Some common roads to poker sponsorship deals include: taking part in promotions offered at online poker rooms; taking advantage of built-in VIP programs offered at online poker rooms; competing in televised reality shows; winning a high-profile live poker tournament; joining an online rewards program; or finding backers who invest in talented poker players.

Online Promotions

A number of online poker rooms run annual sponsorship promotions to find players to represent their brand at live poker tournaments.  These promotions offer long term sponsorship contracts of a set value, often $100,000, which includes an annual salary and buy-ins to multiple live tournaments.

Participants usually qualify for the promotion through a combination of game play at the poker room and online social media competitions.  Winning participants are asked to promote the site at live tournaments, display company logos and regularly contribute to the poker room’s marketing campaigns.

VIP Programs

Nearly all online poker rooms offer VIP points to players based on their game play.  Most rooms also have a store for spending points and some include buy-ins to live events as store items.

In addition, some VIP Programs award their highest raking players buy-ins to major live tournaments and invitations to join their live event teams.  A number of online rooms allow players to focus solely on earning live tournament entries in exchange for giving up all other forms of bonuses.  In all of these cases, players are asked to display company logos at the live tournaments.

Televised Reality Shows

 With the boom in popularity of both poker and reality shows over the past decade, it was only a matter of time before they were brought together.  These televised poker competitions test the various skills needed to become a successful poker player and eliminate players that fail to display the required skills.

To qualify for these programs, participants answer a casting call and submit a questionnaire outlining why they would be a suitable candidate for the program.  Some are then interviewed by the show’s producers and a select few are invited to participate.  The grand prize is usually a $100,000 poker sponsorship contract with the poker room sponsoring the show’s production.

Winning a High Profile Live Tournament

This is the fastest way to sponsorship, but also the most difficult.  Win the WSOP Main Event or a televised WPT or EPT event and display a marketable personality while onscreen.  Winning the WSOP Main Event virtually guarantees you a sponsorship deal.  Receiving a sponsorship after winning a WPT or EPT event is often contingent on how you come across on TV.

Online Rewards Programs

A number of online websites offer online rewards programs that help players play their way to live events and backed sponsorship deals.  These programs are usually free to join and allow players to prove themselves worthy of sponsorship through a combination of volume and results.

The websites provide a service similar to built-in VIP programs, but usually work with smaller poker rooms that don’t have sponsorship programs on offer in house.  To qualify, you simply need to sign up to the service and follow the listed instructions when signing up to specific online poker rooms.

Finding Backers

Many successful poker players, as well as venture capitalists and investors, are willing to back players who have shown a proven winning track record.  Backers invest in both live and online tournaments and cash games by putting up the money to play in exchange for a percentage of profits.

Players who are backed are expected to be profitable and will often be considered in debt to their backer until they win more than has been invested in them.  Backers are usually found through online websites, forums, or simply by building a network of poker players.

To increase your chances of receiving a poker sponsorship deal, it’s important to stay informed of upcoming promotions at as many online poker rooms as possible.  You can learn about both annual and new sponsorship promotions and casting calls by reading poker news reports.  You can use search engines to find online rewards programs, which can help you fast track the process to a poker sponsorship deal.  By improving your overall poker skills, you’ll make yourself more attractive to backers looking for players to sponsor.  Build your network and you’ll meet more people who regularly back poker players and give yourself a better opportunity of being in the right place at the right time.

In case you’re not familiar with the differences in the games, limit poker is a form of Texas Hold’em that only allows you to only raise a big blinds worth, to a limit of three times the big blind.  No limit poker, on the other hand, just requires you to bet a minimum of the big blind, allowing you to go ‘all-in’ whenever you wish.

What draws people into no-limit poker is the idea that it takes more guts, and a better knowledge of the game, to succeed.  This is all well and good, but you actually have to have the skills to back it up or you’ll end up losing tons of money.

