You created a club on PPPoker, Suprema, ClubGG or X-Poker, invited your players, opened a table, and three of them sat down. An hour later the table broke and the lobby was empty. That is the moment every owner learns what a union is for, and it is usually the moment they start searching for how to join one.
The searching is where it goes wrong. Union owners do not publish their contact details, intermediaries charge for an introduction and take no responsibility for what happens after, and the first message most owners send is "what is your deal" when the first question a union asks is "what do you run". This page is the process from our side of the table: what we need from a club, what we send back, and what happens in the first two weeks. We have run unions across five apps since 2019, so the steps below are the ones that actually happen, not a summary of someone else's.
What a union is and what it is not
A union is a group of clubs that share one lobby. Your members see your tables and every other member club's tables, and their members see yours. The union sets the game list, limits, rake caps and schedule for that shared lobby, runs the tournaments and covers their guarantees, and polices the field against bots and colluding pairs. In return it takes a share of the rake your players generate.
A union is not a traffic service you subscribe to. It fills your lobby, but it does not fill your member list. A club with three players in the best union in the world is still a club with three players, and the deal band will not change that. A union is also not a platform. PPPoker, Suprema and the rest are the software; the union is a business run by people inside that software, and your money moves through those people, not through the app.
Step 1: Know your own numbers before you write to anyone
Every union worth joining asks the same four things first, and the answer decides your deal more than negotiation ever will:
- Platform, and whether the club already exists or needs to be created.
- Active players: how many played in the last 30 days, not how many are on the list.
- Monthly rake your players generate, or your best estimate if you are not in a union yet.
- Your current deal, if you have one, including chip price and renewal fees.
Add the disciplines and limits where the rake comes from, and the hours your players are at the tables. A club that writes "40 actives, PLO5 mostly, 18:00 to 01:00 CET, around 4,000 dollars a month in rake" gets a real offer in a day. A club that writes "what are your conditions" gets a list of questions back.
Step 2: Pick the platform for your players, not for the percentage
The deal band differs by app, and the difference is explained by the field, not by generosity. Our Suprema EU union runs at 80 percent because Suprema carries the big-bet Omaha traffic, and PLO5 and PLO6 tables rake more per table than anything the other apps can fill. The ruble unions on PPPoker and Poker21+ run at 85 to 87 percent on a 1 ruble chip. X-Union on X-Poker is 87 percent with a 100 ruble chip and a smaller, deeper field built around Short Deck and higher-limit PLO. ClubGG is tournament-heavy and starts a band lower.
So the question is not which union pays the most but where your players will find their game at their hours. A club of hold'em cash grinders placed in a PLO5 union will see a high percentage of nothing. The current deal band, chip price, renewal and chip terms for every union we run are on the terms page for club owners and agents, reviewed monthly.
Step 3: Get the written offer and read the deposit terms twice
Through RP Union a written offer arrives within one working day of your numbers. It states the rake split and the volume bands that change it, the settlement day and currency, which union lobby your club joins, and the deposit.
The deposit is where owners get nervous and where they should be most precise. Ours is refundable and works as the club's stop-loss: it caps the weekly minus your club can run against the union. If a week closes negative and you do not cover it by the settlement date, the shortfall comes out of the deposit. The size depends on your limits and activity, so it is quoted per club. Three things to confirm in writing from any union: the amount, what triggers a deduction, and the conditions and timeline for getting it back when you leave.
If a union quotes a deposit but will not say what it is for, or asks for it before the offer, do not pay it.
Step 4: Create or connect the club
If the club does not exist yet, you create it in the app under your own account and apply to the union with the ID we give you. If it exists, it applies the same way. Connection is free, there is no entry fee, and the setup takes one to two days from the written offer: the club is verified, placed in the live union lobby, and configured with you rather than left on defaults. Limits, rake structure, jackpot and insurance are set to match the field your players are entering.
You get a chat with your manager and with finance on day one. The manager is the person who answers at 3 AM, sets up promos and Poker Pass events, and reviews the deal when your volume moves. One manager per club, not a shared inbox.
Step 5: The first settlement
Settlement is weekly. A statement per club shows what your players raked, what came back under your band, what went to promos and what is owed in either direction. Payouts are in USDT, on a fixed cut-off, for every app you operate under the agreement. This is the part to watch in the first month: the statement should reconcile against your own numbers to the chip, and the money should land on the stated day. If either fails in month one, that is the union telling you what month twelve looks like.
What usually goes wrong in the first month
- The owner disappears for two days. Chips and withdrawals move through people. If you cannot be reachable at your players' hours, you need an agent who can, before you join, not after.
- Agents are told about the split last. Your agents' share comes out of your band; set it before the first settlement so nobody is surprised by the first statement.
- Players are sent into the lobby with no guide. One pinned message with the union's table list, limits and tournament schedule saves a week of "where are the games".
- Rakeback is promised to players before the owner has seen the statement. Promise after the first weekly cycle, when you know what your band actually returns on your volume.
Joining a union through RP Union
One agreement covers PPPoker, X-Poker, ClubGG, Suprema and Poker21+, so a club can open on a second platform later without a second negotiation. Deal bands run up to 87 percent depending on platform and volume. Settlement is one weekly statement and one USDT payout for every app. The union screens for bots, RTA and chip dumping, and a colluding pair is a same-day removal. If you want to see the field before deciding, we give you the ID of an active club inside the union and you watch the lobby yourself. Agents who bring players without running a club are covered under the same RP Union network terms.
FAQ
How do I contact a poker union to join as a club owner?
Send the union your platform, active player count, monthly rake and current deal. Union administrators rarely publish contacts, so you reach them through the union's site or Telegram. With RP Union you message @rpunion and a written offer comes back within one working day.
Does it cost money to join a poker union?
Connection itself is free in RP Union and there is no entry fee. What you need is a refundable security deposit, sized to your limits and activity, which works as the club's stop-loss against a losing week. Club renewal and chips are free in most of our unions; the exact terms per platform are on the terms page.
Do I need players before joining a union?
Yes. The union fills your lobby with tables, not your club with members. A club with ten to fifteen real actives is a business a union can place; a club with two or three is better served by the owner working as an agent first and opening a club once the player base is there.
Which union should a new PPPoker or Suprema club join?
The one whose field matches your players' games and hours. Hold'em cash clubs fit PPPoker and Poker21+ unions; PLO5 and PLO6 clubs fit Suprema EU; tournament-driven clubs fit ClubGG. Ask for the table count at your limits during your players' prime time before you look at the percentage.
How long does joining a union take?
Through RP Union, one working day for the written offer and one to two days for setup once you accept, so a club is typically live in a union lobby within three days of first contact. The first settlement arrives on the next weekly cut-off after the club goes live.
To start, send your platform, active players, monthly rake and current deal to @rpunion on Telegram. If your players are on Suprema, read the Suprema Poker union overview first; if they are on PPPoker, the PPPoker union page covers that field. Owners moving an existing club from another union should read our guide to moving a club without losing players before they write.
18+. Running a poker club carries real financial risk. Keep your deposit separate from player funds and play responsibly.