Online Poker Rakeback – The Pokerology Guide
Rakeback is when an online poker room gives back a percentage of the fees taken from each hand in a cash game, or tournament entry fees. Depending upon the limits you play this can add up to a sizeable amount of money. Not all online poker rooms offer rakeback. Those who don’t offer rakeback have their own inhouse VIP rewards systems which are often the equvilent of rakeback. But the online poker rooms that do offer rakeback, such as those listed on this page, won’t give it to you if you sign up directly. That’s why it’s important that you sign up to these sites via our exclusive links (see below). By doing so you’ll be registered as a rakeback player and receive your rackback directly into your player accounts, at whichever room you sign up for.
Rakeback Friendly Online Poker Rooms
The following online poker rooms offer rakeback, but only if you sign up using our exclusive links. We’re not just saying that so you’ll use our links. Please read our rakeback FAQs for more information. When you sign up via our links to any of these rooms then you’ll automatically be registered as a rakeback player and paid directly by the rooms themselves. The rakeback amounts are the maximum that these online poker rooms will pay, so you are getting the best possible deals.
Important: We strongly recommend you clear your browser of any ‘cookies’ before clicking on any of the sign up links, to ensure that your sign up is properly tracked. And make sure you follow the sign up instructions for each rakeback offer.
Full Tilt Poker
Independent
+100% up to $600
+110% up to $600
Betfair Poker
Independent
+100% up to $600
+111% up to $1100
+150% up to $500
PKR Poker
Independent
+100% up to $800
Bodog Poker
Independent
+110% up to $1100
Rakeback – Frequently Asked Questions
If you are unfamiliar with rakeback, then we recommend you have a read through our frequently asked questions. This should answer any questions that you may have about rakeback.
What is rake?
Put simply, poker rooms make money by taking a cut from the pot. This service charge is known as the ‘rake’. Remember that in regular casino games such as roulette and blackjack, you’re playing against the house (casino) and because the odds are stacked in their favour, they’ll win money over the long term. Poker is different because you win and lose against other players, and not the house. So taking a rake out of the pot is how poker rooms make money in cash games, and this is standard for both live and online poker. For poker tournaments the rake is the entry fee – for example in a $10 + $1 tournament, the rake is $1 and this is kept by the poker room.
What does rakeback mean?
Rackback is when an online poker room decides to return a percentage of the rake to the player, hence the name rakeback. It’s used as an incentive or marketing tool to get players to play at their poker rooms. Rakeback is great for the players as it means they can save money by lowering the cost of playing poker. The poker rooms are also happy if it means these poker players will play at their site rather than another poker room that might not offer rakeback.
How much rake do online poker rooms take?
The amount each poker room takes as a rake varies, but online poker rooms usually take 5% and this is usually capped. For example in a no limit hold’em cash game with blinds of $1/$2, the rake might be $0.05 for every $1 (i.e. 5%) but capped at a maximum of $3. So when the pot contains $60 they’ll take a rake of $3. If the pot contains $100, $500, or $1000, the maximum rake will still be $3. The exact amount usually varies depending upon the poker room, the stakes, and the number of players at the table. If there are only 3 or 4 players then the maximum rake is usually much less than a full 9 or 10 handed game. It’s also common for online poker rooms to only rake on hands that get to see the flop (no flop, no drop!). But online poker is fast and furious, and the rake can all add up very quickly.
How is the rake calculated?
Poker sites calculate your rake contribution in one of two ways – contributed and dealt. Contributed rake is calculated by working out how much each player actually contributed to the pot. For example, if you’re involved in a hand with 6 players, and 4 of them fold pre-flop without making any bets, then they didn’t contribute to the rake and won’t receive any credit. The other method is called dealt or rake share, and it’s very simple. If 10 players are dealt into a hand and the total rake for the hand is $1, then each player who was dealt into the hand is credited with having contributed $0.10, regardless of whether they contributed less than the other players.
Do all online poker rooms offer rakeback?
No, the majority of online poker rooms don’t offer rakeback. Many of the big online poker rooms don’t offer rakeback, and rakeback shouldn’t be your main motivation for signing up to a poker room. Many of these online poker rooms have loyalty and reward programs instead of rakeback.
The big problem (in our opinion) with rakeback is that the online poker rooms that do offer it, rarely make it common knowledge. If you signed up to one of our rakeback friendly poker rooms (see above) by visiting their website without following our links, then you wouldn’t see any mention of rakeback and wouldn’t receive it. So there are many poker players playing at these sites who aren’t receiving rakeback. We think this is unfair and not a particularly good way to treat the poker players, but that’s their business. Just know, that by signing up via our exclusive links, you’ll be signed up as a rakeback player at these sites.
What if I’m already a player at one of these poker sites?
If you have already signed up to one of our rakeback friendly poker rooms then unfortunately you can’t just switch over, particularly if you signed up via a non-rakeback affiliate site. The online poker rooms will be paying those affiliates your rakeback, and not paying you. That’s why it’s not offered openly to all players. If you belong to any of these poker rooms and are not receiving rakeback then please contact us and we’ll gladly discuss your options.
Will I still receive a sign up bonus if I receive rakeback?
Yes, you’ll still be eligble for the best bonuses. However, the bonus amount is usually either deducted from your rakeback, since the rakeback is considered as the profit. The clearing requirements for the sign up bonuses are usually higher too. But remember that a bonus payout doesn’t even come close to the amount of rakeback you’ll earn clearing the bonuses.
How will I be paid my rakeback?
Your rakeback will be paid directly into your player account at the online poker room of whichever site(s) you sign up for. We don’t handle the money, all we do is get you signed up as a rackback player and make sure the poker rooms will pay you what you’re owed (usually once a week). Just makesure you follow our exclusive sign up links on this page. All our rakeback deals are for the maximum you are allowed to receive at each online poker room. So you can use our links with confidence, knowing that you’re getting the best deal.
Why do I have to sign up for rakeback via Pokerology.com?
We have good relationships with these online poker sites which means we are able to negotiate the maximum payouts (all the rakeback offers are the maximum allowed) which are more than a regular affiliate site. We have the choice of offering players rakeback or not. We could choose to keep the money ourselves, like many other poker sites, but this wouldn’t be right. We want our players to get the best deals even if it means we miss out on additional revenues. Therefore we have a deal in place with these online poker rooms that any players we send must be classed as rakeback players and the earnings are to be paid directly by the rooms. This means you’ll get your rakeback and there will be no problems with payments, as the rooms will be paying it to you directly, straight into your player account. This means it’s in your interests to use the links provided.
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