Rakeback Profits

Increasing profits with Rakeback is a great way to keep your bankroll on the rise at online poker rooms. Rakeback deals grant the player a portion of their contributed rake deposited back into their bankroll. Not only can you further increase your profits with Rakeback, you can turn a downswing of break-even games into a prosperous day on the virtual felt.

There are three general types of online poker Rakeback deals. They are Contributed Rakeback, Shared Rakeback and Dealt Rakeback. There is also one called Tournament Rakeback, but it is not a standalone Rakeback deal like those listed above. Tournament Rakeback is sometimes found in addition to the standard online poker Rakeback programs.

With so many online poker Rakeback deals on the menu, a player may get confused as to which he should choose to maximize profits with Rakeback. The truth is, all online poker Rakeback deals are profitable to any real-money online poker player, however, because of the way each one is paid, your choice should be based on the type of player you are.

Loose / Aggressive

A loose, aggressive poker player needs to sign up for a Contributed Rakeback program. Contributed Rakeback is paid according to how much a player contributes to the pot and rake. A loose, aggressive player not only sees most flops, they tend to be more liberal with their betting, whether they have a great hand or simply want to bluff others out.

Loose / Passive

This type of player should sign up for a Shared Rakeback deal. Again, contributing to the pot is required to receive Rakeback, and loose players like to see the flop. However, a passive bettor is much more conservative with their chips. Shared Rakeback is paid by the median rake amount, which means the total rake is divided by all contributing players, and that becomes each player's contributed rake. Contributed Rakeback percentages are then paid from that median rake.

Tight / Aggressive or Passive

No matter how aggressive or passive your betting style is, if you're a tight poker player, you need to take advantage of a Dealt Rakeback program. Dealt Rakeback is also divided by all players, but is paid to a player just for being dealt in the hand. No real contribution to the pot is required. If you fold under the gun, you still earn Dealt Rakeback so long as the hand is raked.

Tournament Players

If you like to play in paid tournaments, meaning those that require a buy-in + fee, you should seek out an online poker Rakeback deal that includes Tournament Rakeback. Your overall player type would affect which standard Rakeback deal to take.

From the player types above, you should be able to find a suitable online poker Rakeback deal that will suit both your cash game and tournament play. However, if you cannot find a suitable online poker Rakeback deal for your player type that includes Tournament Rakeback, you'll have some decisions to make. The following questions should help you decide which the best option for you is.

Do you play more cash games than tournaments?

If yes, stick to your preferred player type and disregard tournament Rakeback. You will earn more from your standard Rakeback that Tournament Rakeback would make up for.

Do you play both tournaments and cash games regularly?

In this case, you have two choices. Either change up your poker strategy to fit the online poker Rakeback deal you've chosen, or stick to your normal strategy and let the tournament Rakeback make up for the decreased profits from cash game Rakeback. If you try changing your strategy and find yourself making less of a profit from the poker game itself, go back to your original strategy. You must be at least breaking even, and hopefully making a profit, in order for Rakeback to increase those profits.

Do you play more tournaments than cash games?

If yes, go for the Tournament Rakeback and keep your regular playing style. You won't earn as much as you could be earning from cash game Rakeback, but your tournament Rakeback will greatly make up the difference.