Rakeback and Bonuses
Rakeback and bonuses have been associated with poker rooms for some time now. Even before the big internet poker boom poker rooms have always taken a rake on the pots as well as offered bonuses to players that are regulars for their loyalty. Many times you will hear poker players ask what the rake is in a brick and mortar cash game or online cash game. The reason for this is because the rake eats into your profits. Every poker room is not the same in terms of how much rake they take for each pot. Some have heavier rakes than others. In most cases the rake takes around 10% of every pot won up to a certain amount based on what stakes are being played.
What is the Rake?
So, if you happen to have won a $50 pot you can rest assured that you are only going to scoop $45 in most cases due to the rake. Now imagine having a winning session where your profit is $400 and then having to fork over $40 dollars of that. Now you can see how over the long term the rake can really eat into your bankroll and overall profits. This particularly applies to poker players that play on a daily basis and are good players. Why? Because good players are generally going to win most of the time and that means they need to be very aware of what the rake is when they decide to sit down in a cash game. I know players that refuse to sit down in some casinos because the rake is entirely too high and they feel it takes away too much of their profit. That is totally understandable and something that only you can determine based on your game.
But there is hope for us cash game players.
Rakeback
Rakeback is pretty common in the online poker world and you can also establish Rakeback in some brick and mortar poker rooms as well if you happen to be a regular player. Basically rakeback allows you to get a percentage of the rake back from the casino. In most cases rakeback varies from poker room to poker room. Typical rakeback programs pay anywhere from 17% to 30% depending on what rakeback provider you sign up with and the poker room you are playing. Usually these programs will provide you with a list of poker room they have rakeback deals with and you choose the room that you play in most along with the stakes you play at. Most rakeback programs will pay once per month and allow you to keep track of your statistics on their sites so that you can calculate how much you will receive.
Smart online poker players use rakeback to help eliminate some of the variance that we all have to deal with. No matter how well you play you must protect you bankroll any way possible and the rakeback programs allow you to get a little bit of what you lost over a thirty day period of time back into your pocket which always helps. Without getting rakeback you are basically giving away money you don’t have to. There are a number of online rakeback affiliates for pretty much every poker room under the sun. If one rakeback program does not have the poker room you play on then try the next. Be sure to shop around for the absolute best rakeback deal you can find. Remember, it’s your bankroll and your job to protect it.
Bonuses
Poker room bonuses are great. Basically, all poker rooms offer some kind of sign up bonus for you to become a customer. It is an incentive and a thank you for choosing their room. However, all bonuses are not the same and you must take this into consideration. For instance:
Some poker rooms will insist that you play a certain amount of hands. Other poker rooms will ask you to earn a certain number of player points before paying out that bonus. The online poker world has several bonuses available for poker players both new and experienced. Even once you have chosen a poker room they will always offer promotions on bonuses for additional deposits. The bottom line is that you need to choose the poker room where you believe you will be most profitable. Again, the bonuses are only a one time payout in a lot of cases and should not be the primary reason you choose a particular poker room. Most bonuses range from $50 to $150 and even more to sign up and play but they will not pay out the bonus unless you meet all the criteria. So make sure you read everything before signing up.
Good luck!
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