RakeBack vs Loyalty Programs
This is almost a never ending tale – should you go for flat rakeback that is paid to your account regardless of how much you play or choose the so called loyalty programs, also known as VIP Programs. These are usually based on VIP point acquisition – you earn a certain amount of points for every dollar paid in rake. Depending on how many points are earned, you are awarded with a VIP level. Some VIP systems will also offer to boost your points, if you earn a specific amount of them. In the end you are usually offered to exchange the points for cash. Loyalty Programs, as per their name are developed to reward those that are loyal in longterm.
Advice for beginners/micro stakes players
If you’re just starting out or still playing the micro stakes, I would advise to always go for flat rakeback instead of loyalty programs. The reasoning behind this is quite simple, you won’t generate a ton of rake that is usually needed to get reasonable value back from the VIP programs. When you take a flat rakeback deal, you’re guaranteed to get a fixed percentage of your rake. Industry standards are somewhere between 30 and 45%, when it comes to flat percentages. On top of this, you can also often participate in promotions and rake competitions, known as races. All of this adds extra value for all your play and can give returns as high as 70-80%.
Advice for high volume players
If you generate thousands of dollars in rake every month, it’s definitely worth going for loyalty programs. If your bankroll allows saving up points for several months, you can get as high as 70% back only from the VIP scheme itself. This doesn’t count in all the extra promotions and rake races. I’ve seen some players receiving over 100% of their rake after they exchange points. Poker rooms actually lose money on these players, but it’s still worth for them, as these VIP players often refer other high volume players as well as keep the high stakes games going.
Getting Extra Value
Seeing how competitive the online poker industry has gotten, you should be striving to get as much value as possible. It’s not all that hard, to be honest. Most legitimate poker sites are in hunt for new poker players so deals of loyalty program + first deposit bonus + promotions are available at most of them.
Other perk that players under loyalty programs enjoy most of the time is the welcome bonus. When you choose to go for rakeback, the bonus will usually be deducted from your rakeback payment.
Rake Races
Another widely popular way of getting extra value is rake competitions, known as rake races among the poker industry. You can find some really large ones that award amounts between $1,000 and $10,000 on monthly bases. All you have to do in order to participate is play! There are no strings attached and everyone is free to take part in these. Once in a while there are some gems that can be found in these where players are able to receive up to 50% of their rake simply for these.
Being a Rakeback Pro
It’s not much of a secret that games have gotten really hard to beat, thus you have to make every little edge count. One of the easiest ways to do this is by obtaining a great deal and receiving incentives to play poker. There are probably hundreds of players out there who make a great living by playing high volume and counting on rakeback or bonuses to make profit. They simply break even in the games they play and take home massive payouts due to the amount of rake they pay.
