Rakeback
has been great for online poker. Most online poker rooms realized quickly that
the more players they could direct to their sites, the more money they could
make, and it was worth it to give a little something back to those players in
order to get them on the site. With rakeback, even players who normally might
patronize live casinos had great incentive to stay home and play online poker.
This is
because as long as they played as well, their win rate online would be
significantly better. Why? For one, less rake would be taken out online and for
another they would save the other expenses of playing at a live casino,
including transportation and tips. In fact, the combination of rakeback and
other benefits of online play were such that some pros did not even need to
play as well online as they do live in order to show a profit.
So what’s
the flip side? Is there any downside to rakeback in online poker? Isn’t there
some kind of catch? The short answer is the benefits far outweigh any other
considerations in most cases. There really isn’t any catch, other than that you
have to play on the site where you have rakeback. As long as you can play your
best game on that particular poker site,
and there’s no reason you shouldn’t, rakeback will be to your advantage.
Another
thing to consider when playing with rakeback is that some players may play too
loose, knowing that some of their money is coming back to them. Try to play
your best game, and don’t make calls just because “you have the money.” If the
rakeback aspect causes you to play that much worse, it could negate the
positive effect on your win rate.
Finally,
you need to consider the effect rakeback has on your other bonuses. You can’t
get rakeback and a sign-up bonus on the same site, for example at Full Tilt Poker. But that’s okay,
because if you play long enough, the rakeback will be worth more. However, you
should be able to get other online poker bonuses like loyalty bonuses even if
you have rakeback. Try to make sure the site you sign up with does allow
bonuses with rakeback. You probably won’t get rakeback credit until the bonus
money is covered by rake, but again, that’s okay, because you’re still getting
a free bankroll boost out of the deal.
More great Rakeback Resources from Treasure Hunter Poker:
