Staking is a common practice in poker, whereby a player puts money into the pot preflop in the hope of gaining an advantage in the hand. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question – as the profitability of staking will vary depending on the game and the specific stakes being played – there are a few general observations that can be made.
First, it is generally worth staking small amounts of money on popular hands (e.g. Aces high) in order to gain an edge over the competition. Second, it is usually not worth staking large sums of money on hands that are likely to go either way (e.g.
3-betting with AKs). Finally, it is often worth considering whether or not to stake on hands that have already been played (pot-odds) in order to maximize return on investment.
