18 replies
Poker is an exremely marketable area and one of the things I plan to create as part of major project is a website offering the services of staking poker players.

Taking a look at the competition's websites, I have noticed that these sites are very well made and thus obv require heavy investments for quality programming.

I intend to make the site in WordPress.

How would you go about marketing this site?

I dont know almost anything about SEO, link building and all that stuff?

Also, I was hoping if someone could point me to a solution for creating an attractive looking Facebook page in the same context.

How to drive traffic to both spots?

Thank you guys!
#poker #site #staking
  • Profile picture of the author allenjohn
    Hi - I would split down tasks into identifiable chunks and outsource on WF.

    Regards, Allen
    Signature

    Make Money with Niche Blogs Auto Profit - Let us build YOUR auto blogging empire for you. BUY BACK GUARANTEE for Gold Orders! FAQ - NEW! - One Way Link Building Service

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3874293].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    I was deeply involved in online poker during the pioneer years and I can tell you that it is a very competitive market. To make matters worse, you just lost your entire U.S. demographic. Think it through before diving in with both feet.
    Signature

    Founder of JVZoo. All around good guy :)

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3874302].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Tony Soprano Calling View Post

    Poker is an exremely marketable area
    Your timing is "interesting", T. Have you heard about what's been going on the world of online poker over the past few weeks? The entire US just disappeared on you ... :confused:
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3874306].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author spectrefax
    I agree with the above posters, I wouldn't recommend getting involved in this niche at the moment unless you have some decent experience in it along with some capital to help launch such a project.

    While the market is still thriving in places outside of the US, you will find it VERY difficult to begin getting traffic (I know from experience) as all of the top forums and blogs strictly prohibit any form of non-paid promotion without exception and trying to cleverly get around this will likely result in instant bans. Google Adwords is also not a traffic option you can use due to their advertising policies.

    So, without some extensive IM'ing experience, it's likely you'll end up with a service/product you cannot easily promote.
    Signature
    *Reserved for cool stuff*
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3874485].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author celente
    I would outsource this and get someone who knows what they are doing.

    But first make sure your copy is good and that traffic is going to make you money.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875294].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author buckz55
      lmao yeah it's a GREAT time to get into the online poker market , perfect timing your going to make a fortune LOL

      hate to break it to ya buddy , but you missed the boat on that niche.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875425].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
        Originally Posted by buckz55 View Post

        lmao yeah it's a GREAT time to get into the online poker market , perfect timing your going to make a fortune LOL

        hate to break it to ya , but you missed the boat on that niche.
        Not entirely. There are markets outside the US and they are lucrative, but they are very competitive. It would take a lot of time or money to sink your teeth in at this point, but it is possible.
        Signature

        Founder of JVZoo. All around good guy :)

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875429].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author spectrefax
          Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

          Not entirely. There are markets outside the US and they are lucrative, but they are very competitive. It would take a lot of time or money to sink your teeth in at this point, but it is possible.
          I agree. People forget that the US is not the only country in the world. Online poker is booming and on the rise in other countries so it's great to target if you have the resources and capabilities.
          Signature
          *Reserved for cool stuff*
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875439].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
            Originally Posted by spectrefax View Post

            Americans forget that the US is not the only country in the world.
            Fixed that for you.
            Signature
            "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875603].message }}
            • Profile picture of the author Chris Worner
              Originally Posted by Tony Soprano Calling View Post

              SNIP
              Tony, unless you are a well known player in the community, your chances of succeeding are buckleys and none.

              Online Poker Staking - ChipMeUp is the first and only website of itstype, and was started by an Australian pro who sold it to TonyG(A name player) who owns Pokernews. It also has a lot of the biggest names in Poker using the service.

              I'd be interested to know how you plan to somehow attract all of them over to your website, when your an unknown(I assume)

              Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

              I was deeply involved in online poker during the pioneer years and I can tell you that it is a very competitive market. To make matters worse, you just lost your entire U.S. demographic. Think it through before diving in with both feet.
              Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

              Your timing is "interesting", T. Have you heard about what's been going on the world of online poker over the past few weeks? The entire US just disappeared on you ... :confused:
              Originally Posted by spectrefax View Post

              I agree with the above posters, I wouldn't recommend getting involved in this niche at the moment unless you have some decent experience in it along with some capital to help launch such a project.

              While the market is still thriving in places outside of the US, you will find it VERY difficult to begin getting traffic (I know from experience) as all of the top forums and blogs strictly prohibit any form of non-paid promotion without exception and trying to cleverly get around this will likely result in instant bans. Google Adwords is also not a traffic option you can use due to their advertising policies.

              So, without some extensive IM'ing experience, it's likely you'll end up with a service/product you cannot easily promote.
              Funny, it's interesting how people assume the US was the largest market when the loss of the us demographic hasn't even had that greater effect overall on the number of cash players. This mainly due to the aggressive marketing and promotion to attract European players and others outside the states.

              Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose View Post

              Not entirely. There are markets outside the US and they are lucrative, but they are very competitive. It would take a lot of time or money to sink your teeth in at this point, but it is possible.
              Doubt it for all the reasons I listed in the first part of this post. Also add to the fact that people are now weary of using any service unless it is linked to somebody who has a reputation in the industry.

              @The OP

              Sorry bro, but as an online poker player, I can tell you right now that any attempt you make will fail spectacularly. As somebody said earlier, you missed the boat on this. Most players nowadays do personal transfers through people they already know in the industry anyway.

