A game of skill, or a game of luck? How about a bit of both? Poker has transitioned into a game that more people are playing because of the talents required to become a successful player. However, there is still a luck factor based on any sort of gambling.

Many players will look to reduce the amount of variance in the game and one of those ways is by selling action. With the number of tournaments being played on the regular, staking has become the norm in the poker community. Players will swap action with some opponents or sell some of their buy-ins to those who are looking for an investment. It can be a profitable investment if you put your eggs in the right basket. Finding the right player to invest in, now is that a game of skill, or a game of luck?

'When I first started on PokerShares, I was just punting; picking random players for one percent and not really sweating the results.'

When Mike McDonald came up with the idea of an online staking site called PokerShares, it was geared directly towards the game of poker, it was his way of allowing the avid poker fan at home to get in the game.

1. Bank of Timex and PokerShares. Mike McDonald was already enjoying success as a high school age poker player, but in his decade-plus career he’s continued to evolve as a player and as an investor in other poker players. In 2013, McDonald founded the short-lived Bank of Timex, a business which acted as a sort of stock market exchange for poker.
2. A string of shaky results in warm-up matches hasn’t hurt Doug Polk’s odds against Daniel Negreanu in the eyes of PokerShares. The poker betting platform shifted the odds even more in favor of Polk over the weekend. Bettors can now take the favored Polk at 1.18/-555 payout odds, or choose Negreanu at 5.20/+420 underdog odds.
3. The latest tweets from @pokershares.

Maureen McCarthy, a PokerShares member, was out to prove that it takes some effort to be a profitable shareholder in poker players. But why poker staking, some people may wonder about McCarthy's post-employment decision. Well, after she was introduced to Daily Fantasy Sports on Jason Sommerville's Twitch channel, she opted to translate that sort of gambling into a hobby she loved; poker. McCarthy, who goes by 'MoMac630' online, has made herself known to fellow players in the southern Ontario poker community with a constant smile on her face.

The latest tweets from @pokershares.

'Most of the people on twitch chat call me 'dude'. I'm a woman, 57 years old and I retired this year. I sold my house in Hamilton, ON, Canada in June, gave away all my belongings, and put what I could fit in my truck, loaded up the dog and moved to New Brunswick. I bought a lovely little house on a river and life is pretty darn good.'

As a retired Canadian, McCarthy has found a love for this incredibly skilled game, but in her own sort of way.

McCarthy was one of the very first to make a PokerShares account, stemming from her roots with McDonald. She grew up just a short distance away from him and became a fan when he first burst onto the poker scene.

The love for poker had its origin well before that. Like many others, McCarthy was introduced to the No-Limit Hold'em game when Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event.

'I told him that my best reference for the ranking of poker hands was Yahtzee.'

Pokershares Usa

'I got into poker the same way a lot of people did; Chris Moneymaker, 2003. I didn't start playing myself until 2009. I had some mediocre success but I really wasn't that good. It was a lot of fun and I still love poker.

'My biggest thrill was that I played and cashed in the 2013 WSOP Seniors Tournament. I met Moneymaker that year and I told him that my best reference for the ranking of poker hands was Yahtzee. He looked horrified. I still play a bit but it's usually with a glass of wine.'

When McCarthy heard about PokerShares, her first thought was that this would be a great way to enjoy the game she had come to love, without having to decipher all the poker strategies. 'For a lot of years, I've been watching, reading, and following poker media and poker players. I love to celebrate the big wins and I love the back stories on a lot of the players. It was just an interest that I had for a lot of years.'

Just like the game on the felt, McCarthy quickly realized that her new passion would require some time and effort. It wasn't all glitter and glamour when she first started out, and she was the first to admit it. 'To be honest, when I first started on PokerShares, I was just punting; picking random players for one percent and not really sweating the results. Recently, retirement got boring and I still had to earn money, so I decided to get serious with a plan on PokerShares.'

'I've bought pieces of friends in tournaments for the sweat in the past. There's always a little weirdness when they don't win.

With a bit of a studying and research, it wouldn't be long before McCarthy started to see her results change. 'I had a decent sized bankroll at the start of the PokerStars Turbo Series and thought, let's see what I can do with this. My goal was to cash out $10,000 and have my first five-figure score. Like every good poker player, I record my bets and review my play, and I'm starting to see patterns and refine my play.'

The first boost to McCarthy's bankroll came not long after Twitch sensation Lex Veldhuis teamed up with PokerShares to allow his viewers to buy a stake in his online tournaments. McCarthy bought ten percent of Veldhuis' action in the $530 Bounty Builder and was able to sweat the tournament via his Twitch stream. Veldhuis became one of the chip leaders deep in the tournament and McCarthy was left on the edge of her seat in front of her computer as she looked on. The retired Canadian would go on to earn over €1,200; her biggest cash at the time.

