The continuation bet is a topic that is constantly being tossed around poker forums. I belong to about 5 forums and I see this all the time. The thing about the continuation bet is that it is all relative. There are just too many variables to simply say, “I am always going to bet after a raise. No matter what!” That kind of thinking costs you money in the long run because it does not allow you to adjust to your environment.
Most of the time it does make sense to make the continuation bet. It especially makes sense against weak opponents. However, if you happen to be sitting at an aggressive table where chips are flying it might behoove you to shelve the continuation bet in lieu of check calling. This allows you to use your opponents natural aggression in your own favor by allowing them to take the lead when you have the best hand. Obviously if you flop big you have an incredible amount of leverage moving forward with the hand and are in position to get maximum value for the hand.
Do or Die Poker has just added PS Stakes to our list of poker staking sites!
PS Stakes is a site run by two online poker players that love to play poker and want to help other poker players make money by staking or getting staked. Getting started is easy. You can register as a staker and later on as a player if you like under the same account. Otherwise, you can register immediately as a stakee and begin the process by setting up your parameters and posting in the forum.
One caveat is that they only accept players with a positive ROI. While I believe if you already have a positive ROI then you likely do not need to be staked but need to play within your bankroll I do understand the need to know how well a person has played overall. However, I believe ITM% is a much better indicator as to how well a player does in tournaments and how consistent they are cashing.
Just my two cents.
PS Stakes provides plenty of support via e-mail and IM.
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.
Staking does not just occur in live poker tournaments or cash games. Staking players takes place online as well. The player putting up the money is referred to as a “staker” and the person seeking a stake is the “stakee.”
Poker Staking Forums
Staking poker players online is becoming a larger part of the online landscape. It literally has turned into a business with several sites hosting hundreds of members looking to collaborate with each other via a stake.
How do I know I am going to get paid?
Reputable forums have forms that must be filled out and agreed to by both the staker and the stakee so that each individual is protected and on equal footing. Once the terms have been agreed to the “stakee” plays the tournament and proceeds accordingly. Usually, if a person is seeking to stake someone he is going to check out that players stats on www.sharkscope.com or www.officialpokerrankings.com so that they know exactly how successful that player has been both past and present.
Usually, players with a positive ROI or high ITM percentage are the ones that get staked.
The following sites are places where poker players can be staked. You will most likely need to provide your statistics to potential backers. You can easily do this via Bluff Magazine, Official Poker Rankings or Shark Scope.
Lately, I had a very good poker buddy of mine offer to stake me in the WSOP. I kinda laughed until I realized he was dead serious. We worked together for a few years and talked about poker almost every day at lunch.
Recently, I took a peek at my tournament statistics over the past 3 years and indeed they are above average and even impressive for an online tournament player. I cash in a little over 18% of the large Multi-Table tournaments with 180 or more players . A “good” player cashes anywhere from 10 - 12%. So, I am above the curve for sure. Out of those cashes I make the Final Table around 5% of the time which is an outstanding rate considering I do not play that often.
A few of the staking sites are appealing to me although I am still doing my homework on them. The biggest thing for me though is that my statistics prove out my ability and are easily seen online for any potential stakers. I am primarily looking to enter the larger $200+ buy-in tournaments with a 50/50 split to the backer.
Only time will tell if I decide to get staked or not but I am defintely up to the challenge. I will keep you posted as I move forward on my journey into the world of being a staked player. In the mean time I have an interview with www.westakeyou.com that I will be posting very soon.
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