New Era of Staking: Upstakes.io – Challenge-Based Staking Platform

Hey guys, I wanted to share something we’ve been working on in the poker staking space – http://upstakes.io (http://upstakes.io/) It’s the first challenge-based staking platform, designed to connect players with bankroll support in a transparent and structured way. Instead of just sending in a resume or volume graph, players can prove their ability by completing a GTO-driven challenge.

How it works: Players take on a challenge focused on decision-making quality. The current GTO Challenge includes: • 100 poker spots across 5 tournament stages (early stage, mid stage, bubble, late stage, final table) • 45 seconds per spot to act To qualify, you need to score at least 75% overall accuracy and a 60% minimum in each stage. If you pass, you unlock a guaranteed staking plan worth 40x your entry fee.

Example: Pass the €100 Challenge → instantly unlock a €4,000 staking deal. (Current entry tiers range from €30 to €300.) Why it’s different: Removes the back-and-forth and bias of traditional staking applications. Gives players a fair and objective way to demonstrate skill. Upstakes is live, and we’re excited to welcome new players into our community. http://upstakes.io (http://upstakes.io/)

I love this. Wonder why this hasn't drawn more attention here. Tried the demo and scored 60% overall but in my defense scored 0/4 early game preflop cause I guess I play too much with passive nits haha and would rely heavily on player stats to make better decisions and I forgot this is GTO oriented. Postflop early 70% and middle stage preflop was 83% as I lean more towards GTO with shorter stack anyway. Not looking for stakes but am thinking this would go well with our verification program for playing GTD tournaments on ****. Perhaps we could participate in staking your players on our platform that pass. Are you considering in creating something similar for cash players Cheers!

So scammy to charge people for applying.

It's a scam if you pass and don't get the staking deal... There are def issues with potential cheating while taking the test so there's a lot of risk management on their side.

hello! Im interested. Im 32, from romania, playing poker since im 18teen and want to fully focus on poker again after i had a downswing. Can you help me with that?

by megalodonk m (https://www.twoplustwo.com/post?postId=59132266#post59132266)

It's a scam if you pass and don't get the staking deal... There are def issues with potential cheating while taking the test so there's a lot of risk management on their side.

Btw I understand why some of you guys question the paid Challenge, but we believe it’s the right model. Players are not simply paying to “apply.” They are taking a structured skill assessment, and if they pass, we put our own money behind them and fund their poker. That way we’re taking the financial risk, so we need a way to test not only whether a player knows the right decisions, but whether they can make them consistently when something is actually on the line. That pressure and commitment is part of poker too. Our goal is to build a quick and accessible assessment that gives us enough confidence to back successful players with our money. What do you guys think about that?

by grinder1992 m (https://www.twoplustwo.com/post?postId=59136562#post59136562)

hello! Im interested. Im 32, from romania, playing poker since im 18teen and want to fully focus on poker again after i had a downswing. Can you help me with that?

hey man, sure what do you want to know? you can also send me an email at [email]jan@upstakes.io[/email] or join our discord community https://discord.com/invite/sKYfxyv6j3 if you want. happy to help with anything!

by megalodonk m (https://www.twoplustwo.com/post?postId=59128537#post59128537)

I love this. Wonder why this hasn't drawn more attention here. Tried the demo and scored 60% overall but in my defense scored 0/4 early game preflop cause I guess I play too much with passive nits haha and would rely heavily on player stats to make better decisions and I forgot this is GTO oriented. Postflop early 70% and middle stage preflop was 83% as I lean more towards GTO ... See full post

Thank you for the encouragement! It’s been a while since I was last active here.. but we’ve made a lot of progress since then. We’ve expanded our MTT funding with new tiers up to $50K, launched free MTT Training Challenges, and introduced funding for cash game players as well. Go ahead, take a look and let me know what you think. Happy to answer any questions or help with anything!