We all know the Hollywood type – a young gun who is over-confident in their ability to play poker gets in contact with some well-heeled underground boss. They offer to turn their money into a big payday at the upcoming hush-hush tournament – usually a high stakes game played by mafiosi who are quick to temper and even quicker to mete out punishment.
The idea of a poker sponsor – someone who pays you to play with their money because they trust that your skills will win them over a tidy sum – is not that bad, and it’s not overburdened with criminality – not in the slightest. Rather, the difficulty lies elsewhere – can you convince a would-be investor to back you up at the green felt. This is another matter altogether.
What is the Poker Sponsor?
Now, you can play online poker for real money here or just play at real tables in land-based venues, that is true. Over time, you will become quite skilled at what you do, but you may still not have a big bankroll behind you. And even if you do, isn’t it better to trade in your skill and share the risk?
That’s what many poker players tend to think when they turn to a sponsor. Basically, a poker sponsor is a person who will invest in you – pay you the buy in into a big tournament, which can be the World Series of Poker or a high rolling tournament, and then split the profits with you.
The split is not really clear – it can be even; it can be a smaller or bigger percentage. It’s really down to how much you can charge for your services and ultimately – how good you are at playing poker. With this said, the concept of a poker sponsor is actually quite easy to follow through and use to your advantage. What else is there to know?
Are Poker Sponsors Worth It?
This is a good question. Poker sponsors definitely make sense for someone who is showing a lot of talent and is eager to not miss out an event. It can also be good for a great poker player who has ended up without money because of being profligate in his or her personal choices.
This is a rather extreme scenario, of course, but poker sponsors can definitely be worth it. Once again, the majority of good players will choose to play with their own money much rather than borrow and split the profits, but there is some reason to try and seek out a sponsor in the first place.
Some players just like minimizing the risk or have a feeling that they may not be stacked against a very favorable field of opponents. Historic rivalries are great, but if you are not really worrying about your money you may be inclined to make a few riskier plays that potentially pay off, as well.
What If Things Go Bad?
This is a good question. It’s highly unlikely that you will have a situation where a poker sponsor is sending their goons after you, but there are other factors to consider. For example, do you have contingencies?
Are you and your sponsor on the same page of what would happen in cases where you seem to lose all their money without putting much of a dent. Poker is a game of skill, this is definitely true, but poker is also a game where you can get unlucky even if it’s in just one tournament.
So, what happens next if you lose your sponsor’s money will depend on what arrangements you have planned with your sponsor. Most players will have some sort of understanding, which would usually mean that money can be lost and there is no harm in that.
Of course, the dynamic and relationship may change after a loss. A sponsor may also pursue a player legally, but this usually happens only in cases where a player does not turn up or is in visibly bad way – such as have been drinking or did not sleep enough so his performance is beyond doubt impacted by poor decisions made in the period running up to the tournament.
Should You Count on Becoming a Sponsored Player?
Not really. The fact of the matter is that the majority of players will play with their own money. It’s just more convenient and viable this way.
Of course, sometimes players can demonstrate exceptional skill and intuitiveness but still struggle to secure all the money they need to travel to the United States, pay for accommodation and pay the upfront fee to join the World Series of Poker, for example.
It’s not very likely that you will find a person who wants to invest in you truly, but in case you do, you need to consider your sponsors expectations and make sure that you meet eye-to-eye.
