Rakeback transactions can be extremely profitable. Poker rooms use it to attract new customers and reward the most loyal ones, whereas professional online poker players use it to significantly increase their earnings. But how does online poker rakeback deals work, how do you get it, and how much money can you expect to make? 

This Guide will provide you with those answers, as well as teach you how to increase your profits.


What is Rakeback?


Rakeback is a type of promotion offered by many online poker sites in which a percentage of the rake paid is returned to the player. In other words, money taken from the commission that poker sites charge and returned to the players. How much exactly depends on your agreement with the poker site and how much you paid in rake (commissions): This system is most beneficial to high-volume, high-stakes players.


Rakeback online poker sites used to be the norm, and they still are among new poker rooms because it is a great way to attract new customers. Nowadays, not every poker site offers online poker rakeback deals, but many do, including some industry heavyweights, because it rewards and retains loyal customers.


Every online poker site that offers Rakeback has a unique system for calculating it, such as loyalty points, VIP programmes, and so on. There will be a few examples and recommendations of the best poker sites to earn Rakeback. Although this reward is always calculated based on the Rake you pay, you must first understand how Rake works to determine how much Rakeback money you can receive.


How is it Calculated?


While playing cash games, you may notice that the online poker site takes a percentage of the pot: this is rake, and it is how poker sites make money: they host the games and collect rake as a commission. Rake is normally collected only after the flop at poker sites. For cash game players, the percentage is usually around 5% of the pot, but there is a cap such as $ 5 or 3 BB, depending on the limit you play. Rake systems vary by online poker room. In general, micro and low stakes games charge a higher rake, while mid and high stakes games usually have a rake cap and/or a lower rake percentage than lower stakes games.


How do I get online poker rakeback deals?


Rakeback is usually not automatic; you must request it. You can do this by contacting the poker room directly or by enlisting the help of affiliates who can offer you exclusive online poker rakeback deals.


The first option is to write directly to the online poker room. If a player is eligible, they should include the player in the Rakeback deal mentioned on their page and pay it directly to the player account, according to the terms and conditions they described for their Rakeback programmes. Some do so automatically, but this is not always the case, so check with the online gaming site of your choice.


However, affiliate online poker rakeback deals are frequently the most efficient way. Affiliates are third-party organisations that collaborate with players and partner poker sites to obtain the best Rakeback deals for their clients. In this case, the affiliate will pay you the agreed-upon amount. The benefit is that they allow poker players to concentrate on playing while negotiating a Rakeback deal with the site. Since they bring in a large number of players, they have more negotiating power and can usually obtain even better terms or additional benefits for their players.


Can I get rakeback on tournaments and Sit & Go's?


You certainly can. Rake works a little differently, but it still applies to tournament fees and Sit & Go's, so if the poker room has a Rakeback offer, it also applies to tournament and SnG players.


Rake is charged as a flat amount which is included with buy-ins and tournament fees rather than a percentage of the pot: For example, $ 100+$10 means that the tournament fee of $ 10 counts as Rake. The rake in this case is typically around 10%, but the same logic applies: mid and high stakes poker tables typically have a lower rake percentage than mid and low stakes poker tables. In simple terms, every time that you spend money on an online poker game, the operator receives a rake in some form or another: a percentage of the final pot for cash games or even a fixed amount for tournaments and Sit & Go's.


Why aren't poker rakeback deals available in every online poker room?


Rakeback programmes deduct a portion of the poker room's revenue in exchange for more customers. If an online poker site already has a large number of loyal customers, it has less incentive to offer Rakeback.


Similarly, if a poker room has a Rakeback of more than 40%, it may indicate that they are struggling to attract or retain customers for some reason (though this is not always the case), or it may simply indicate that they are new and are attempting to establish a decent player base to get started.