says it has been running since 2001, and the site is marking 25 years in 2026. The terms name the operator as International Processing Services SA, a company registered in Panama (registration number 155667334), licensed by the Anjouan Gaming Board under licence ALSI-202607066-FI2. That's an offshore licence, not a US state one, so if something goes wrong there's no state regulator you can complain to.
The terms bar residents of nine states from downloading or using the software at all: Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey and Washington. You have to be 18, or older if your state's age of majority is higher. On April 7, 2026 the Michigan Gaming Control Board issued cease-and-desist orders to 45 unlicensed operators, and "Americas Card Room" was one of them.
The welcome bonus pays out slowly
Your first deposit gets a 100% match up to $2,000. The minimum is $25 and there's no code; it switches on by itself when you make your first real money deposit. It's for first deposits only, and only for players who haven't played real money at ACR on that computer before. The name on your account has to match the name on your payment method.
The important part is that none of the bonus lands in your account up front. ACR releases it $1 at a time, one dollar for every 27.5 points you earn playing for real money. Deposit $500 and you're looking at $500 in bonus that only exists once you've played enough to unlock it, and you have 60 days from receiving it to do that. Plan to clear it within that window. Rake that goes toward the weekly points races doesn't count, and tournament fees only update once every 24 hours.
For a player who only gets a few hours a week, $2,000 in 60 days is a stretch. Deposit what you'd realistically clear.
No no deposit bonus, but free tournaments
ACR doesn't advertise a no deposit cash bonus. What it does have is a daily freeroll schedule: eight $50 guaranteed tournaments a day, one every three hours from midnight to 9 PM Eastern, rotating between No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo depending on the day. Each one caps at 2,000 entries and has 30 minutes of late registration. The promotions page says you can play these "without ever spending a dime," though it doesn't say whether you need to have made a deposit first.
There are smaller freebies too. Vault Rush and the Venom Vault hand out free keys that unlock tournament tickets, and the Venom Vault prizes include a Venom PKO seat ACR values at up to $2,650. None of this replaces a bankroll, but a $50 freeroll is a fair way to learn the software before you put money in.
Games and tournaments
No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi/Lo all run here, and Blitz Poker is ACR's fast-fold game, where you fold and get moved to a new table straight away instead of waiting out the hand. There are three running leaderboards: The Beast at $100K, Sit And Crush at $40K and Blitz Beast at $30K.
Tournaments are ACR's big draw. The Venom series is ACR's headline event, and the August 2026 Venom page advertised a $12 million No Limit Hold'em and a $3 million PLO Mystery Bounty Venom. The October 2026 Dual Venom PKOs had a $2,650 buy-in and a $6.5 million combined guarantee, and they paid out $6,862,500, so the guarantee was beaten. The Hold'em side drew 2,143 entries and the PLO side 602.
Smaller budgets are covered too. The Halloween Mystery PKOs, running October 18 to November 1, 2026, have $650K guaranteed across three buy-ins: $109 for a $500K guarantee, $33 for $100K and $5.50 for $50K.
Software, HUDs and what's banned
You can download ACR for Windows or for Mac, with separate builds for Apple chip and Intel machines. On a phone you play through ACR's mobile web app, which you reach by scanning a QR code on the download page. There's also a hand replayer.
ACR's policies allow hand trackers and HUDs that show numeric stats, as long as they're built from your own hand history and don't show anything from a hand still in play. Be careful, though: the same page also says you can't use any software ACR didn't develop, which sits awkwardly next to the HUD allowance. Real-time advice tools are banned, and so are seating scripts, hotkeys that react to live game conditions, outdated tracker versions, and anything that changes the table layout, because ACR uses the layout for bot detection.
Virtual machines, remote access tools and bots are all forbidden, and ACR's security team can ask for ID, an interview or video of you playing. Penalties go up to a permanent ban and confiscation of your funds, so if you're unsure about a tool, ask support first.
Elite Benefits rewards
You earn 5.5 Rank Points for every $1 of rake or tournament fees. Ranks run from Lieutenant, where everyone starts, to Captain at 750 points a month, Major at 3,000 and Colonel at 7,500. General takes 100,000 points in a calendar year and 5-Star General takes 1,000,000. Rank Points turn into Combat Points at 1:1 for a Lieutenant up to 1:5 for a 5-Star General, and 100 Combat Points buys $1 in the cash store at every rank. That's why climbing matters: the higher your rank, the more Combat Points each Rank Point is worth.
Medals add cash, from $10 at 750 Rank Points up to $19,200 for VIP players at 3,000,000. Two limits: these points can't be used to clear a deposit bonus, and unused Combat Points expire on December 31 if you earned none that year. ACR also offers flat rakeback instead of Elite Benefits, but you can't have both, and switching is a one-time change you make through support.
Deposits and the 10% rake rule
ACR's homepage shows Visa, Mastercard and Bitcoin for deposits. The bonus terms warn that Bitcoin and other crypto may not be accepted as a first deposit in some places, so check in the cashier before you count on it for the welcome bonus. Check the cashier for the current limits and fees before you deposit.
The rule that catches people out applies to every deposit, not just bonus ones. Before ACR will approve a withdrawal, you need to have paid poker rake or tournament fees equal to at least 10% of your total deposits. Deposit $1,000 and you need $100 in rake first. Casino, sportsbook and racebook bets don't count toward it, so you can't clear it at the blackjack tables.
Should you sign up?
If you live outside the nine restricted states and you mostly play tournaments, ACR is worth a look. The Venom guarantees are huge, the smaller Mystery PKOs start at $5.50, and you're allowed to run a HUD. If you want free money to try it, there isn't any, but the $50 freerolls cost nothing. Go in knowing two things: the bonus only pays as fast as you play, with 60 days to finish, and every dollar you deposit needs 10 cents of rake behind it before you can cash out. If you're in Michigan, skip it, because the state regulator has already ordered ACR to stop.