[GUIDE] Everything You Ever Need to Know About Rake, Rakeback and More

Rake. Something no Poker Player can avoid, at least when playing for real money and playing at non-home game. So it is in order you know all about it, if you don't already.

Rakeback is the opportunity so many decide not to tell new players. Instead these people and sites go for personal gain and leave the innocent new player unaware he/she has just lost thousands of dollars of potential gain over time.

Unfortunately, the same goes for the "refer-a-friend" services which don't do you or your friend any good.

Interested to know how most of the poker blogs, news, strategy and "fan sites" fool you?

Want to know how you can help yourself and your friends to gain a lot of $$ over time playing poker?

Read on, no bul%#(it here on Poker Wits.

Everything You Ever Need to Know About Rake, Rakeback and More

What is Rake?

Rake is the scaled commission fee taken by a cardroom operating a poker game. It is generally 5 to 10 percent of the pot in each poker hand, up to a predetermined maximum amount, but not only can this percentage be anything, there are other non-percentage ways for a casino to take the rake. Some cardrooms will not take a percentage rake in any community card poker game like Texas hold 'em when a hand does not have a flop. This is called "no flop, no drop".

Poker is a player versus player game and the house does not wager against its players (unlike blackjack or roulette) so this fee is the principal mechanism to generate revenues.

It is primarily levied by an establishment which supplies the necessary services for the game to take place. In online poker it covers the various costs of operation such as support, software and personnel. In traditional brick and mortar casinos it is also used to cover the costs involved with providing a dealer (though in many places tips provide the bulk of a dealer's income) for the game, support staff (from servers to supervisors), use of gaming equipment, and the physical building in which the game takes place.

To win when playing in poker games where the house takes a cut, a player must not only beat opponents, but also the financial drain of the rake.

[From Wikipedia]

How much rake is collected?

The amount varies based on the limit your playing, number of players and the size of the pot. Usually there is maximum rake that will be collected at certain limit. For example, check the rake table and explanation from PokerStars.

What is Rakeback?

So, while playing poker for real money, you are nearly always paying rake. For example, when playing in tournaments, rake is the +$0.5 +$1 +$2 you see after the actual tournament fee. And in cash games, part of the pot is taken as rake.

That money collected as the rake goes to the site, for profit and to keep it running. Now we get to the good part: It is possible to get a lot of the rake back to you. This is called Rakeback.

As generalization, one can say that there are two types of possibilities to get part of the rake back:

1) Indirectly, via Cash Bonusess from the Loyalty Program run by the poker site

2) Directly, from rakeback service run by external service, based on the affiliate bonuses and the rake you've paid.

Loyalty Programs

Online, it is common that the pokersites have some sort of loyalty program, like PokerStars VIP Program, where players collect "Frequent Player Points" or similar and can receive or purchase different kind of rewards in return: books, electronics, etc. Or by exchanging the player points to cash bonuses (which are usually "cleared" and released to your account by collecting certain amount of points). Depending on the poker sites cash bonus system and how much you play, it's possible to get 30-60% of the rake back.

Rakeback Web Sites

Not all poker sites offer worthwhile poker bonus or loyalty program, or the program doesn't offer cash bonuses, like PokerStars VIP Program does.

But all is not lost. You can use those "player points" (if the site has such system) to buy books, TVs, or whatever, and get the cash back elsewhere.

This is where the Rakeback services come in.

Player signs to the poker site through the links provided by the Rakeback service, creates account on the poker site and then joins the rakeback service. or player joins rakeback service first, and then signs on to the sites, as one can and in some cases should, play on more than one site.

When Rakeback service has the information about the players ID or username on the pokersite, the amount of rakeback can be tracked at the rakeback site and payments are made each month. The amount of rakeback can be up to 60% (like the best Loyalty Programs have), so it adds up quickly. When the poker site has collected $100 from you, you'll get $60 back without doing anything extra!

So a new player should never-ever join a pokersite by googling the poker site directly and joining in, over time, you're losing thousands of dollars (depending on how much you play over time of course).

Important Note! It possible that poker site stops paying the rakeback affiliate bonuses, which would mean no rakeback, but it is very likely that this would happen. And even if it would happen, you still would've gained a lot of "extra cash" from now to the possible day it stops.

Recommended Services and Poker Sites

1) If you want to start and play at PokerStars, signup to PokerStars.com and reap the rewards from the VIP program.

