Everyone knows the rake. Hell, Edward Norton even made it famous in Rounders with the line, “In the game of life, women are the f-in rake.” But, does everyone know what a rakeback is? And do you know that it’s one of the criteria you should be considering when selecting a poker game? Let’s take a look at the definition and what each big casino offers.
Rake, as we all know, is how casinos make their money off poker. Since the dealer isn’t one of the players, the casino takes a percentage of each hand, regardless of who wins. Usually, there’s a cap, as well.
Now, a rakeback is when the players get refunded. That’s all it is – free money, essentially. Regulars players benefit the most, as the more you pay, the more you get back. Obviously, you’re not going to get back when you see raked away from you, but this is where casino selection comes into play. The higher the rakeback, the more beneficial it is for you to give that casino your poker-playing business.
For example, if a casino offers a rakeback of 30 percent (typically it’s between 25 and 40 at most venues), and you drop $10,000 a year to the rake, you’ll get back $3,000 of that money. All yours. Good deal, right? Well, good enough. After all, what do they say about a gift horse…
The rakeback is an online biggie. And every serious player should know the percentages. Full Tilt gives a 27% rakeback (the lowest of the major sites). Ultimate Bet, Absolute Poker and Sun Poker all bump that up a little bit to 30%. As you can see, even a couple percentage points absolutely will add up on a monthly or yearly basis. If you play every week, you need to care about the rakeback. So next time you login (which may be tonight, it will for me!), check that rakeback and shop around a little.