Makeup

word type: poker slang

  1. A negative (or "red") figure that exists as a condition of staking arrangements, especially common for tournament staking.

How it Works

A typical tournament backing deal might be outlined as "50/50 with makeup."

What this means is that the backer, who puts up the money for a player's buyins, agrees to split 50% of the backee's tournament profits but only after previous buyins have been recouped. The amount that needs to be recouped is makeup.

E.g.

Using the "50/50 with makeup" example as a model: A backer puts his player into 12 $10,000 tournaments and the player doesn't cash any of them. Thus, the partnership has a $120K "makeup figure."

If, on the 11th tournament, the player cashes for $240K, the $120K would be subtracted off the top and the remaining $120K would be split $60K apiece between the backer and his "stakehorse."