Greetings Everyone,

I'm a sponsored poker player with ClubWPT.

I finished 1st place out of 1600+ entrants on a ClubWPT online event to win a free buy-in a travel to the 2018 WPT500 event at the Aria in Las Vegas,

ClubWPT featured me in the tournament (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwgkAgwVwtA).

See proof of my sponsorship with ClubWPT, (https://www.worldpokertour.com/playe...-allen-benton/).

At this time, I am looking to participate in mid-tier priced tournaments only (approximately $1000-$3500 buy-ins).

At the 2018 WPT500 in Las Vegas, I won about 33% of poker pro Mike Dentale's chip stack via a huge bluff on the river.

Besides this event, I have yet to play in any "major circuit" events, or any events that has a buy-in over $300.

The most recent tournament I played in was July 8th, 2019. $100 buy-in at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. 108 entrants. I was not felted. With 5 people left, we chopped the prize pool equally ($1600 cash ; $1500 net profit).

I want some feedback as to what everyone thinks about whether I should seek staking, or not.

My bankroll is in the very low five-figures. I grind live $1/$2 cash games, but I have had a lot more success in tourneys vs. cash games.

Should I wait another year, and just continue to build-up my bankroll, and play in the mid-tier tourneys, or seek staking, anywhere from 50% to 75% with no markup?

Thoughts and comments are encouraged, and greatly appreciated. Thank you.

If you can back up your offer with actual return metrics on a valid sample and not just bragging about running huge bluffs then selling shares is definitely the way to go.

Building up a decent roll in live games can take for an eternity (if even...) , but if you decide that's your best bet sticking to those low-3fig small fields for a year like the one you have played at MGM has the best success/variance tradeoff for sure.

You could certainly try to seek staking, but it's a pipe dream for people to put you in $1ks+ with the results you've posted about here. You won a club wpt tournament, bluffed a guy one hand, and have only played 1 mtt >$300 lifetime??? And you want staking for $1-$3ks? Is this a level?

Nice troll lol

No offense but I wouldn't consider staking you based on this post, you sound like a beginner, not even sure you're a winning player yet

you bluffed a guy once? so has everyone.

get a couple of hookers, blow your load and then make a decision after.

I'm interested in starting up a relationship, got a spot open in the stable. Rently kicked Mike Dentale from our agreement, he got bluffed bad in a tournament

Was he deep in makeup? Did you parted on good terms?

Why do you want to be staked for "mid-tier priced" events when you haven't played anything near this buyin level?

Can you elaborate further on your poker resume that makes you qualified to play in such priced events?

More qualifications like this one you mentioned would be greatly appreciated:

Yeah that's the thing, I have not played in enough tournaments yet to be able to have like an Excel doc breaking down my overall performance so far.

I was not trying to brag or anything discussing the bluff, it's just I am trying to convey so far the success I have had in my very limited tournament play.

What would you say is a fair amount of "valid sample" that I need to acquire before a potential staker would take me serious? That's part of what i'm confused about, I don't know the "minimum requirements" that a player needs to accomplish before investors on the more riskier side might consider buying a piece of my action.

Where do you live? You should play as many tournaments in your area for the next year, try to build up your br and get experience then move up. Even with selling action, traveling for tournaments gets expensive.

My dilemma is I currently do not live in Las Vegas. I live in OH, and there is only one casino near me. The daily tourneys there are sub $100, except for once a month.

I have tried to find a job in Las Vegas while still in Ohio for the past four months, and have had no luck. It seems that I will have to physically be out there to then find a job.

I for sure do not have enough bankroll to leave my job, and just fly out to Vegas on a limb. Hence why I am trying to learn more about if I would have a shot at getting staked by someone who likes to take bigger risks for bigger payoffs.

So far, I have not played a ton of tourneys, but I have shown that I am for sure better than a lot of players out there. ClubWPT or anyone else for that matter does not bestow a sponsorship upon you that you can represent their company wearing their patch anytime you play poker for the remainder of your life if you are just another Joe Smoo skill wise.

The reason I want to go up higher in the buy-ins is so that I can have a better chance to make an impact. Cashing $1500 was nice off the $100 buy-in in the most recent tourney, but that not life changing money. I prefer to play in tournaments that if I make the final table, it's going to be a five or six figure payday.

