November 21st, 2009 
mcdpoker 
If you have been playing Online Poker long enough, you have no doubt heard about “Poker Rakeback”. Though, some people still don’t know what Rakeback really is, how it works, or why it is important when signing up to a new poker room. So, this article will answer a few of these questions for you.
Playing without rakeback sucks. Therefore, all poker players should play with rakeback.
[polldaddy poll=2391198]
It doesn’t matter what limit you play, you always pay rake and can always get some of that money back. Before I take this discussion any further I just want to make it clear that everyone benefits from having a good rakeback deal; high stake gamblers and low limit players. If you play poker, rakeback is the same as free money. However, at some limits rakeback is far more important. I’ll try to explain why:
First we have to analyze poker rooms’ rake conditions. The rake is usually around 5% of the total pot, a $10 pot is therefore raked with 50 cent (10 x 0.05 = 0.5). The rake is usually capped at $3. A $1000 pot is not raked with 5%, which should be $50; the maximum rake amount is still $3. One could say that the rake is 5% when the pot is $60 or smaller (0.05 x 60 = 3). When the pot size exceeds $60, the rake percentage goes down.
What effect does this have on the rake? At low limits, where a big pot is around $60, is where the rake has the most impact. At the high stake tables where a big pot is, let’s say $2000, the rake is not even 1% of the total pot. To become a winning player at low limits you must therefore beat both your opponents and the ridiculously high rake. This can sometimes be hard to do because it is not enough to have a slight advantage over your opponents. To win you must be much better than the average player at your table. This is where rakeback comes in; if you have a 50% rakeback deal you will cut down the house edge considerably. Instead of being charged with 5% in every pot, you will only be charged with 2.5%, which makes a big difference in your overall winnings.
If you are playing poker without rakeback, just sign up with a rakeback offer. That could be the factor that makes you a winning poker player in the long run. But remember, even though it is most important to play with rakeback at some limits, all players earn extra money when playing with it.
My Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Get A Rakeback Account Today!
#1 – Those Small Cash Game Rakes Add Up
Even though the fees taken from the cash games you play may seem negligible, they can add up to large amounts surprisingly quickly. For example, someone playing just 2 tables of 50c / $1 no-limit Holdem for 2 hours per day could be earning up to $5k a year with a reasonable rakeback deal. This is around $450 a month that you are quite literally giving away to the owners of the poker site at which you play.
#2 – Tournament Fees Reduced By 1/3rd
SNG and Tournament Players can work out how much cash they are leaving on the table very quickly. Those grinding 8+ tables are committing a poker-crime by playing without rakeback – even at the lowest levels! For example, someone grinding 8-tables of turbo SNGs at the $5.50 level totaling just 50 SNGs each day would be leaving more than $2,500 to the poker site, even with the lowest rakeback deals.
#3 – Site Bonuses And Promotions Are Still Available
Rakeback does not preclude you from the regular bonuses offered by most poker sites, in fact while you are clearing sign-up bonuses you can often boost your return to more than 60%!!
#4 – Rake Races Add $$$ To Your Profits
The best rakeback deals come with access to rake-races – these are contests specific to each rakeback provider and involve a leaderboard of rake generated over a fixed time period ranging from a 1 to 10 days. Players who generate the most rake are then further rewarded via cash prizes. The payouts for rake races can be very large, with the best rakeback providers offering $20+ each month at each of their sponsored sites.
#5 – Special Freerolls With Small Fields
Freerolls with prize pools up to $5k are regularly offered by rakeback providers at the leading sites. The real benefit of these is that many of those who qualify to enter will not do so. For example the higher stakes cash game players may rightly believe they have a higher profit expectation in their normal games. This leaves some big prizes available to those players who do choose to play.
In summary, there is really no reason for any poker fan to be playing online without a poker rakeback deal – make sure you get the best available deal for your favorite site today!
Get Rakeback at all the major poker sites here!
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