What Is Makeup in Poker Staking?

In poker staking, makeup is the total amount a backed player is down. Before the player can share in any profit, they must first win back that loss for their backer. Being “in makeup” means you owe your backer that much in future wins.

A makeup example

A backer stakes a player for tournaments with a 50/50 profit split.

• Month 1: the player buys in for $5,000 total and cashes for $2,000. They are $3,000 in makeup.
• Month 2: buy-ins of $4,000, cashes of $10,000. That is $6,000 profit, but the first $3,000 clears makeup.
• The remaining $3,000 is split 50/50: $1,500 each. Makeup is back to zero.

Why makeup exists

Makeup protects the backer. Without it, a player could lose the backer’s money for months, then take half of a single big win. With makeup, the player only earns from net profit.

Makeup in deals vs action sales

Long-term staking deals almost always include makeup. Selling action for a single tournament — for example, selling 30% of your buy-in on a marketplace like PokerStake — usually has no makeup: buyers simply get their share of any cash.

Tips for players and backers

• Agree in writing on the split, the makeup rules and when the deal resets.
• Track every buy-in and cash, including rebuys and re-entries.
• Use the staking calculator to work out splits and makeup, and log every session in the free poker tracker.

More terms in the poker glossary.