Five Things to Know About Rakeback in Online Poker

Rakeback can be quite a confusing subject for new online poker players. Once you understand the basics, you can start putting rakeback to work for you. Here are five things you need to know about rakeback.

1. Sign Up Through Affiliate Sites

When you want to join a rakeback program, you have to sign up through third-party affiliate sites. Poker rooms contract affiliate sites to find new players. When players open a poker room account through an affiliate, the affiliate will get a referral fee. This referral fee is based on the amount of rake that the new player generates in the poker room. In an effort to attract more players, affiliate sites will offer rakeback promotions as an incentive. If you sign up directly with a poker room, you will not be eligible for rakeback offers. You need to open your poker room account through the affiliate's site.

2. You Have to Open Up a New Account

If you have an existing poker room account, you will not be able to join a rakeback program for that same site. You will have to open an entirely new account in a different poker room. If you really like the site that you are currently on, then you should try to open up an account on a different skin of the same poker network.

3. Many Poker Rooms Don't Offer Rakeback

Quite a few poker rooms out there are against the entire concept of rakeback. The most popular sites on the Web really don't have an incentive to offer a rebate on the rake revenue that you generate. Before you sign up for a rakeback offer, make sure you understand what the rakeback policy is for the poker room that you're about to join. Some less-than-reputable affiliates will try to sell you on a rakeback plan that doesn't exist. If you're on an affiliate site, and you see a large rakeback percentage offered for Poker Stars, close your Web browser and run. Poker Stars doesn't support rakeback deals, so this affiliate is trying to hustle you. But if you see Full Tilt Poker Rakeback or Inter Poker rakeback, you might want to take a closer look since these are two of the best poker rooms on the Net offering rakeback.

4. Make Sure You Enjoy the Site

When you choose a rakeback program, keep in mind that you are also choosing a new poker room to call home. Your new poker site has to be a place where you want to play. Make sure that you enjoy your new poker home. Does the site have all the games you like? Are there plenty of tournament options? How's the software and customer support? All of these things need to be determined before you open a new poker room account. Choose the best poker site with the best rakeback.

5. Rakeback Calculations

You need to find out exactly how your rakeback will be calculated. Will your net rake be determined by how many hands you are dealt or how much you've contributed to each pot? Will bonuses be deducted from your net rake? Will tournament fees be included in your net rake? You need to know precisely what factors will be used to calculate your rakeback before you sign up for rakeback deals.

Rakeback is an excellent tool for growing your poker profits. Understanding how rakeback works is the key to finding the right deal. If you do your homework, read the terms and conditions of your rakeback offer and follow the sign up instructions carefully, you'll have nothing to worry about.

Last Updated - October 10, 2006