If you’re wondering why no-limit is better than limit, then you should know that it’s way easier to make money in no-limit.  But this swings both ways; you can also lose money just as fast you win it.  Also, in no-limit, you bide your time in respect to your hands.  You don’t need to play in a majority of the hands. Moreover, you can actually double up on any given hand.  In limit, you’re forced to win pots to beat the blinds.  Even when you do win, you don’t win that much.  So ultimately, in limit, you’re grinding out small earnings.

Many poker gurus say it’s only really possible to earn about one big blind an hour in limit play.  No-limit doesn’t even compare; you can easily double up on any given hand.  In addition to this, you can control the pot odds in no-limit.  In a sense, you can push a player off their hand.  For example, if the flop comes one off a straight, you can go all-in to force your opponent off a draw.  It’s true some people may still call, and actually hit their draw, but the majority of players would pass up such a huge gamble.

Playing limit poker is great for new players.  It gives them a chance to get used to the game without losing their bankroll.  But ultimately, people tend to be drawn to the fast paced, explosiveness of no-limit Hold’em.  Whichever you choose, it’ll take discipline and patience to win consistently.

To avoid losing your investment in the game, try to play pretty tight when first starting out.  This will decrease variance, while also training you to become a more patient player.  Of course, you’re style will vary depending on the game type.  For example, a six-ring table will obviously make you play looser than a full ringed one. 

Say for example, you deposit $50 into your account.  You should ONLY be playing at the $2 no-limit cash tables.  That is about 25 buy-ins worth.  Try to keep your bankroll 25-30 times the level of the tables you’re playing at.  If, for example, you like to play heads up, or six-ring, you’re going to need 30-50 times the big blind.  For Sit and Go’s, you are going to want at least 50 or so buy-ins, and for multi-table tournaments, you’re going to need at least 100 or so buy-ins.

This is a rough guide on the numbers, but it really comes down to what you’re comfortable playing with.  What really matters is having a back-up plan in case you suffer from a run of bad luck. Be prepared to move down stakes if needed.  Don’t let this get you discouraged; everyone, at one point, has had to move down levels, even the pros.

By following these basic tips and guidelines, you should never bust out and have to make that dreaded ‘reload’ again.  Just remember to plan within your budget.  Keep it a hobby, and a low pressure one at that.  And who knows, you just may end up being the next Phil Ivey.

If you’re playing Texas Hold’em live, you need a different skill set then if you’re playing online.  That is, tells (physical responses) come in to play.  In brick and mortar games, try to delve into the other person’s mind.  Look them in the eye, and analyze their style.  Try to make them nervous, or even upset in some cases.  Make mental notes on what they’re doing and when they’re doing it.  Unlike online play, you need to extremely attentive to body signs.

Remember, the pros don’t play like the fish do.  Inexperienced players repeat the same mistakes again and again.  This is where you want to get your profit, not from the pros.  Professional players will constantly change up their game in accordance to the atmosphere at the table.  You can usually tell when one of these “sharks” is playing against you.

Don’t treat poker like a roulette wheel.  You’re bound to lose money this way.  Instead of wishing for a good hand, or playing out of boredom, make educated choices. Also, never drink alcohol at the table (unless you want to lose your buy-in.)  If you feel antsy, or tired, just get up and walk away.  This is especially important in cash games, considering the natural volatility of the game. 

If you truly want to be a winning player, learn how to adapt to certain situations.  Is the table being too tight?  If so, play more aggressively.  If the table is playing too loose, sit back and wait for a premium hand.  Always be prepared to lose you buy-in, but don’t give it up without a fight.  Flexibility is crucial in poker.

Professional players will never show their cards.  If they do, it’s to psyche out their opponents.  They understand poker is a game of missing information.  When they show their hand, they’re basically giving away valuable information.  The same goes for small talk at the table.  Pros won’t be very chatty unless they’re trying to take advantage of you.  Be prepared to be silent and mysterious. 

Don’t let your ego get the better of you at the table.  If you suffer a bad beat at the table, just toss it up to bad luck.  Whatever you do, don’t ‘tilt’ away your bankroll.  That is, don’t play like a maniac if you suffer a loss to an inferior player.  Instead, bide your time, and look for another opening to take advantage of their inexperience.  The pros understand this concept, that’s why they’re pros.

