Backing in Online Poker: Complete Guide

Backing is a pivotal part of the poker industry, potentially helping players reach their poker dreams faster. Still, backing has a lot of pitfalls you need to know about before diving in — so we compiled all of them in this article. Let’s break it down!

What Is Backing in Online Poker?

It’s always good to begin with the basics. So, let’s start with the definitions. Backing is a poker deal in which a person provides a player with a bankroll in exchange for a share of their profit. It can be used as a passive way, to make some real money without even playing.

In general, backing doesn’t have any universal rules, except those included in the description of the term. All other terms and conditions depend on individual agreements between the backer and the backed player or platform they operate on for the deal.

The term backing also includes staking. This is an arrangement where people don’t necessarily give a player a whole or partial bankroll but buy shares of the buy-in (action) in exchange for a percentage from the overall winnings. In this process the player firstly pays for his entries in the tournament(s) and then returns some of his spending by selling. 

So, despite these terms being used as synonyms, backing and stacking are two distinct actions.

Where Can I Find Backing for Online Poker?

In 2024, the poker community has a plenty of ways to find backing or staking — the most popular are:

1. Backing foundations and poker schools – the first provide players with money on specific terms, while the second provide bankroll, coaching, studying materials, and tools to ensure profit from.
2. Special poker forums and Discord servers – they work as public markets solely with verbal agreements without regulations and contracts.
3. PokerStake website – this is a semi-automated platform for selling action where part of the terms and conditions is set by the platform itself.
4. Built-in staking platforms of Winning Poker Network and GGNetwork – they can both be used only for selling and buying shares in their automated ecosystem. So, you can’t arrange staking to play in other poker rooms.

You can also find a private backer through social media, friends, coaches or other poker players. This way is the most flexible in terms of conditions but it holds high risks for both parties involved.

Evolution of Backing in Online Poker

First deals between backers and online poker players were in the form of verbal agreements via voice dialogue, texting on poker forums or in chats such as PokerStrategy, TwoPlusTwo, Gipsyteam, Pokeroff, and PocketFives. While this sounds good at first, it’s not all easy pickings. People didn’t have automated systems for accounting and distributing shares.

On another note, scammers were also everywhere and could not be held accountable because of regulatory issues. Backers also couldn’t quickly track and receive players’ results. Obviously, a specialized online platform for these types of deals was more than necessary.

PokerShares

In 2017, professional poker player Mike McDonald launched a platform named PokerShares to provide the poker community with more convenient method for backing and staking.

The platform quickly became popular, boasting high demand. Unfortunately, the platform was active for only five years. On March 31st, 2022 the website was closed because the team «found regulatory limitations have limited their ability to continue growing their business effectively».

Next week will be 5 years since we've launched and unfortunately we've decided the time is right to conclude this journey. 1/5

— PokerShares (@pokershares) December 29, 2021

PokerStake (former PocketFives)

PokerShares’ torch was picked up by PocketFives in December 2022, which rebranded to PokerStake and expanded functionality for staking on their platform. At first glimpse, the website seemed focused on staking in live poker tournaments, but from the first day they also had the option for stacking for online poker as well.

At the same time, poker rooms tried to find a way of expanding their software’s functionality to integrate backing or staking. For a long time it seemed almost impossible due to technical issues. However, two poker networks finally overcame these obstacles.

GGPoker Staking

The pioneer here was the GGNetwork. In 2019, all its skins integrated and launched a fully automated «Staking Platform» with simple functionality but strict rules for buying and selling shares in MTTs. Over time it became more polished to become even more user friendly and convenient.

Interestingly, on April 26th, 2024, the GGNetwork launched a special functionality «Designate Backers» that, in theory at least, would help players register backing deals made outside of GG skins.

Unfortunately, this functionality was turned off three days after its launch due to an issue that inadvertently prevented late registration. Its return is planned for the end of May 2024 without a specific date.

ACR Poker Staking

The next poker giant who integrated staking was the Winning Poker Network. On October 7th, 2021 it added a couple of simple tools for staking to their poker rooms and automated distribution of shares after a tournament ended.

Staking was integrated into the poker tournament lobby and wasn’t smooth enough, so on July 5th, 2023 — during the largest update in 20 years of WPN — the functionality was upgraded, expanded and moved to its own tab.

Fundamental Problems of Backing in Poker Client

Even if staking and backing seems convenient and easy enough from an outside, it can be dificulte to implement. There are two reasons for that.

First, staking is very hard to make available cross-room between different networks. If you are playing in any other room without its own staking platform, you need to use another way to conduct staking. For example, PokerStars and GGPoker work on different software, have their own servers and are careful about availability of their inside information. It’s hard to imagine that they would willingly open up to each other for players’ sake — even if it comes just to backing and staking.

Secondly, the majority of poker platforms don’t have technical abilities to provide precise functionality for backing. Due to the highly nuanced nature of every backing deal, poker rooms just can’t make and integrate such flexible systems into already established — and in some cases even outdated — software. For example, when GGNetwork tried to do so — and only for registering deals that are already made! — it led to a software malfunction that ended in shutting down the feature.

But we don’t need to lose hope to have a nice and smooth built-in backing and staking platform inside poker rooms in the future. For example, there is always a chance to have it soon with development of AI technologies and their integration into the poker industry.