Poker staking is one of the most useful tools available on ACR Poker, whether you’re looking to reduce risk in tournaments or get involved without playing yourself.
It allows players to buy and sell pieces of tournament entries, creating opportunities on both sides of the table.
What Poker Staking Is
Poker staking allows you to purchase a percentage of another player’s entry in a Multi-Table Tournament (MTT), or sell a portion of your own.
For buyers, it’s a way to get involved in tournaments without playing. For players, it helps reduce variance and upfront cost, especially in higher buy-in events.
Instead of putting up 100% of the buy-in, you can sell a portion—up to 90%—and still retain a share of any winnings.
How to Stake a Player
Getting involved as a backer is straightforward.
Inside the ACR Poker client, you can open the Staking section and browse tournaments that have action available. From there, you’ll see a list of players offering pieces of their buy-in, along with how much they’re selling and what’s still available.
You can choose how much of a percentage you want to buy, and the system will automatically calculate the cost. Once you confirm the purchase, your share is locked in.
How to Sell Your Action
If you’re playing a tournament and want to reduce your exposure, you can sell action directly from the tournament lobby.
You choose what percentage of your buy-in to sell and how many entries you plan to make. You can also apply a markup, which increases the price of your action if you believe there’s demand based on your skill level or results.
Once listed, other players can buy pieces of your entry until it’s fully sold or the tournament begins.
Why Players Use Staking
For players, staking is mainly about managing risk. Selling a portion of your action lowers the cost of entry and reduces variance, which can be especially important in large-field tournaments.
For backers, it’s an opportunity to invest in players they believe have an edge, without needing to play themselves.
It also adds another layer to the tournament experience, giving players a reason to follow results beyond their own entries.
Where It Fits Right Now
With major events like the Dual Mystery Bounty Venoms running—featuring an $8 million GTD NLH event and a $2 million GTD PLO event with a $2,650 buy-in—staking becomes an especially practical option.
It gives players a way to take a shot at these bigger tournaments without covering the full entry, while also allowing backers to get involved in high-value events with significant upside.