Remember that there is no really right or wrong way to play the game. What works well for you, may not work for someone else, and vice versa. Always try to keep your focus only on the game, and always be prepared for the unexpected.

Poker is a game of patience and aggression.  You’ll have to resign yourself to fold the majority of your hands.  Be attentive; never lose your focus, and if you do, leave the table.  You can’t afford to let your mind wander.  With time and practice, these techniques will become second nature to you.

That said, it’s a fresh take on Hold’em, and if you’re a fan of satellites (where you aim to reach top 5, for example,) then you’ll probably enjoy the tight nature of this game. On the other hand, if you’re an action junkie, don’t bother; the bare bones profitable way to play is extremely tight. You’ll be folding almost every hand you get. For the first two tiers of blinds, you’ll only want to play AA/KK down to AQ suited (even AQ is iffy.) Not being a math geek, I prefer to leave the calculations to others, but your chips are worth roughly two times more in your stack than the chips you would potentially win in these tiers.

Stealing blinds is a must. If you can’t eek out the courage to plunge all-in to blind steal in the late tiers, your stack will dwindle to nothing. Don’t let this happen, but also don’t abuse this play with stone cold bluffs, especially if you’re trying them on extremely short/large stacks. Considering everyone at the table will be trying to survive, it’ll become a tossup for blinds in the higher tiers. It actually reminds me of tournament play, where you are aiming to make the money. Late game boils down to all-in or fold.

Fear the bubble. I know a lot of pro players like to say that the bubble isn’t the time to tighten up, but double or nothing is a different beast entirely. Here there is no difference from first place and fifth—they get the same payout no matter how different their stack sizes at the cutoff. So basically, you’ll want to tighten up your game even further. Likely, once you hit the bubble (six handed, in a ten ringed double or nothing,) the blinds will be raking havoc on stack. An average double or nothing starts will around 1,500 chips, so if you don’t get lucky early on, the blinds along with your tight play will leave you around 900-1,000 chips when the blinds hit 150/300. The key here is survival. Pick your all-in steals at the most opportune times and you may be able to coast into the money.

A huge advantage of playing double or nothing online, and especially in micro/low stakes, is the amount of dead money floating around. Bad players flock to this new game type, and play it as they would a normal sit and go. Normal poker is a losing strategy in these double or nothings. But people play normal poker because they either don’t like sitting around (action junkies,) or they don’t know better. Here lies your advantage. Let the others at the table risk their stacks ignorantly—if they pick each other off, you can just sit back and glide into the money.

If all goes well, you’ll end up with a decent stack after doubling up in the later tiers. When you do, and end up with around 2,000-3,000 chips, DON’T risk betting it away. This means not calling other short stack’s all-ins. This means not raising something like AK off suite all-in under the gun. Try to hide and let the others duke it out. Let the 5,000 chip psycho deal with the short stacks. Play only hands you absolutely need to survive. With a bit of luck, you’ll be able to avoid too many coin-flips and reap your due reward.

Be prepared, even with playing perfect poker, to lose around 40% of your games over the long term. This is why many choose to multi-table grind out these games. All in all, I find these double or nothings to be a refreshing change of pace from standard poker structure. Give them a try (have you played at Full Tilt?), and remember, play tight—really tight.

The only requirement at these levels is patience and aggression.  That is, you’ll need to value bet your hands.  If you hit the flop, bet it.  If your opponent comes over the top, recognize that he has a hand, and isn’t just bluffing.  That isn’t to say people in the micros won’t bluff, I’m just saying that more often than not, these inexperienced players will play quite straightforwardly.

The idea that playing tight is right is especially true in the micros.  You’ll be surprised at the calls you’ll get sometimes when raising 4-5 times the big blind pre-flop.  This brings me to another point: bet when you hit.  Since the fish will call your huge raise with inferior hands, they sometimes hit, or partially hit, the flop.  Most of the times they’ll need a connector to finish their straight, or a suite to fill their flush.  You don’t want to give them the proper pot odds to call.  Don’t slow play, just value bet it.

