Should I Play Poker with a Partner?

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Arved Klöhn Pokerlistings Author
  • Fact Checked by: PokerListings
  • Last updated on: January 13, 2025

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Starsky and Hutch – Bonnie and Clyde – Mick and Keith – what about the poker duo? Is poker a situation where one could benefit from having a partner? Before we discuss if you can benefit from a partner, there are some other aspects of a poker partnership we should talk about first. Like first, what actually is a poker partnership? And how do you set one up?

Is Playing with a Partner Against Poker Rules?

It depends on what you do with your partner. As long as you don’t break any of the house rules, what you do with your cards and money is entirely up to you. Having a financial partner is completely inside the boundaries of all poker rules and is far more common than you might think.

Playing with your friend on the table is also not against the rules. You don’t have to play hard against your friends; you can check it down when it’s just you two in the hand. Poker is supposed to be fun. Go play with your friends and have a good time, partners or not. Just make sure you don’t start doing the following:

What is Collusion in Poker?

In poker, collusion refers to teaming up with a partner to gain an unfair advantage against your opponent. An example of collusion is using a partner to set up squeeze plays:

  • You open the pot for a raise.
  • Victim calls your raise.
  • Your friend re-raises you, forcing the remaining players to fold.
  • You come back over the top of your friend.
  • The victim here is now forced to fold anything but KK and AA.

In a normal scenario, one or both of the players here would have to have monsters. With this action, more often than not one of the players will have aces. The victim folds to this show of extreme strength, with your friend laying down behind them. Using your partner to extort this single call without having to see a flop is only one form of collusion.

Can You Share Information about a Live Poker Hand?

No! You are never allowed to discuss the hand in play with your partner. You can’t show, talk about, hint or joke about your hand. Talking in code or using signals, or chip placing, is very much against the rules. No ifs, ands or buts.

What Type of Poker Partner Is Best?

A common question for many poker players:

  • Is it better to have a stake horse or to be playing on a shared roll with another player?

This is a question that has no specific answer. It depends on the person, the games and the situation. When you’re playing on staked money you take a significant hit to your profits in exchange for a low-to-nil up-front investment. No matter what you see in the movies, no real stake horse (excluding your best friend) will offer you as good a deal as 50% of your winnings.

The 50% myth can almost entirely be traced to one scene in Rounders. It’s funny how much one fictional movie can shape the entire public perception of poker. Working your ass off to take home less than 50% of what I earn is a tough pill to swallow for some. If you can afford to put the money up yourself, it’s almost always better to do so.

The other option is to have a partner playing the same amount of poker, at the same limits, at the same skill level. You will not be making any more money than you would if you were playing alone, but it can help you greatly reduce variance. You have three options for your two results at the end of the session:

YouPartnerCombined Roll
WinWinIncrease
WinLoseNo Change
LoseWinNo Change
LoseLoseDecrease

Since the majority of sessions for a winning player will be wins, we have to put more weight into the two options containing wins. And less to the situations containing losses. That makes the Lose/Lose scenario least likely.

In real life the amounts won’t always be a perfect match. Some of the win/lose scenarios will result in an overall loss, while others will result in a win. We can assume that, in the long run, all the win/lose sessions will even out to No Change.

Just by looking at this simple chart, and using common sense, you can see how having a partner of this type can reduce variance. The majority of the time you will make money or break even. Remember, you will be making no more money with this partner than if you were playing alone. The whole point is to reduce variance.

Example:

Imagine you and your partner both buy into a $2/$5 cash game for $500 each. After several hours:

  • You pick up A-K suited and hit top pair on the flop, extracting value from an opponent’s lower pair to finish the session with a $300 profit.
  • Your partner has a rough run of cards and ends the session with a $300 loss.
    Combining your results, you essentially break even for the night. Over multiple sessions, this approach can help stabilize your bankroll by offsetting short-term bad luck.

Is It Better to Fly Solo or Play Poker With a Partner?

The Up Side

The biggest advantage to having a partner is it’s just more fun to have a friend to run with. Someone to joke with at the table, go out for dinner (or breakfast) with after your session, and split the hotel bill with in Vegas.

The No. 1 reason for many people to play poker is the social aspect. If you have a partner to play with, you get to have every session turn into a night out – just one more way to keep the grind from feeling like… well, a grind.

The Down Side

Playing with a friend on the same table will usually end up costing you money. In the spirit of playing friendly, how you play your hand when your friend is involved will change. And, unfortunately, some people – even your friends – just aren’t trustworthy — especially when it comes to money.

It’s unusual to find someone who’s at the same skill level, has the same amount to put into a roll. And is willing to play the same number of hours as you. Even if you do find such a person, one of you is going to progress faster than the other. There will come a time where you’re going to have to break up and go it alone.

Integrating Equity Calculations in Joint Sessions

When you and your partner are simultaneously playing in the same venue or tournament series, you can use advanced equity modeling to gauge your collective risk. By examining each other’s schedules, skill sets, and game selection, you can diversify your overall action. This way, if one of you is engaging in a highly volatile online tournament while the other plays a lower-variance cash game, you can even out potential swings. Professional players sometimes refer to such a strategy as a “portfolio approach” to poker bankroll management. Although reminiscent of GTO analysis, the primary focus here is on combining separate edges to reduce overall variance rather than optimizing a single player’s decisions.

Post-Session Reviews

Post-session reviews are crucial for individual growth, but they become even more powerful in a partnership context. By conducting detailed hand reviews together, partners can analyze each other’s decisions and refine their strategies. This process becomes even more effective if you use solver-based research to evaluate key spots where your collective EV (expected value) may be maximized. Whether you rely on tools like solvers or rely on your own database of hand histories, having a partner’s perspective on your critical decisions can fast-track improvement for both of you.

FAQ

Is playing with a partner always allowed in live poker rooms?

Yes, playing with a partner is usually allowed as long as you follow the venue’s rules and avoid collusion. Openly sharing a bankroll or checking it down when heads-up is typically permitted, but coordinating to cheat other players is strictly prohibited.

How does having a stake horse differ from splitting a bankroll with another player?

A stake horse arrangement usually involves a backer providing all or part of a player’s buy-in, taking a share of the profits in return. Splitting a bankroll entails two players contributing funds and sharing outcomes. The stake horse model lowers risk but also reduces potential profit, while splitting a bankroll primarily aims to reduce variance for both contributors.

Why do people worry about collusion when partners sit at the same table?

Collusion is a form of cheating in which partners conspire to manipulate the action in their favor. Even something as subtle as non-verbal communication or chip placement can be considered collusion. Because collusion provides an unfair edge, it is prohibited in all sanctioned poker settings.

What are the main drawbacks of having a poker partner?

A major drawback is the risk of losing money if soft-play creeps in or if partners have conflicting strategies. It can also be difficult to find someone with the same skill level, schedule, and bankroll goals, and you might eventually outgrow each other’s stakes or playing style.

How can advanced concepts like solver-based analysis help partners?

By reviewing hands and theoretical models together, partners can identify weaknesses in their combined approach and learn from each other’s mistakes. Solver-based analysis helps you understand optimal decision-making, and when both partners apply these insights, the benefits multiply in a shared bankroll or coaching arrangement.

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