Rakeback - Its Advantages in Online Poker



Nov 13th, 2011 Thomas Kearns

With online poker, the take of the pot that goes to the house, either a fixed or scaled amount, will run up to be a significant number in time. Even if you are a winning player, you can earn a rebate on all of your pot contributions if you opt for a rakeback program. Rake rebates are offered frequently by poker rooms as they try, in today's competitive environment, to attract and retain players. Adding rake back to your bankroll can significantly impact your earnings on each hand. Viewed over a period of months rakeback can make the difference between you being a profitable or a break-even player.

It doesn't matter whether you are playing at a low limit table, or flexing your poker muscle at a no limits table, that percentage of the pot that goes to the house rake can really add up. However, through rakeback offers you can be receiving a rebate up to 40% - rebates that are paid directly to your bankroll, which can help you build up steadily through effective play. Once aware of the many advantages of rakeback you will have trouble understanding why you waited this long to sign up for the program.

Better Bonuses: Equivalent to an Unlimited Poker Bonus

For many players, their initial reaction is to opt for deposit with initial bonuses which pay rebates over a set amount. For example, a 100% deposit match up to $500 may release rebates in $10 increments until you have earned the total allowed amount on your deposit, or you have to re-deposit. These bonuses seem to work on a marketing level, but when you take a closer look the math doesn't hold up. The numbers reveal that rake back may return you more over the long run. In many cases you can collect rakeback even while working on a deposit and other bonuses if you have signed for rakeback through an affiliate.

To start, some deposit bonuses are mutually exclusive from rakeback - if you take one, you likely cannot qualify for the other. So, before you take an initial bonus consider the impact on the long run bottom line. While a high quality deposit bonus may outpace rakeback for the initial amount, rake back is good for the life of your play - continuing to earn an unlimited bonus on your play, independent of deposits can add up to thousands on the tables. For this reason you may want to forgo a larger sign up bonus to take advantage of rake back.

Rakeback can be the Difference Between Profitable and Wasted Table Play

After you have become comfortable and developed your playing strategy in a particular site, you will likely want to stay around and play there. But if you have opted for initial deposit bonus, you will have to wait for reload bonuses. This means you'll lose that fixed percentage you could be receivinbg if you had gone for rake back. This time between deposit bonuses could turn you from a profitable to a break-even player, and that could seriously limit your playing time. Especially for those serious or semi-pro poker players, rakeback offers a world of difference when it come to your bottom line.

Offers Tracking That Keeps Tabs on Your Overall Play

As a side benefit, the statistics you get with rakeback can help you keep track of your overall table play, profit and statistics. Rake back data allows you to dig deep into the factors which impact your profitability at the tables, and can help sharpen your game as you work toward becoming a +EV player.

About the Author:


The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Betfair Rakeback as well as Rakeback at Ultimate Bet.

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