Another pitfall for micro players is not making proper bets.  Over betting pre-flop is a huge gamble.  Try not to go all-in on a coin flip, especially if you’re unsure of your hand.  Also don’t overvalue top pair.  Be constantly aware of the board and try and put your opponents on a certain range of cards.  If you consistently follow these guidelines, your micro play will improve drastically.

The simplest answer is usually the best one.  This is especially true in low stakes poker.  If you hear the sound of hooves, think horses, not zebras.  That is, don’t put your opponent on a triple-psych-out bluff, or the like, if they re-raise you.  Basically, just play proper poker; raise your good hands, fold the bad ones.  Sit back and wait for premium hands, and drive them hard when they come.

Remember, your profits come from bad players.  You want them to be extremely loose, calling your pocket aces with inferior cards.  The key is to play proper poker.  Don’t slow play when you hit.  Utilize continuation bets, but don’t bluff two or three times in hopes of forcing a fold.  Bad players will rarely fold.  Keep these simple tips in mind and you’ll be moving up the stakes in no time.

You can even play for free, with the chance at winning real money. Not in cash games but in something called “freeroll tournaments”. You play in a freeroll tournament where it costs you no money to enter, and you have the chance at winning real money which you can then cash out, or start building a bankroll with by playing for real money.

We should note that these freeroll tournaments tend to have a small prize pool and a large amount of players to play against, so even if you win the tournament after many hours you may have only averaged $2 an hour. However freeroll tournaments are a great way to get started in poker, and learn a lot more about the game.

If you are looking to play in freeroll tournaments or play for play money, the best poker room for this is Full Tilt Poker who have some great freerolls, and a wide variety of games for play money players.

In cash games when you are playing and you “sit out” it is basically you saying that you aren’t at the table, but you want your seat held. You won’t pay any antes or blinds, and so you can go and have a smoke or go to the bathroom or do whatever you need to do. When you come back you can choose to sit back in, and then can either wait for the blinds to hit you or pay a double blind to play the next hand.

Of course you can’t sit out forever – usually a table will give you a certain amount of time, ie: 10 minutes or 10 hands from the time that you sat out, and then you will be removed from the table and someone else will take your spot.

Tournaments work the same way except you cannot be kicked off a table – you will still have to pay blinds or antes, but you can sit out for as long as you want.

If you are new to online poker, we highly recommend sharpening up your skills at the Full Tilt Poker School.

How that works is as follows – lets say the buy-in is $10,000. They will sit down at a table with 9 other people, and play a tournament. The entry fee is $1,000 meaning the total first prize is $10,000. The winner of the tournament will not get that $10,000 but will gain entry into the World Series Poker main event. So he only paid $1,000 to get into the $10,000 event.

You may be familiar with the term poker satellite due to Chris Moneymaker. Chris Moneymaker started off with a $40 buy-in to a poker satelliite tournament, and won entry to another poker satelitte tournament where he managed to progress through to the World Series of Poker main event, where he won the $2.5 million first prize. All that for $40.

In terms of skill, Bodog is one of the best poker rooms to play a poker satellite.

The two common types of tournaments are sit and go tournaments and multi table tournaments. Sit and go tournaments are tournaments that are created on the fly, and have a limit of how many players can play in them. Perhaps the limit is 9, or 10, or 45. Once that limit is hit, the tournament starts. Sit and go tournaments are known by the name as you sit, and then you go. It usually takes mere minutes for sit and go tournaments to be started.

Then there is multi-table tournaments, which can range from free tournaments to $1,000 buy-in and higher tournaments. These tournaments cover all games like Texas Holdem and Omaha Tournaments, and always start at a specific time. They usually have no limit to the amount of participants, and will have a break every hour for 5 minutes. Multi table tournaments can see hundreds or even thousands of players enter, so be sure to have your evening free if you are going to be playing a multi table tournament.

Without a doubt, the best website for tournaments in terms of quality, quantity and variety is Pokerstars.