How to win Dare2Stream with RichyRob

We chat with the previous winner of Dare2Stream, RichyRob, about what this year's contestants can do to catch the judges' eyes.

You won the last Dare2Stream contest, were you a streamer before then or was that what got you into it?

RichyRob: I was already streaming. I originally wanted to compete in a previous competition to win a Platinum Pass but was unable to because of travel and work commitments. But after getting to know some of the streamers who didn’t win in that competition but kept on streaming, I decided to join them. When this chance came along, I wasn’t going to pass it up.

What did you do differently to everyone else to win it?

RichyRob: Everyone was trying to do something different so it was difficult to stand out. I think the main three things which helped me stand out were:

1) My involvement in the community and helping others getting started and bettering their streams. Even if I didn’t win the top prize, there was a good chance someone I helped and became friends with would have. The community we built was amazing and it’s going to be hard for Dare2Stream to top that.

2) I focused on a brand of “Edutainment” I had already built up my online bankroll and not only wanted to have a fun stream but also help others get better at poker. Even today this is pretty unique. There aren’t many streamers willing to drop down and play a 50c tournament because their chat plays that stake and want to learn.

3) Using ingenuity to make myself stand out. Everyone can load up a poker table and stream it, coming up with your own brand and style will help you attract a certain audience but you can’t sit on your laurels. You have to keep on improving, keep thinking of new ideas and keep trying different things. What was great about the previous Dare2Stream is that it encouraged the streamers to go out there and try something different. Some didn’t and others came up with some fantastic ideas.

What did the win do for your streaming career?

RichyRob: I don’t think it changed too much. Despite the insane hours I’ve streamed, it’s always been a bit of an issue for me to juggle work, life, travel, live poker and streaming. That’s mainly why I regularly stream the graveyard shift. However, I do feel that someone so involved in the community winning it has helped bring the community even closer together and inspired a lot of the members to keep streaming. A lot of them have gone on to become sponsored streamers, some even full-time.

"You can't force audience growth"

Once you have established an audience does it snowball and you grow faster?

RichyRob: It definitely helps for sure but people will only hang around if they are enjoying your stream. You’ll often see smaller streamers get a lot of big raids but aren’t able to bond with the raiders and therefore their streams barely grow from this exposure. Whereas some small streamers will get the odd big raid, captivate the raiders attention and in turn they return leading to growth. So, being higher up or getting more raids means you will get more unique viewers but not necessarily more growth long-term.

It's also not something I think you can force. I’ve seen streamers do giveaways and sites that sponsor them drop continuous raids but the same result long-term.

Is time of day important for streaming, particularly avoiding big streamers like Lex or Spraggy? Is there 'game selection in streaming?

RichyRob: Time of day is important but not due to avoiding other streamers but because your regulars are likely free at the same time periods. Having a schedule and some consistency really helps. You can’t be afraid that a larger streamer is on, you need to grow your own audience and community irrespective of that.

"Being entertaining is most important"

What is more important, being skillful and educational, or being entertaining?

RichyRob: Most viewers will be coming to the stream for entertainment and if they can learn something then that’s an added bonus. I do get a fair few regular viewers who I hope enjoy my streams but have learnt a lot and have gone from being losing players to winning players.

Do you have an idea of what the typical Twitch viewer is like? Is there a typical demographic? Are they quite new to poker and small stakes?

RichyRob: I think the majority will be 25 to 40 with at least 2/3 years of poker exposure and playing $11 or less. On Mondays I stream “Micro Mondays” where I can only play up to $11 and a lot of viewers enjoy me playing “their stakes”. These were the stakes I started at 2 years ago, so it’s good to revisit them and play with viewers.

"You have to engage with your audience"

Dare2Stream starts again this weekend, what do you think the judges will be looking for this time?

RichyRob: I think personality, community engagement, audience interaction, a passion for poker and a uniqueness which sets you apart would be a good foundation to build on.

However, being a potential Ambassador for a Poker Site isn’t just about being a successful streamer. It’s also important that you can engage with your community. You could have hundreds of viewers; you could be crushing the higher stakes but if you aren’t engaging with your community and the site’s larger community then you might not be what they are looking for. Similarly, there are a lot of toxic poker players who could bring big viewer numbers in but wouldn’t be right for a role representing a brand.

It strikes me that the hardest part of streaming is getting your first 20 or so regular viewers. What can people do to go from 0 to a regular audience?

RichyRob: It’s really hard to get discovered by potential viewers out there and that’s why being part of a community like the Dare2Stream one is a great way to get you started as everyone is supporting each other. It was much more difficult when I started and I remember streaming to no-one or just one person at times. I would encourage anyone streaming to actually spend time in other people’s stream and get to know them and their audiences.

#Dare2Stream is back but this time it's your chance to become an Ambassador for @PokerStars

I've made a little video with a few tips to get you started and will be releasing more streaming tips as the days count down. Best of luck to everyone involved🤞 https://t.co/6Xr7Np6SR9 pic.twitter.com/Vev8I54ZgG

— RichyRob (@RichyRobRR) October 18, 2021

You can follow RichyRob and watch him do his thing live on his Twitch channel.