14/04/2009 In Rakeback Advice, Strategy

What is rakeback and what can it do for you? Rakeback is a promotion that provides an alternative to the traditional online poker bonus. Why would you want an alternative? If you plan on playing a lot at one particular site, rakeback can be to your advantage. For every hand you play, money is raked out of the pot for the casino. With rakeback, some of that money is returned to you. Over the course of many hours of play, that rake money can really add up.

Rakeback Do’s and Don’ts

When looking for rakeback deals, do:

Go to a rakeback affiliate. You won’t find rakeback directly at your poker site. You will need to go to a site that is specifically designed to direct poker traffic to sign up with various online poker sites through offering rakeback.

Find the best rakeback deal you can. Not all rakeback deals are created equal. You may be offered 10 percent, 20 percent or even 30 percent rakeback. The amount of rakeback may depend on how popular the site is to begin with and how badly they need traffic, but even if you have a specific site in mind, it can’t hurt to sniff out the best deals.

Prepare to sign up with some of the less well-known sites. If you have to play on a major site like PartyPoker or PokerStars, you’re out of luck when it comes to rakeback. These sites are big enough that they don’t need to offer this kind of promotion. If you don’t mind playing on one of the less popular sites though, you can find all sorts of great deals.

When looking for rakeback deals, don’t:

Don’t try to get a sign up bonus and a rakeback deal with the same site. You cannot do both, so if you’ve already signed up with a site using an online poker bonus (or signed up without any kind of promotion), you will have no chance of getting rakeback for that site.

Don’t sign up through a rakeback deal if you don’t plan to play on the site long term. Rakeback really pays when you put in many hours at a given site. If you’re planning a “hit and run,” you’re much better off seeking out a lucrative sign up bonus.