Polk Vs Negreanu Challenge

That number didn't stand up for long as McCarthy continued to reap the rewards of finding profitable stakes in players. She went on to pocket wins in excess of €30,000 in just the last couple of months, with her largest score of €14,000 coming just a couple of days ago. When asked about her largest score to date, McCarthy was clearly ecstatic about her recent success. 'It's not just my biggest PokerShares cash, it's my biggest cash ever, including poker and DFS!'

Wow. @pokershares did I just win 4K on a 31 Euro bet? I think I did. That will buy gramma more shoes than she can handle! #ShoesforGramma

— Maureen McCarthy (@MoMac630)

McCarthy is starting to prove that with a little bit of hard work and research, there is money to be made in the poker staking business. And doing it online from the comfort of her own home, is even better, she admits. 'I've bought pieces of friends in tournaments for the sweat in the past. There's always a little weirdness when they don't win. It can be a tad uncomfortable and I found myself reassuring them that I'm OK with it. Buying on PokerShares removes all of that.'

For those that are looking to get involved in the game of poker, this could be the stepping stone to something great. Some of the greats including Daniel Negreanu and Lex Veldhuis have said that the best way to learn the game, is to watch the best. Twitch has become a great platform for the highly-skilled players to demonstrate their talents to a much broader audience. And what a better way to learn than to have a little sweat while doing so.

One more benefit to earning money through online staking, stated McCarthy, 'When you play on PokerShares, you can go to the bathroom whenever you want.'

^{This article has been written in cooperation with PokerShares.}

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  Maureen McCarthyPokerSharesLex VeldhuisJason SommervilleChris Moneymaker

• Related Players

  Chris MoneymakerLex Veldhuis

The coronavirus outbreak shut down casinos in Macau in early February and now some poker players believe that the emerging pandemic is at risk of shutting down the 51st annual World Series of Poker this summer in Las Vegas.

As the number of cases worldwide escalates to, at the time of writing, more than 83,000 and spreads outside of mainland China into other regions of the world, there are some high-profile poker pros who are willing to take bets that the event will be canceled.

Wednesday evening, former high-stakes poker pro and three-time WSOP bracelet winner Doug Polk quote tweeted someone claiming that there needed to be a discussion about the viability of the event amid the outbreak. Polk said there “is a real chance of WSOP being canceled.”

I think there is a real chance of WSOP being cancelled. There are just so many countries that fly in and with severe travel restrictions it might not be realistic. https://t.co/IkgVNFNrdI

— Doug Polk (@DougPolkPoker) February 27, 2020

True to his gambling form, Polk wanted to put his money where his mouth was and said that he would be taking bets from other people who believed that the event would go on as planned. He would take all action as long as he was being laid 20:1 on his bet.

Looking for more action, I want 20:1 that all Live Las Vegas WSOP events will be canceled this year.

— Doug Polk (@DougPolkPoker) February 27, 2020

At the time of Polk’s tweets, those in charge of the WSOP had no intention of canceling the event but said they were continuing to monitor the outbreak and could make changes if necessary.

“We’ve been monitoring the situation and will continue to lean on the experts in this field for guidance,” said Seth Palansky, Vice President of Corporate Communication for the WSOP. “At this time, all our events and schedules remain intact and are planned to go on without interruption. We would be prepared to expand measures to ensure the safety of our guests and employees, again leaning on the experts.”

We are monitoring COVID-19 developments and have no plans to cancel WSOP.

— WSOP (@WSOP) February 28, 2020

Polk wasn’t the only pro that wanted to take bets, however. Shortly after, high roller and PokerShares founder Mike McDonald tweeted that he would take slightly worse odds than Polk on the wager, provided his opposition is willing to risk at least $40,000.

I'll take 16:1 (2.5k vs 40k min)https://t.co/8DGWp7UnkJ

— Mike McDonald (@MikeMcDonald89) February 27, 2020

Dan O’Brien decided that if the price was good enough for McDonald, he would take action at 16:1 as well. Later in the day, McDonald dropped the price to 12:1, at which point O’Brien did the same.

I'll take 16:1 (2.5k vs 40k min)https://t.co/8DGWp7UnkJ

— Mike McDonald (@MikeMcDonald89) February 27, 2020

Not everybody was as pessimistic as those three, however, and at least a few notable pros took McDonald up on his offer. 12-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Josh Reichard tweeted at McDonald to work out the details of a prospective bet through a private message. His tweet alluded to the possibility of two-time WSOP bracelet winner David “ODB” Baker betting against McDonald as well.

I am interested in the same amount ODB booked if you are accepting more action. DM to work out the details

— Josh Reichard (@JReichard45) February 27, 2020