Getting a Poker Sponsorship - Is This For You?

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Getting a Poker Sponsorship - Is This For You?

Poker Sponsorships have many benefits to a poker player. The ultimate win for some poker players is gaining sponsorships of any type, shape or form. There are also many people who avoid gaining poker sponsorship at all costs and that’s because there are good reasons for them to do so.

I am betting that minimum 90% of people who read this blog are all for getting a poker sponsorship. That’s no doubt why you have come to read it. Some sponsorships offer more than others. Poker sponsorship contracts do vary! There is the obvious full sponsorship being for online and offline play. There is also live play sponsorship and then online as two separate types. A full sponsorship is likely to include a contract with deals along the following lines:

- Live Tournament Entries Paid

- Online Poker Play Funding

- Clothing Provided

- Travel and Associated Expenses Paid

- Bonuses for Huge Media Attention (summarised in short)

- Personal Page Website Dedication

However; there is always a catch and the catch isn’t avoided with sponsorship deals. It sounds absolutely fabulous right? Play online whenever you want, travel the world, dressed like king and bonuses when you gain nice media attention and a nice little spot on the sponsors site. Financial difficulties are now G.O.N.E. Again there is a catch though.

By taking on the role of a fully sponsored professional poker player there are things you have to provide in return and it isn’t just playing poker. These things make players in the know avoid such deals. Yes, you have your tourneys paid for but what % do you get when you win $2,000.000.00? I can tell you it isn’t the whole 2 mil; it isn’t nearly the whole 2 mil actually. The same applies when you are online funded time to pay up!

In addition to loss of winnings you lose the ability to relax. You are expected to blog, sign, and market – basically work an office job. Your emails, meetings and phone calls will be endless. Your working day is going to increase to around 16 hours. After 6 months you are going to be very tired! Even keeping control of things like facebook accounts, twitter etc can become very mundane.

You are expected to not just play at tournaments but also do whatever interviews, meetings and signings you are requested from your marketing boss. In fact; you may have a family members wedding to attend – too bad! You also have a tournament and a multitude of jobs to go with it. There is no up and bolt, it’s in your contract! These things must be abided to; and I can understand why too! The sponsoring company is paying you a lot of money.

Bookwork and taxes are likely to become a hassle for you also; there’s no doubt about that. Just remember you need receipts! Some are lucky – the best of the best professional sponsored players do get assistants. Is this really lucky though? They get assistants as they are so damn busy they need them!

Do you have an idea now why some people avoid sponsorships at all costs? Do not get me wrong; every company obviously has different contracts. Every sponsorship deal is going to be different. Mark my words though, have a look around – go see what some of the biggest pros in the world have done in the last few months and don’t forget the things you can’t see. Google search their name and you will find their blogs, and what they have had to do in order to complete their jobs: It shouldn’t be too hard to track the life of a pro for a week by google searching – unless they are on a working holiday.

Being a sponsored pro is a job and everyone needs to remember this! I get asked every day, can you hook me up with some sponsors? Who do I see for sponsorships? My suggestion is that unless you want a somewhat controlled life – go get backed instead! Also research how to gain a poker poker sponsorship. An article can be found by clicking here: How to Gain Sponsorship

On the complete opposite hand - poker sponsorships can be a brilliant thing for many players and completely suit their lifestyle. If it wasn't the case, there wouldn't be any. Do your research though before signing the deal!