Your tournament data.

Privacy notice · Mac version 1.0.0 · Updated September 24, 2026

Core tournament management is local. Optional AI sends information to Anthropic only after you allow sharing and send a message. “Local” does not mean every optional feature stays on your Mac.

Data stored on your Mac

PokerHelm stores player details you enter, tournament rules, registrations, seating, chip counts, purchase records, payouts, results, settings and operation history in a local database. Player details can include names, nicknames, email addresses, phone numbers, affiliations and notes. There is no PokerHelm account or built-in cloud sync.

Core tournament tools do not send this database to OwnerState. The local Product Alpha Lab stores structured evaluation events on your Mac; it does not send remote analytics. You choose whether to export those records.

Optional AI: what leaves your Mac

When you allow sharing and send an AI message, the app connects directly to Anthropic's API. It sends chat history and a bounded summary: game, format and tournament status; remaining and eliminated player counts; active tables and seat capacity; starting chips; paid-entry count and prize pool; current blinds and ante; and up to ten largest chip stacks without player names.

The automatic summary does not include player names or contact details. Anything you type into chat can contain personal information and is shared. Only include information you have permission to share. Your API key authenticates the request; the connection also exposes ordinary network information, such as your IP address, to the provider.

Anthropic handles received information under the terms and settings applicable to your API account. Consult Anthropic's privacy information and your API agreement. PokerHelm does not promise zero provider retention or control provider-side deletion.

Your AI controls

Permission is specific to the tournament chat session and is not saved across app restarts. Choose Not now to cancel without sending. Turn off AI withdraws permission for future sends and clears the local chat. It cannot recall a request already sent. Chat is held in app memory, not written to the tournament database.

You can use a session key, an environment key, or save a key in macOS Keychain. Keys are managed separately from sharing permission. Removing a configured key does not remove an environment variable you supplied outside the app. Older installations may retain a legacy key if secure migration fails; the app warns you to update or remove it. Managed backups strip the known legacy key field.

Backups, exports and deletion

Database backups and CSV exports are files you control. They can contain personal information and financial records. The database and exports are not encrypted by PokerHelm; protect your Mac and files with appropriate system security and storage controls. Files placed in a synced folder may be uploaded by that service independently of PokerHelm.

Records remain locally until changed or removed. Some history-linked records cannot be deleted independently. Uninstalling the app may leave data, backups or Keychain items behind. Contact support for help locating your own files before removing them. Deleting a live record does not delete copies in existing backups or exports.

Support and website visits

If you email support, your email address, message and attachments are shared through email services with the support team. Avoid sending secrets or full databases. Contact support@pokerhelm.com with privacy questions or requests about information you have sent to support.

Visiting the website involves requests to its hosting service. The animated home page also loads fonts from Google; those services receive the network information needed to serve their content. This site does not include an advertising or analytics script.

Payments and protected downloads

PokerHelm records tournament amounts but does not transfer buy-ins or prize money. Direct Mac software purchases are processed by Stripe; Microsoft Store purchases are handled by Microsoft, and App Store purchases by Apple, under their applicable terms and privacy practices.

After a direct Mac purchase, our Cloudflare download service receives a Stripe Checkout session identifier and checks the payment with Stripe. It sets an encrypted, Secure, HTTP-only cookie to authorize downloads for seven days and checks payment, refund and dispute status again on each download. Cloudflare stores the private installer and receives network information needed to serve it. The download service hashes the requesting IP address for rate limiting; hashing does not make it anonymous. These purchase checks do not upload your tournament database. If you contact us to recover download access, we use your purchase email and receipt to help verify the purchase. See the purchase terms.

Contact

PokerHelm by OwnerState: support@pokerhelm.com.