Base pay per night
$150 – $350 / night
What the venue pays you to show up and run the night. Most venues pay a flat rate. Sports bars and corporate-heavy markets pay more; small towns pay less.
Industry-cited numbers · updates as you move the sliders
How much could you
earn hosting?
Adjust the inputs to see realistic monthly and annual income ranges for live event hosts. Figures are derived from published industry rates and earnings reported by working hosts across U.S. markets.
Pub trivia. Karaoke. Bingo. Brainpardy. Corporate gigs. The same calculator works for every format Brainflood runs, including the brand-new Sports Pick'em Sunday slate.
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Disclaimer: Figures are illustrative examples based on industry data, not guarantees of earnings. Actual income varies by market, venue, crowd size, experience, and individual effort. See full data sources & disclaimer →
Income breakdown
Where the money comes from
Four streams stack on top of each other. The calculator above adds them up — here's what each one looks like in real terms.
Often half your take
Tips (cash + digital)
$20 – $90+ / night
Regulars who like the game, players whose team won, the table that needed a tiebreaker call — tips add up fast. Brainflood lets players scan a QR code to tip you through Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, or Zelle.
Corporate gigs
$500 – $1,500 / event
Holiday parties, team-building, conference nights. One booking can pay more than a week of weekly venue gigs. Experienced hosts in mid-to-major markets typically land 1–3 of these per month.
Tournament series
$800 – $2,000 / series
Multi-week leagues with a championship night. Charge a buy-in per team, take a cut, hand the rest to the winners. Builds loyal regulars who come back every week.
Tips made easy
Get tipped your way
Cash is great. The problem: most players don't carry it anymore. Brainflood pre-loads your tip handles into your host profile and flashes a scannable QR code on the projector between rounds. Players tap their phone, you get paid — same night, no middleman, no fees from us.
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Pre-configured for the apps players already use. Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, and Zelle handles set up in your host profile once. They follow you to every gig.
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Tip QR code on the projector display. Auto-generated between rounds. Players scan, tip, and you keep playing without breaking flow.
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Cash still works exactly the same. Tip jar at the host stand, regulars who like to slide a $20 across the table — nothing changes. Digital just stops leaving money on the table.
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You keep 100% of every tip. Brainflood doesn't touch tip money. The QR code links straight to your Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, or Zelle account.
Real-world examples
What your nights could look like
Three realistic scenarios that update with your market and lead mode above. Each one is a snapshot at a different level of commitment — not a promise. The numbers below recompute as you change the calculator.
Side hustle
2 nights a week
Base pay$1,040 – $1,732
Tips$346 – $520
Monthly
$1,386 – $2,252
Pays a car payment, gym, and the streaming stack — on two nights of work.
Most common
4 nights + occasional corporate
Base pay$2,598 – $4,330
Tips$693 – $1,040
Corporate$750 – $2,250
Monthly
$4,041 – $7,620
Replaces a full-time job for many hosts — with weekends free and afternoons open.
Going pro
5 nights + corporate + tournaments
Base pay$4,059 – $6,766
Tips$1,558 – $2,338
Corporate$1,500 – $4,500
Tournaments$800 – $2,000
Monthly
$7,917 – $15,604
A real hosting business. Many full-time hosts at this level eventually hire and franchise their nights.
From side hustle to brand
Tuesday is a job. Twenty Tuesdays is a business.
Every recurring slot you book is a 52-week annuity. Stack venues, take a tournament series, win a corporate client — the math compounds. Brainflood is built to grow with you, not lock you in at the side-hustle level.
Stage 1
First paid Tuesday
One venue, one night a week. You learn the room, build a regular crowd, and start collecting tips through your QR code. Free Brainflood plan covers the basics.
$200 – $340 / week
$10K – $18K / year
Stage 2
Working host, multiple venues
3–4 nights/week across different venues. You're the trivia person in town. Brainflood Starter or Pro — logo branding, AI generation, analytics on player retention.
$900 – $1,750 / week
$48K – $90K / year
Where the empire begins
Stage 3
Branded multi-venue host
5 venues, white-label branding, your logo on every projector, recurring tournament series at each location, growing corporate roster. Brainflood Business plan unlocks 10 venues, full white-label, unlimited AI.
$1,800 – $3,600 / week
$95K – $190K / year
Up to 10 venues, one host account
Pro plan covers 5 venues; Business plan goes to 10. Run Tuesday at one venue, Wednesday at another, Saturday at a brewery — all under your brand, all in one dashboard.
Full white-label on Business
Your logo on the projector. Your colors. Your tagline. Hide the Brainflood brand completely so players associate the experience with you, not us. Players you build become loyal to your name.
Recurring revenue by design
Every weekly slot is a 52-week annuity. A $200 Tuesday becomes $10,400 over a year. Add a tournament series, that's another $6–$12K per venue per year. The math compounds without you working more nights.
Tournaments, leagues & corporate
Multi-week series with a championship night. Corporate event tools for holiday parties & team-builds. Both compound on top of your weekly base — and both are higher-margin than weekly venue nights.
💡 Honest scaling note: the trajectory above is what one motivated solo host can build over 3–5 years using Brainflood today. Beyond Stage 3, hosts typically bring on independent contractors to cover nights they can't physically host — we’re actively building first-party tools for that next stage.
Honest answers
Common questions
Are these numbers actually real?
Yes. The calculator pulls from published industry rates and what working hosts in U.S. mid-major markets actually clear. The ranges reflect real variance — small towns and slow nights pull the low end down; corporate-heavy markets and busy weekends push the high end up. Full data sources & methodology →
Do I need experience to start?
No. Plenty of working hosts started with zero experience and a single night a week at a bar that needed a Tuesday boost. The calculator's First year skill setting reflects realistic starting numbers — you'll earn less than a 3-year pro, but the math still works.
What about equipment? Do I need to buy a bunch of gear?
Most hosts run nights with a tablet or laptop, a Bluetooth speaker, and a lapel mic. Brainflood runs entirely in your browser — nothing to install. If a venue has its own sound system, you plug into theirs. We have a full equipment guide covering budget setups (~$200) through pro rigs.
How does digital tipping actually work?
You enter your Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, and Zelle handles in your host profile once. Brainflood generates a QR code that displays on the projector between rounds. Players scan with their phone, pick an amount, and the money goes straight to your account. We don't touch it — no fees, no holding period. You keep 100%.
What's not included in the calculator number?
Equipment, transportation, and taxes. We strip those out so the number reflects gross hosting income, not your post-expenses take. For a full breakdown of expenses to plan around, see our earning potential guide.
When can I actually start?
Brainflood is in active development and opens to new hosts in waves. Join the waitlist and we'll email you the moment your spot is ready — usually within a couple weeks. No spam, no charge to reserve.
While you're here
Two more tools, also free.
Like the math? Get on the list.
Brainflood opens to new hosts in waves. We'll tell you the moment you can start — and walk you through your first paid night.
Free to join · no card required · one email when your spot opens.