Whether you’re a poker pro, a total newbie, or you can’t stand the news (yes, even poker news), you’ve gotta admit that the recent hot drama with Bryn Kenney and his staking group got you curious. You were probably thinking, “What on earth is this poker staking thing?” I mean, that term was flying around so much. Some folks might’ve even mistook it for their own names, haha. 

Alright, alright, don’t use up all your laughs just yet. Keep some for the rest of this post. I’ve got this gut feeling that you’re gonna stick with me till the end as we dismantle this whole poker staking thing. Aye, let’s go there!

What is Staking in Poker?

Poker staking is sort of having a buddy who’s got your back. One person, the backer (sponsor), provides the cash for another person, the player, to get in on a poker game. If the player wins, they split the profits with the backer. Backers usually choose players they see as having serious potential.

It’s sort of an investment, but instead of a business, it’s a poker player. A backer might also offer training, supervision, and other things. Kinda how you would perch and circle around the construction workers of your new house as if they are cut-open, overripe mangoes. You are just making sure they’re not slacking off.

Let’s use that Kenney guy and his squad we mentioned before as an example. Kenney is the backer, and the peeps in his staking group or stable are the players (the ones getting sponsored). These players are also known as horses. Things are about to get juicy.

According to some pretty solid rumors, Kenney took his own staking to a whole new level by adding mandatory gym sessions, some kind of voodoo spirit renewal stuff, dieting, and a bunch of other things I’ll get into later. Stay tuned.

How Backing in Poker Works

Backing in poker is the same as staking. The same damn thing we have been talking about. …Blah, blah, blah… player wins, they share the winnings with the backer. But IF THE PLAYER LOSES, well, the backer is the one who feels the pain. There are a few ways this can play out:

• Selling Pieces for a Tournament: A player might want to jump on a $2,500 tournament but only feel they can part ways with $1,250; otherwise, they could go broke. They can sell 50% of the action to a backer, who then gets 50% of any profits.

• Long-term Deals: A player can sign up for a bunch of poker tournaments at different splits. The most common split is 50/50 + makeup (Losses to be recouped later). The sponsor fronts all the cash for the tournaments, and when all’s said and done, they split the profit 50-50. When a player loses, they get more money, which the makeup will increase by. This amount they call “makeup” needs to be paid off from future wins before they start dividing any of the profits.

Here’s an example: Let’s say a player named John gets $4,000 to play online poker tournaments. If he loses $2,000 in his first session, he gets a reload for $2,000 to bring him back to his initial $4k. He now has $2,000 in makeup. If he loses $1,200 the next session, he gets another $1,200, and his makeup is now $3,200. If John wins $25,000 the next day, here’s how the maths would work: 

$25,000 – $4,000 starting funds – $3,200 makeup = $17,800 profit. $8,900 goes to the player to cash out. He’s now up $8,900. $8,900 + $3,200 makeup = $12,100 to send to the backer. The backer is now up $8,900 (-$3,200 losses + $12,100 received back = +$8,900). At this stage, John’s got his opening $4,000 back for gaming, and both parties are sitting pretty with an extra $8,900. Cool, right?

• No Makeup Deals: This is the less common way of doing the backing thing, where it can be a 90/10 split with no makeup. The backer lays out all the moolah and scores 90% of any gains. If the player loses, they don’t owe the backer anything in the future. But man, that’s risky! The backer must be pretty gutsy to ask for such a big cut from the profits. But maybe they deserve it, considering the hit they take when the player loses. It’s a tough game.

Pros and Cons

Just as with everything else in life, poker staking has its good and bad sides. On the bright side, it lets players get in on the big games without necessarily putting their own cash on the line. Sounds kind of wicked, haha. 

Anyway, in addition, it gives backers a shot at making some cool cash without even playing. But here’s the dark side: it can be a real stress-fest for the player. And if the player loses, it’s the backer who’s left picking up the tab. That’s the wickedness I was talking about.

Is Backing or Staking Profitable?

Yes, poker staking can be a money-maker. There is no certainty, however. You won’t ever contest it (maybe); poker’s a game of skill, and the player’s got skills, yet nobody’s perfect, right? Communication is a big deal here.

Everyone’s got to be on the same page, and they really need to have a good vibe together. There’s a bunch of stuff to think about when you’re trying to figure out if staking can be profitable, for example, how long the stake lasts.

Shifting to Kenney. Staking can bring in the bucks, but it seems as if it perhaps temporarily stopped working out for Kenney and his squad. Word on the street is that he started forcing them to collude in satellites and to ghost. Maybe he wasn’t as good as he thought, or maybe he just picked the wrong horses. Or maybe he was just too greedy. Who knows? Anyway, that’s enough chit-chat from me.

A Conclusion Needing Backers

Forget everything I said about the pros and cons of poker staking for a second. That’s just scratching the surface. A horse will get free coaching, exposure, and opportunities. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. It can be mentally draining, and you’re not really your own boss anymore.

If you’re thinking about getting backed, don’t assume you can just forget about your own bankroll. You’d still need it. Also, make sure to check out the agreement to see if it’s a good fit for you. See these agreements as temporary. Get what you need (the bankroll), and then find your own path. You don’t want to get stuck in a so-called “risk-free” world that is, in reality, a cage.

No matter how it all turns out, the sure thing is we’re all human. It’s normal to worry about our debts or “makeup” in poker speak. And when I talked about stress and mental toll, this can be a major factor for horses. Keep that in mind!