Offering 75% of my action in exchange for the buy-in, I would think that their are at least a handful of people out their who would potentially give a shot. Staking $1000 for the chance to get 75% of a six figure finish would be a great payout for them, and no extremely established players are offering any piece of them near this high.

Definitely not trolling. I'm not a newbie when it comes to playing poker, but I am a newbie when it comes to the idea of potentially being staked for poker.

No offense taken. No, I am not a newbie when it comes to playing poker. Yes, I am a newbie when it comes to this whole concept of being staked.

How many newbies in poker have a sponsorship with a worldwide known poker brand, and can wear their patch at the table and represent them for the rest of their life?

I was just saying that to go along also with the fact that I have the sponsorship as well. I know that bluffing a poker player once in a tournament does not all of a sudden make you stake-worthy.

The biggest thing though is that I am a sponsored player with ClubWPT. That is a global poker brand that I can represent their patch at the tables for the remainder of my life.

Ok I did it, and I still want to be staked

I'm pretty sure this is just a super trolly reply this guy left me.

I prefer to do mid-stakes because i'm currently not in a feasible geographic area to grind-out low 3-fig tourneys daily.

Currently live in Ohio. There is only one casino near me (Jack's Casino). They only have 1-2 tourneys daily, buy-in is around $60. Very small fields. No way am I going to be able to build up a roll soon enough to be able to eventually move to Vegas.

I want to focus on mid-stakes so that I can go after the five-figure and six-figure finishes. This would be the best for my current situation having a job in Ohio. Those type of prize pools can be life changing sums to wear I would be able to possibly even quit my job, and play on the poker tours across the country year-round.

Figured that with the few notable accomplishments I have had, there might be someone out there that would be interested in investing a few thousands, and get back a 75% return on a placement. More risk, but super high reward.

See that's part of the problem.

I live in Cincinnati, OH, and there is only one casino near me (Jack's Casino).

They only have 1-2 tourneys per day ($60 buy-ins). Super small fields. First place doesn't even pay $1000 most of the time.

I do not know much about staking, but I wanted to know more about it because I would much rather travel and play in a $1k+ tournament 1-2 per month, than try to grind out these tiny tournaments daily, while still working a full-time job.

If I have to, around this time 2020, I may just have to take a risk and move to Las Vegas without a job in hand. I should be able to have enough cash saved up by then to be able to stay in a AirBnB, play poker, while looking for a job. Of course, if I get the chance to play a few $1k+ tournaments with the right opportunity, that could change everything, and I might be able to play poker for 100% of my income.

1. The way you talk about poker makes it seem like you are still a beginner
2. You should obviously not quit your job to play poker if you have never even played above a $300 buyin before.
3. You don't seem to have taken in the expenses of the lifestyle you want.

No offense bud, but I strongly agree with other players here. It's easy to feel like you're unbeatable or ready for high stakes or able to support yourself when you have some good run, but definitely tread carefully here.

I think these two statements make it relatively clear you might be in this situation.

If I were you I'd try to get a lot more experience and do some more studying before even considering going pro.

That said, I mean, if someone offers to buy your action in $1k + tourneys, definitely sell.

How do you become a sponsored WPT Club player?

What do you get for that?

To get sponsored by ClubWPT, you have to win one of the featured monthly tournaments. The featured monthly tournaments are the ones that will let you play in an upcoming live WPT tour event. You literally have to come in 1st place, and 2nd place literally just pays a bunch of "points" that you can only use on the website to buy-in to future events.

This is the only way you can be sponsored by them.

They sent me a swag bag with a bunch of ClubWPT merch (bookbag, hat, hoodie, etc.) Of course the most prized possession is the fact that I can wear their patch in any live event for the remainder of my life. In case you are curious, no, they do not pay me or stake me for representing their brand. But still, how many poker players ever get a sponsorship with anyone? I see it as a huge accomplishment nonetheless.

If you have a job and a low 5-figure bankroll, you can afford to play torunaments in the 3-500 buyin range. Between all the lower tier tournament series (hpt, mspt, wsopc etc) there are plenty of those around the midwest.

Nobody serious about investing in tournament players is going to buy your action with your current resume. You can change that by proving you're capable of making some runs and then sell action to the higher levels. Good luck out there!

Ps. Lol at wearing that patch for the rest your life