2) If you want to play at Full Tilt Poker, UltimateBet, CakePoker, Betfair, or some other poker sites not mentioned, sign through Rakeback service. In this case, I recommend RakeTheRake.

RakeTheRake offers up to 60% rakeback at all the top poker rooms, they make prompt reliable payments every month and you can check your rakeback account daily on the secure online rakeback tracker.

I recommend them as they are the biggest and the most trustworthy rakeback affiliate (with over 50000 players) and they were chosen as the 2009 Best Poker Affiliate.

To get started, visit raketherake.com.

Why are you telling me this?

Look at the top of this post. Remember what I told about poker fan sites and blogs going for personal gain, and fooling you at the same time?

1) I want to be sure you don't do the same mistakes I did and end up avoiding the best and the biggest sites because you signed without rakeback.

2) I help you, because rakeback/bonus is good for you

3) Signing through links on this site, you help me

Like said, with PokerStars.com, you can and should sign through the links in Poker Wits (to support the site and help me to help you).

But as mentioned, with other poker sites: DO NOT click links on non-rakeback sites or google "Full Tilt Poker" and sign up. You will lose a lot of money if you do this!

Don't fall into the "Click here, join this-and-this-poker-site, we'll give you $50 when you deposit". Just don't. The same goes for the "Get 2 Poker Books and a Poker Chip Set if you join here". Bulls%&t.

Don't take the immediate (small) rewards, as you can have bigger (HUGE, if you will) gain later - if you are smart and listen to what I tell you.

You can buy 1000 books and a barrel of chips with the thousands of dollars you get from rakeback over the years, even if you are casual poker player, let alone if you are planning to go pro at some point.

Why?

Because there are many, many poker news and strategy sites out there who link you to the poker sites, but don't offer Rakeback. DO NOT SIGN to a Poker Site, unless you have been directed to that site through respected and trustworthy source, like this Poker Wits site or proven rakeback service, like RakeTheRake.

After you are signed to the poker site you are set. If you signed through rakeback service, you will get rakeback. If sign through direct search or link from non-rakeback site, you don't get rakeback, it's that simple. It is possible to get you rakeback afterwards in some cases, but in most cases, no chance.

This happened to me when I was starting (luckily there are plenty of poker sites out there, but for some, I don't play because I don't have rakeback), so don't do the same mistake.

However, if the unfortunate has happened to you and have already signed to a poker site yourself or through "I win, you lose" links at most of the other "strategy" sites. As a result you don't receive rakeback, here's what you can try: Create account at raketherake.com, and contact them via "re-tag" contact form, which you can find in the FAQ there. They *might* be able to help you and set you rakeback, but it is also possible there's nothing they can do, but it doesn't hurt to to try.

Just ask yourself, do you want to have $0 or $10000? Your milage may wary of course, but you get the idea, anything over $0 is way better than $0 and $1000 later is way better than $10 now.

Smart Players, Smart Choices

1) Start Small, but Think Big.

Even if you have no plans to play a lot of poker, just a bit for fun, start as you would start a new job. If you decide take more serious approach to poker later and think of it as career, you are all set for it, because you started small, but planned big.

For starters, and for the great VIP Loyalty Program (equivalent to Rakeback), sign-up and play at the worlds biggest poker site: PokerStars.com

2) Get Rakeback and Take the Full Benefits of the Bonus Offers

Making the most out of the bonus offers the poker sites offer is a great way to boost your bankroll when early in your poker "career". Rakeback, as explained above, will benefit you for the rest of your life, whenever you play poker.

When looking for a new site to play on, first check this site if there is a link to it, then check raketherake if they offer rakeback for the site. Signing through these will secure your future plays on that site, even if you start small.

When and if your bankroll has grown and you can take the full benefit of the bigger bonus offers of the other major poker sites, like Full Tilt Poker, you can get the first deposit bonuses and rakeback to boot at raketherake.com

Further Reading:

How To Boost Your Early Poker Bankroll with Bonuses

One Last Note

Share the love if you will.

The "refer-a-friend" services at the poker sites are not very good. Your friends will be better of without the immediate "$50 for you, $50 for me" deal and get rakeback just like you did.

So - never use "refer-a-friend" on the poker site itself, as that won't help you friend, if there is a rakeback available for that site. So make your friend a huge favor and refer her here on this article instead. I'm sure she will thank you later.