Rakeback is one of the best ways to increase your earnings from playing poker, either online or offline. Working as a sort of commission, rakeback presents you with the opportunity to recoup a proportion of the money paid in respect of the poker room’s fee, or ‘rake’, in line with how much you play, and is designed to reduce the costs of your poker play and help you get more mileage out of every deposit into your account.
Usually payable monthly, rakeback is a common feature of gameplay in online poker (where rakeback is deposited directly into the players online account) and in offline poker, where rakeback may be paid in cash according to the rate card applicable within the given poker room or casino.
While common and well referenced in the industry, rakeback can seem to some like a strange concept, and one that doesn’t quite make logical sense, with casinos looking to maximize their earnings from each and every hand.
That’s why we’ve put together a short ‘Q and A’ on rakeback, what it is and how you can get it, to help clarify what is often a complex issue for those new to the world of online gambling.
Where does Rakeback come from?
The casino or poker site you’re playing with will generally take a small commission from each hand played. This is known as the ‘rake’, and forms the profit portion taken by the casino. Rakeback comes, usually through affiliates or special promotional offers, as a result of playing on an ongoing basis and to a sufficient volume to qualify, at which point a portion of the rake (determined by the casino) is repaid to the player in recognition of his loyalty, making the costs of playing much less significant.
Can I get Rakeback with my current online casino?
Rakeback is generally only payable if you’ve signed up for a site that offers rakeback in the first instance. Because it is generally used as a marketing tool by casinos and poker rooms to attract new players in an already competitive industry, it’s often not possible for existing users to negotiate a rakeback rate. If in doubt, it always pays to get in touch with your casino operator to check whether or not you may be entitled to a saving.
How do I get Rakeback, if I don’t qualify already?
Rakeback is generally only applicable when you sign up through a rakeback affiliate, although in some occasions it may be available through signing up with a poker site directly. If you don’t qualify with your current poker room, you may have to sign up for another service through a rakeback affiliate link in order to qualify for your percentage.
Can I just create another account at the same online casino through an affiliate link to qualify?
On most occasions this won’t be allowed. Rakeback is designed to help casinos and poker rooms attract new clients, and as such it’s almost always against the terms and conditions of your online casino to set up another account for the sole purposes of exploiting a rakeback offer.
