To be 100% honest, I think I am talking about 90% of poker affiliates here, and myself also included. If you want to reply saying I am a good Poker Player as well as a Poker Affiliate, your in the 10%. That should save any arguments.
Now that the excuse statement has been made, I can get to the point. As probably most poker affiliates, I like to play poker. Although like playing poker and being good at poker are two different things. The reason I actually got into Poker Affiliating was because I went bust playing poker, and was looking for some fast cash to get back in the game. That was my first mistake, their was no fast cash. However, it did get me hooked on Poker Affiliating.
So now I try my hardest to keep cash off poker sites. Which is strange because my initial plan was to make money to put on poker sites. The reason is because I am shit at poker. I used to think I was great, but really unlucky. But a man can only be unlucky for so long before he realizes luck has nothing to do with it.
So if, like me, you are affiliating because you can’t make the money playing poker, don’t think you can now. I made that mistake when I got a big payday on PokerStars. It cost me over $900 in one session. Wasn’t the brightest of ideas.
So here is my advice. At all cost try and keep money off poker sites. Some times its impossible due to a large amount of poker sites paying into you online poker account. But in some circumstances it is. For me I now only try and take cash from links sales or work that I have done over PayPal, unless its small like $50. But if someone pays me $50 I would be better just getting them to credit PokerStars and say me an hour.
The big problem is that I am probably a winning player. But at maybe 10c/20c stakes. However, If you get $1500 into you Stars account its hard to play at the 10c/20c tables. For me it is. To be honest I can’t remember the last time I was below $1/$2. Which obviously I’m not a winning player at. So any funds I don’t instantly cash out, are as good as spent.
I think this is a problem for most affiliates, apart form the 10% who would argue they are good poker players, just unlucky. You probably are just unlucky. However, to the poker affiliates who think because PokerStars paid them and now have a bankroll to play at much higher stakes, this doesn’t over night mean you are good. Cash out and start playing the 10c/20c games.
Poker Affiliates are usually Poker Affiliates for a reason. Because they are shit at Poker.
If you are one of the 10% of Poker Affiliates who are great at poker, please leave your name, so I can say sorry for suggestion you weren’t. For the rest good luck, and cash out.
Hi, I'm Gerry. I build Poker Websites. I live in N.Ireland, and I might just be the worst Poker Affiliate to ever have a affiliate blog.
Haha, this is so true! I also receive some of my affiliates payments on Full Tilt and Stars and I must admit I have to cash out instantly because it’s too tempting.
By the way, congrats on the new blog! It’s always fun to read the adventures of a fellow affiliate.
Pheal from PAL
Well I think I am one of the winning players that chose to diversify into affiliating. I must admit that I am not very successful in affiliating yet – I earn by far more by playing poker than with my affiliate links.
I am sure that you wrote a few articles about bankroll management. Well I think if you stick to it and if you separate your poker bankroll from your affiliating bankroll, you should not have a problem. Besides this, I advocate to play only at one poker room at once. This has several advantages, e.g. you are used better to the software (multitabling) and you have more acutal player notes/stats.
The problem that I have is always the question: should I play poker (short term profit, at least in the majority of the sessions) or should I work on my sites (potential long term profit)? And that’s a difficult trade-off decision; for the last weeks I voted for option 2.
All you losing poker affiliates need to setup a private cash game and let me play.
K thx
Nice article!
I think the main reason i am trying to get into affiliating is kinda weird and unique, atleast different from everyone else.
Ive made a good living from playing but i find it very stressful and i want a stress free life. Id even take a pay cut for it. Hopefully, i can make things work and become a recreational player! That would be nice!
It’s very true and a decent post, I have to agree and it’s not just us affiliates who are delusional. Most players are pathetic and blame luck, that’s why poker is the most perfect game for any GAMBLER. Lose and you were unlucky, Win and it’s all about the skill baby!
P. s please sort out your spelling and grammar! Sorry to be a pain but It’s hard to read.
You guys are all smart enough to become winning players at poker, but the opportunity cost is so high. Sure, you might work your ass off and learn how to take home $10K a month but I can guarantee you that you will see tons more stress and will probably not earn as much in the long run.
Playing poker is like selling cars: you start over from scratch every month and hope you can pull it off just one more time. After a while it’s not so bad, but it is definitely a stressful life. Add to that uncertain government regulation, tighter games and disappearing deposit options and you get a high stress career.
Poker affiliating is all about passive income, which I love. I don’t mind working my ass off for peanuts as long as I can reap the rewards later on down the line. It’s nice to set up a site, forget about it and then come back every once in a while and find an extra grand just waiting for you. Even though you worked for it, it feels like free money. The cool thing is that once you grind out all that content, it just keeps paying for itself over and over and over again. I can think of one mini site that has earned about $5k this year. That alone is equivalent to getting paid about $250 an article plus all future earnings.
That’s why I am an affiliate now.