What’s the big deal about rakeback? Rakeback may not seem as exciting to some players as, for example, a big sign up bonus. However, in many cases a good rakeback program can be even more profitable.
Benefits of Rakeback
Rakeback programs work by returning a percentage of the rake you play whenever you play real money online poker sessions. The rake comes out of the pot, not directly out of your stack. As a result, it may seem like you are only penalized if you win the pot.
In fact, this is not true. Your edge in poker comes from making sure the pots you win are big enough to cover the times you enter a pot and lose. The rake makes that more difficult by making those pots that you win smaller.
This is true whether you win a particular hand or not. Rakeback offsets this problem by returning some of that rake to you. Visit a rakeback blog to read about players who win more from rakeback than the actual game.
The Dealt Rake Method
The rake is really penalizing you even if you do not win or even enter a pot. Many players feel that the dealt rake method of calculating rake is the fairest way to determine how much rake returns to you.
In the dealt rake method, used by Cake Poker for instance, every time you play a raked hand, you receive credit for an equal percentage of rake, as all the other players at the table. If the average rake is $4 from every pot, you receive credit for having paid 40 cents of rake in a full ten-handed game. In a six-handed game, you would receive credit for 67 cents of rake.
In the other rakeback method – used by Betfair Poker among others – called contributed, only players who actually put money into the pot become eligible for rakeback.
Using Rakeback to Your Advantage
If you are a break even or winning player, you may be surprised at how much more quickly your bankroll grows with rakeback. Remember that the more you play, the more rake you get back. Don’t be afraid to add more tables or more sessions if you think things are going well.
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The Dealt Rake Method 