Player Staking and How to Do it!

We have shown you various sites to visit to stake poker players. Now I am going to show you how to stake another player and the overall setup of a cash or tournament player stake.

First, there are a few different kinds of stakes:

• Tournament
• Cash Game
• Buy a Piece
• Backers

Tournament staking is the most common kind of stake and takes place in various forms. Basically, there are two kinds of ways you can stake in a tournament.

First, you can pay 100% of their buy-in into the tournament with the agreement that you will receive 50% of whatever they earn should they cash. You can alter this kind of deal in whatever way is comfortable for the staker or the stakee making the buy in smaller and return smaller accordingly.

For instance: You could buy someone into the tournament for 50% of the buy-in with only a 25% return on your investment in that player. Again, everything is negotiable on either side as long as you both agree to the terms BEFORE the poker tournament begins.

Second, there is the cash game stake. For cash games it pretty much works in the same manner. The only difference is that you are bankrolling an individual that will likely be playing for a period of time or a pre-determined profit established by the backer.

For instance: Your backer may bankroll the stakee for $5000 and expect 50% of whatever that player earns when he leaves the table. It could be a pre-determined amount like $15,000 in which case they would split $7500 in addition to the original stake given to the player to enter the game.

The last kind of stake / deal that a staker is likely to employ is the buy-a-piece (BAP) deal which is a staple at many online poker staking sites as well as live casino’s. In a BAP stake you may buy 10% or so of a players buy-in expecting a 5% return on whatever they earn should that player cash. Obviously the more players you stake this way the more likely you are to make a profit.

As you have noticed most deals are pretty much 100% / 50% profit deals which is the best in my opion. Ultimately, it’s up to you to negotiate the terms that are best suited and fair to each individual involved.

Lastly, but still extremely important, you need to register with the online statistics sites like www.officialpokerrankings.com , www.bluffmagazine.com , or www.sharkscope.com so that your stats are available and you can show your staker that you are indeed a good risk. These sites tend to keep meticulous records in regards to poker tournaments but are not so good with cash games. So keep that in mind and keep your records squared away for cash games because you will likely be asked for them.

Staking can be a very good thing and can help both individuals accomplish their goals of making money either for their bankroll or strictly for profits sake. Be smart about whom you deal with and play well when given the opportunity. One big win can transform you from a casual player to someone with an opportunity for an even bigger score down the line.

Trust me, I know.

Curtis III