Antonio Esfandiari Takes on Staking Ambassador Role

(Photo: Alchetron.com)

If you love the idea of having a part of the world’s biggest pros as they play for millions, then news that Antonio ‘the Magician’ Esfandiari has taken on a new role as ambassador for StakeKings will be music to your ears.

With over $27million to his name in tournament earnings so far, Esfandiari’s decision to post his staking packages exclusively on the market giant’s site will no doubt tempt those with a few thousand to spare.

Almost half a million dollars have been paid out to stakers so far on the site, with over $4million in earnings from their biggest names since launching last year.

Esfandiari said of his new role:

"I really like and trust the team at StakeKings, but for me, this all about the fans," adding, "If I'm playing in a big poker event and I know that fans are backing me, it's extra incentive for me to grind my way to a win for them."

"With multiple bracelets and World Poker Tour titles, we couldn't be more excited to welcome Antonio to our community," enthused StakeKings CEO Eric Edwards of the new partnership.

"Antonio is fun, engaging, and most of all, successful. He'll make a good sweat, and his staking packages are sure to be in high demand."

Staking is commonplace in poker nowadays, and you don’t have to be a world-leading pro like Esfandiari to get involved.

PokerVIP, our own strategy site, also offers an excellent marketplace deal for both staking and being staked – their partnership with Prostaker adding in a lot of extras to help the player hit his targets, thus increasing the return for the staker too.

Prostaker is a company that stakes and educates poker players. In the business since 2007 it has had countless players who have gone through their program and reached the highest level of success, both in cash game and in tournament poker.

Prostaker's philosophy is to provide the whole package that players need to succeed in poker and become a true professional. Help with bankroll management, mental coaching and game specific coaching are all included in the deals, Prostaker paying for all the coaching, programs and training sites you'll need.

As a staked player you will receive 5h of personal coaching each month and be part of a team with like-minded players who work towards the same goals as you.

Unlike the bigger staking sites such as Esfandiari’s new partners, Prostaker stakes players in the small to mid-stakes cash games - from 0.10/0.20 - 5/10 – and focuses on Pot Limit Omaha and No Limit Texas Holdem, both 6-max and heads up.

The deal starts with a 50/50 split of the winnings where the player gets 30% rakeback on top of that. The deal gets better in favor of the player the longer the stake goes on and all players get a bankroll of 20 buy-ins at the staked level.

The 30% rakeback deal depends on the number of hands played which can vary depending on the player's situation, but is generally between 25,000-50,000 hands per month.

If you are new to the staking game, a few useful bits of terminology will come in handy:

• Action – also known as equity. Selling “action” means you are selling a certain % of yourself. When a backer buys 10% of your action, you pay them 10% of your winnings.
• BAP – Buy a Piece, which allows backers to buy a small(er) % of a players action. Some players will sell, for example, 50% of their action.
• Horse – a very common term in poker, a horse is simply a player looking for backing.
• Juice – this is the tournament fee, usually 10% of the buy-in.
• Make up (Cake) – The amount that the staker will receive in repaid tournament buy-ins – before he then receives his % of winnings.
• Premium – an extra % which is designed to cover a players costs other than buy-in.
• ROI – Return on Investment. The amount a player will make on average per tournament, usually the average profit as a percentage of the buy in (after juice is deducted).