Gray Market Poker Rooms USA: Tier System & AI Points 2026
AI Points in Gray Market Poker Rooms: The 2026 Tier System for US Players
If you're playing at gray market poker rooms from the United States, you already know that rakeback varies depending on where you sign up—and that almost nobody explains how points actually accumulate. EasyAmericanPoker Tiers 2026 fills that gap: a volume-based rewards program that scales across six levels, active at the rooms we track here — BetOnline, Tiger Gaming, Sports Betting, CoinPoker, BetKings, ChampionPoker, and PokerKing. This is the definitive guide to AI Points at US gray market rooms, and we'll keep it updated as long as you're playing.
The two layers don't mix. Each room sets and pays its own rakeback according to its own rules. Separately, we credit AI Points to your wallet independently—and they're redeemable as real cash (100 AI Points = $1 USD). This guide covers that second layer: what percentage you earn at each gray market room and how your tier transfers between platforms in our directory. If you also want to understand the legal landscape where these rooms operate, we have a separate guide on how to choose an online poker room in the United States.
The US Poker Tier System: What Changes at Gray Market Rooms
EasyAmericanPoker exists because much of US online poker traffic doesn't go through state-licensed rooms, but through offshore operators that accept US players without blocking access. This isn't legal advice—regulations vary by state and you should check with a professional if you have doubts—but it's the landscape this system operates in.
Single signup, entire catalog
Registration and tier tracking work the same way no matter which gray market room you're playing at within our catalog. That means the volume you generate at one room can benefit you even if you later open an account at another room on the same network, without having to rebuild your tier from scratch.
How the Six Tiers Work
The system has six levels, calculated on your monthly volume:
- •Tier 6: entry level when you register, with no prior volume.
- •Tier 5 to Tier 2: intermediate steps that activate based on accumulated rake or revenue.
- •Tier 1: the top level, reserved for the highest volume players at each room.
Revenue Base vs. Rake Base
Each room uses one of two calculation methods, and they're not interchangeable:
- •Monthly revenue (BetOnline, Tiger Gaming, Sports Betting, CoinPoker, BetKings, ChampionPoker): brackets of $0-500, $500-1,000, $1,000-2,500, $2,500-5,000, $5,000-7,500, and $7,500+.
- •Monthly rake (PokerKing): brackets of $0-1,000, $1,000-2,500, $2,500-5,000, $5,000-10,000, $10,000-15,000, and $15,000+.
Warning: Revenue isn't the same as rake contributed. They're different calculation bases depending on the room, so the same volume doesn't tier up the same way at BetOnline as it does at PokerKing.
Rakeback Table: BetOnline, CoinPoker, BetKings & Others (Revenue Base)
| Room | Tier 6 | Tier 5 | Tier 4 | Tier 3 | Tier 2 | Tier 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChampionPoker | 40% | 42.5% | 45% | 47.5% | 50% | 52.5% |
| BetKings | 25% | 27.5% | 30% | 32.5% | 35% | 37.5% |
| CoinPoker* | 15% | 17.5% | 20% | 22.5% | 25% | 27.5% |
| BetOnline | 10% | 12.5% | 15% | 17.5% | 20% | 22.5% |
| Sports Betting | 10% | 12.5% | 15% | 17.5% | 20% | 22.5% |
| Tiger Gaming | 10% | 12.5% | 15% | 17.5% | 20% | 22.5% |
*At CoinPoker, this benefit is calculated based on USD revenue generated: if revenue for a period is low or zero, that tier's result can also be minimal or zero. Don't treat it as a fixed monthly figure.
Two rooms on the same network operate in euros with European licensing (they're not US gray market, which is why they're outside this dollar-based table): PokerPlanets and Sportium.es, with equivalent levels ranging from 30% to 42.5% on euro revenue.
Tier Table: High-Volume Rooms (Rake Base)
| Room | Tier 6 | Tier 5 | Tier 4 | Tier 3 | Tier 2 | Tier 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PokerKing | 8% | 8.5% | 9% | 9.5% | 10% | 10.5% |
The percentages are lower than the revenue table because the calculation base is different: contributed rake is typically a smaller figure than generated revenue, so you can't read these as a "worse tier" without that context. (CasinoBarcelona.es uses the same rake base, with levels from 7% to 9.5%, but it's a regulated euro room, not a US gray market operation.)
A Real-World Example
You generate $12,000 in rake on PokerKing in the month. Using the rake table, that puts you at Tier 2 (10%). The calculation: $12,000 in rake at 10% equals 120,000 points—or $1,200 credited to your wallet—on top of any rakeback PokerKing pays directly through its own program.
Key fact: The same volume at BetOnline (revenue base, not rake) wouldn't tier up the same way. Each room measures by its own standard.
Cross-Platform Benefits: Why Concentrating Volume Pays Off
Here's the difference versus most gray market affiliate programs: normally, if you play at two different rooms, your tier is calculated separately at each one and you start from zero when opening a new account. If you regularly move between rooms to find better conditions or softer games, this directly affects you.
How Your Tier Transfers Between Rooms
In our system, the highest tier you reach at one room immediately transfers to the rest of the catalog. If you concentrate your volume at BetOnline and reach Tier 1, and that same month you open an account at ChampionPoker or CoinPoker, you enter those rooms at Tier 1 from your first hand—even if you barely have a history there.
Each room still pays its own table's percentage for that tier (Tier 1 at BetOnline is 22.5%, Tier 1 at ChampionPoker is 52.5%: the number isn't the same, but your status level is).
Pro tip: If you usually spread your volume across two or three gray market rooms to diversify risk, try concentrating it at one single room for the current month. Scaling to Tier 1 there and carrying that status to the rest of the network typically pays more than climbing slowly across multiple rooms at once.
If you're more focused on high-volume tournament play than cash games, also check out our guide on online poker tournament strategy to get more out of that same tier.
Activation: What You Need to Do
Tracking is automatic, with one prerequisite:
- 1.Sign up at your chosen gray market room through an official link from our directory (an existing account not linked to us won't count).
- 2.Confirm that your account appears correctly tracked in your dashboard.
- 3.Play normally—rake or revenue is tallied in the background and your tier adjusts automatically each month.
There's nothing to claim or boxes to check. If your account isn't properly linked from the start, the system can't credit your volume, so that first step is the only part that depends on you.
Check out our guide on how to choose an online poker room in the United States if you're still unsure which room suits you based on your volume and game format.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Tier System
Do these points replace the room's rakeback?
No. BetOnline's 33% weekly rakeback, for example, continues to be paid by the room itself; this tier table stacks on top of it, calculated and paid separately on that same volume. A room's rakeback and AI Points are never combined into a single figure—they're two benefits from different channels.
Can I lose my tier?
Your tier recalculates each month based on that period's volume. If your volume drops one month, next month's tier may drop too, unless you keep it active at another room in the catalog.
Are PokerPlanets and Sportium.es gray market rooms for the US?
No—they're regulated European rooms with figures in euros. They're mentioned because they share the same tier system, not because they accept US gray market traffic.
What if my account doesn't appear tracked?
Without the account linked from signup, the system can't attribute your rake or revenue to any tier. Check your dashboard before generating significant volume at a new room.
If you already have an account at one of these rooms but didn't open it through our directory, the volume you generate can't be linked to any tier—check before putting serious hours in. And if you're still deciding where to play this month, start here: BetOnline · CoinPoker · ChampionPoker · Tiger Gaming.