              Chris
              Signature

              {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875665].message }}
              • Originally Posted by Tony Soprano Calling View Post

                @The OP

                Sorry bro, but as an online poker player, I can tell you right now that any attempt you make will fail spectacularly.

                Chris
                Oh, hell nah. Them's fightin' words! Ain't nobody, no how gonna tell me whether I'm gonna succeed or fail at something, especially that I'll fail 'spectacularly'. I'd build it now just to make him eat his words! :p

                First of all, not all poker sites got shut down, just the Big 3, which leaves a wide-open market for a whole lot of other people. And actually those sites are still live, it's just the owners got arrested for money laundering. Of course, that's a weak case, anyway, so we'll see how that goes for them, but anywho...

                I'm an online poker player, too, but that certainly doesn't make me an industry expert.

                "Unless you're a well-known player?" I've never been pregnant, but I sell a whole lot of pregnancy products. I've never been a bride, but I sell a whole lot of wedding products. See the pattern here?

                Look into players that haven't done so well over the last few years, and therefore don't have the big names backing them anymore, but are darn good players nonetheless. If you got the money and the dream, they will come.
                {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875729].message }}
                • Profile picture of the author airpr23
                  Originally Posted by Bradley J Anderson View Post

                  Oh, hell nah. Them's fightin' words! Ain't nobody, no how gonna tell me whether I'm gonna succeed or fail at something, especially that I'll fail 'spectacularly'. I'd build it now just to make him eat his words! :p

                  First of all, not all poker sites got shut down, just the Big 3, which leaves a wide-open market for a whole lot of other people. And actually those sites are still live, it's just the owners got arrested for money laundering. Of course, that's a weak case, anyway, so we'll see how that goes for them, but anywho...

                  I'm an online poker player, too, but that certainly doesn't make me an industry expert.

                  "Unless you're a well-known player?" I've never been pregnant, but I sell a whole lot of pregnancy products. I've never been a bride, but I sell a whole lot of wedding products. See the pattern here?

                  Look into players that haven't done so well over the last few years, and therefore don't have the big names backing them anymore, but are darn good players nonetheless. If you got the money and the dream, they will come.
                  AMEN!!! lol...
                  {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875738].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author airpr23
    Actually the US market is still wide open. Yes a few a major poker sites have been shut down but there are still tons taking US traffic. Right now is the perfect time to get in,less competition. My poker earnings have gone up since the crackdown.

    But yeah I don't know about staking poker players and if you don't know anything about SEO it's not going to be a cake walk. You should try setting up a sniper site in a easier niche and learn the basic's of SEO first.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875639].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author corsleymaxwell
    PokerStars is not an online casino. Unlike online casinos, you never play against the house at PokerStars - you always play against other real poker players from around the world.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3875998].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author John Mogusar
    Hey Tony, take a look at the caption under my username: Novice Warrior. I may not have much experience with or knowledge of Internet marketing, but I can say that I am an expert at matters dealing with online poker.

    I'm 43 years old and I started playing poker semi-professionally in 1996, earning at least half of my income from poker since then for all but one of those years. For that year, I don't poker.

    I started playing online at a site called Planet Poker in 1999 and spent the majority of my poker career playing online since then. For the last five years, I played exclusively online and have earned 100% of my income from poker--until about three or four weeks ago when the FBI seized the largest three poker sites operating within the United States.

    After this happened, I was planning on moving to a different, smaller poker site. I arranged for staking through Team Moshman (headed by Collin Moshman, a known poker author and player), but quickly realized there was not enough traffic for my playing style. I was one of many pros who played many tables (16-24+, depending on type of game) at once, and none of the remaining sites have nearly enough traffic to continue doing this, not to mention their software is horrible compared to PokerStars (the site on which I played).

    As others in this thread have expressed, the online poker market competition is extreme. Many other well-known and not so well known players offer staking through various channels.

    This is not the only problem. I'm not sure if you were planning to personally stake these players, but the selection process is very difficult. Not only do you need to verify that they are winning players, but you also need references from people that you know are very trustworthy so that you know that the applicant is trustworthy as well.

    One Catch-22 is that players that are winning at a rate strong enough to warrant staking generally already have large enough bankrolls to sustain themselves. Much of the staker's "business" is referrals from very trusted sources.

    I would definitely advise against this niche.
    Signature

    Frustrated with your ghostwriter?
    I'm a USA-based content writer offering a 100% money-back guarantee!
    Buy today before my rates go up!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3876153].message }}
    • Thanks to all of you for giving me advice on this matter.

      Is it possible to get good SEO work done for a site in language unknown to the SEO-perpetrator?

      I would outsource it thru oDesk.

      Honestly, I was a bit disappointed at first by the ignorance displayed in the sense that ppl really thought of the US as the exclusive poker market.

      Obv these guys were not directly involved in poker, as they would know that poker players come from every corner of the world.

      Of course, the US is #1 in virtually every aspect.

      But I could make this a successful regional project - there are A LOT of players in Croatia and several nearby countries, all of which have very similar languages.
      I have numerous poker contacts because I played professionally for 3 years before getting tired of the stressful grind.

      I have little marketing experience, though.

      What I thought of is combining an affiliate program AND staking players.

      This way a player does not have to be a clear-cut winner, he can be marginal and I would still make a profit thru the affiliate program.

      Any ideas, suggestions, tips?

      THANK YOU!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3878662].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Frankie Yale
        I completely advice against these kind of sites.
        First off, the US market collapsed.
        Second, Chipmeup is not the first and only. Parttimepoker has the majority share. No way you will beat both CMU and PTP.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3930239].message }}

Trending Topics