Should You Play Staked? A Pro – Con For Players

Advantages

Reduce Impact of Variance
Variance is probably the single toughest thing for a tournament player to deal with. Even very good players can go through long stretches without a significant win, and the impact of that reality, both economically and psychologically, can quickly derail otherwise excellent players. Having backing allows you to not worry nearly as much about the short-term threats to your bankroll, a relief that is valuable enough to some players that it makes taking a backing cut that costs them a little bit of profit +EV in the long run.

Ability to Move Up Buy in Levels
There are two basic reasons people take backing: they’re broke or they’re looking to skip ahead a few rungs on the buy in ladder. Proper bankroll management for MTTs dictates a pretty slow increase in buy ins unless you hit a pretty serious score, so backing makes a lot of sense for players who are putting in a decent amount of volume at the $20-$50 buy in range and are looking to move up to the $75+. Backing also allows players to take shots at bigger tournaments (or tournament series like the FTOPs or WCOOP) without worrying about the serious drain on the typical bankroll that a higher buy in ‘event’ tournament represents. A typical $50 buy in player can either set aside a portion of their profit for weeks to enter into a 5k buy in tournament, or they can work out a deal with a backer that allows them to shot-take as part of their regular schedule. Moving up buy ins also allows players the chance for bigger scores – a reality that most players hope (sometimes correctly, sometimes not) will more than offset the profit they’re giving up by being staked in the first place.

Access to Other Resources
While there are probably stakers who just have one or two players, the majority of staking takes place in some sort of community environment. For example, on our forums, thousands of members swap advice about strategy, working out a better deal for you as a player, and so on. Staking teams often have some sort of small forum or method for exchanging information that can act as a similar resource. In short, being staked generally brings with it some perks, either directly from the staker or from the other players being backed by that staker.

Impact on Game
While it’s certainly possible that being backed may impact your game negatively, there’s also a logic for being backed actually improving your game. Some people simply perform better when they’re under a little oversight, and the feeling that you’re responsible to someone other than yourself when you’re playing poker might force you to act a little more responsibly. Simply put, most people are less reckless when they know they might be forced to explain and justify their decisions, and that’s exactly the context a staking arrangement creates.

Check Bad Habits
Fact: Poker players are not the tightest money-managers on earth. Fact: Put less charitably, poker players have more degenerate tendencies than your average person. Backing generally puts players on a leash financially, keeping them in a situation where they’re at least a little less likely to go on a spree at the (real or virtual) craps tables, and less able to inflict catastrophic damage when they do. It’s also a little tougher for (most) people to act in a completely irresponsible manner with someone else’s cash. Plenty of excellent players go bust because of habits they have away from the poker table, and if the regimented nature of a staking arrangement can help curtail that, you’re looking at a serious advantage that’s going to be tough to outweigh.

Logistical Simplification
While staking arrangements can cause the player to take on additional tasks, there’s another side to that coin: staking arrangements can cut down on some other tasks, especially depositing and withdrawing, that can be a major hassle for players. For some, knowing that the buy ins for your Sunday schedule will just be waiting for you when you sign in and that you can request a cash out from your staker with greater ease (and quicker turnaround time) than a cash out from a poker site.

So, What’s Right for You?
For some players, staking is a slam dunk. For others, anything but playing on their own bankroll makes absolutely no sense. For the majority of players, the decision is a bit more complex. When you’re considering an arrangement, keep the above factors in mind and use them as a bit of a checklist in designing your relationship with your staker. Crafting an agreement that is both to your benefit and easy for you to abide by is the easiest way to lock in a mutually beneficial arrangement that can profit both of you for many buy ins to come.

If you’re interested in PTP Staking, check out our staking home page here. We’re the largest staking site on the internet, having connected thousands of backers with players for deals worth over $10 million in the last two years. Our automated system makes offering your action to backers simple if you’re a player, and backers interested in finding players can browse through in-depth data on hundreds of established horses.

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