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FAQ (Frequently asked questions)
1. What is an affiliate program?
An affiliate program, as it has come to be known in online commerce, is a program in which an online business pays third-party affiliates for advertising the business, based on performance. Generally this involves paying the affiliate either a fixed amount or a percentage for each sale the affiliate sends to the business. For example, if an affiliate sends a customer to Amazon.com and that person ends up buying a book, Amazon.com would pay the affiliate between 5 and 7.5 percent of the total sale as a finder's fee.
2. How do poker affiliate programs work?
Poker affiliate programs work on the same basis, except that they offer the opportunity to make recurring income. In a poker affiliate program, an affiliate sends a new player to a poker site. Once that player signs up to play for real money at the poker site, the affiliate starts making money. This can either be a one-time flat fee or a percentage of how much revenue that player generates for the poker site, for as long as the player continues playing.
3. How can I make money?
Once you sign up with a poker affiliate program, you will get paid for each new real-money player that you send to a poker site. Sometimes this is through a flat fee, usually around $65 or $75. Much more often, the poker site will pay you a percentage of the profits the player generates for as long as he or she continues playing at the site. In some cases, a poker site will let the affiliate choose if he or she wants to receive a flat upfront fee or a recurring percentage. In the case you have a choice, I always recommend choosing the recurring percentage. The flat fee may give you more money up front, but it is only a one-time payment. With the recurring percentage, you will usually make much more money over the long run.
4. How does the poker site make money?
This is good to know so that you can see why the recurring percentage is the better option. Unlike other casino games, poker does not give the house a piece of the action. Players are betting against each other. In order to make money from poker, the house takes a small amount (called "the rake") from each pot, usually around 5 percent, and this amount is usually capped at $3 at online poker sites (more at live casinos). So if five people are playing and the pot reaches $60, the rake would be $3. Because there are five players in the pot, each player is effectively paying 60 cents in rake. If one of those players signed up through your poker affiliate program, you would then be paid a percentage of that person's rake, usually between 25 and 35 percent. Using the lower percentage, that would mean you would receive 15 cents from that hand.
Of course, that 15 cents doesn't sound like much when compared to $65 or $75 up front, but it is important to realize that most poker players will play for several hours a week. Some even play for several hours a day, and some of those will play several tables at once. So, if you sign up 10 players, and those 10 players are each involved in 100 hands like our example each month, that 15 cents for one hand quickly becomes $150 a month.
To use a real-life example, one affiliate I know recently signed up a player who deposited $1,000. Now, most recreational players don't deposit that much, but he got lucky to find someone with that much money to play with. Had he chosen to receive the one-time fee, he would have got $65 and that's all. Instead, he chose to receive the recurring percentage and he got 35 percent of that player's rake. That first month, this affiliate made over $900 from this one player alone — nearly as much as the player deposited! That doesn't even count how much he received in future months. And remember, he was only getting 35 percent — the poker site was making twice as much! Hopefully, you can see now why it is better to take the recurring percentage, rather than the flat fee.
5. How does the poker site know when I refer a player?
When you sign up for a poker affiliate program, you will get access to a special private website where you can obtain special links and/or bonus codes. These links and codes point back to your account. In order for you to receive credit for each new player you refer to a poker site, that player must use your link or bonus code.
6. How can I find new players or subaffiliates?
Three words — promotion, promotion, promotion. We will discuss this more in depth in the promotion section of this website, but the ways you promote your affiliate program are only limited by your imagination. Some of the most obvious ways are to send invitations through email or to put ads on websites. But there are many, many opportunities to promote your affiliate program around you every day. You just have to be looking for them.
7. What does it cost to join?
That's one of the best things about poker affiliate programs (other than having the opportunity to make limitless income) — they're free! It costs nothing to join a program, and you can certainly limit your promotion to free methods. About all you really need is a computer with internet access.
8. How much can I make?
That is really up to you. Each program offers different terms. Some may offer a flat fee, others may offer recurring rates varying from 20 to 50 percent. The one constant, however, is that no matter which program you choose, the amount you make is directly tied to how much you promote your program. It is possible to spend just a few minutes a week and still sign up enough players to make a small monthly income. However, if you want to make enough to live on, you're better served by investing more time and creativity to making sure your links and/or bonus codes are seen by as many people as possible.
9. When do I get paid?
Usually monthly, after your earnings reach a certain amount. Each poker site will list its payment schedule in either the affiliate agreement or a FAQ/info section of the site. One thing to remember is that your earnings must reach a certain level before before the poker site will go to the hassle of sending them to you. Most of the time, that means you must make $50, although some places require $100. If you fall short, don't worry — you won't lose the money. It will just be kept in your account until you finally do make more than the minimum amount. When you're first starting out, it might take you some time to get a good base of players, so you might take two or three months to reach the minimum level. That's just incentive for you to work harder to get enough players so that you can get paid monthly! But if you take a half-hearted approach to your poker affiliate program, don't expect the poker sites to go through the hassle of sending you a check for $2 each month.
10. How do I get paid?
Like many of our questions, this one varies by which site you use. Most will just send a check to your address each month. Many offer alternatives to sending a check, such as sending your earnings via wire transfer or one of the personal wallet sites like Neteller. Some even offer the option of putting your earnings directly into your account with the poker site, so you can take them to the tables.
11. Can I join more than one program?
Certainly. Join as many as you can effectively promote.
12. Can I play on the site if I am an affiliate?
Usually, but it's best to check with the specific poker site first to make sure.
13. Can I sign up under my own affiliate program?
Usually not, but there are exceptions. Again, check with the specific poker site to get a definitive answer.
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Affiliate Programs for sites accepting U.S. players
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