Rakeback 101 · Part 2

How Does Rakeback Work?

The room already knows exactly how much rake you paid. Rakeback is a percentage of that number coming back to you.

Every poker room keeps a running total of the rake attributed to each account — it has to, because that's how it decides who's a valuable customer. Rakeback is any arrangement that returns part of that total to you. There are two sources, and the point most players miss is that they stack.

Source one: the room's own loyalty program

Almost every room runs a rewards scheme that converts rake into points and points into cash, tickets or bonuses. PokerStars' Stars Rewards, GG's Ocean Rewards, WPN's Elite Benefits, 888's weekly cashback, WSOP's Poker Rewards — different names, same idea. Most are tiered: the more rake you generate in a week or month, the higher the percentage you get back. Typical ranges sit between about 10% for casual players and 40–60% at the very top tiers. Some are automatic; PokerStars, notably, makes you opt in. The rakeback comparison lists each room's program with its ceiling and its realistic rate.

Source two: a deal through an affiliate

Rooms pay affiliates a share of the rake generated by the players they refer — it's how they acquire customers. An affiliate can keep that share, or pass most of it back to the player as extra rakeback. That's what TableFinder does. The mechanics are simple: you register through a tracked link (or I register the account for you), the room tags the account as referred, and each week or month the affiliate's statement shows your rake. Your cut is then paid to you — on top of whatever the room's own program already gave you, because the room's program never knew or cared how you found the site.

Worked example: what 30% is worth

Take the NL25 player from part one, generating about $300 of rake a month. Suppose the room's loyalty program pays them 10% at that volume — $30 — and a deal on top pays another 20% — $60. That's $90 a month, $1,080 a year, for exactly the same hands at exactly the same tables. For a break-even player it's the difference between a hobby that costs money and one that pays for itself. For a winning player it's simply a higher win rate.

Flat, tiered, lifetime

Flat

One percentage on every dollar of rake, no thresholds — WPN's 27% option is the classic example. Predictable, and usually the better choice for anyone who isn't playing full-time.

Tiered

Your rate depends on volume in a period, and drops if you have a slow week. Higher ceilings, but read the tier at your actual volume, not the advertised maximum.

Lifetime tiers

Rare. SwC's Krill system ranks you on lifetime rake and never demotes you, which suits players who play in bursts.

Behaviour-adjusted

GG's PVI raises or lowers your effective rate based on how the network values your play. Unique to GG, and the reason two players there can see very different numbers.

Questions people actually ask

How is it paid?

Room programs pay into your poker balance as cash, tournament tickets or bonus money, on a weekly or monthly cycle — partypoker and 888 pay weekly cash, PokerStars pays through chests you open. Deals through an affiliate are usually paid monthly, either to your poker account or by a transfer you agree in advance. Anything paid as a token rather than cash (Phenom's $PHNM) is worth whatever the token is worth on the day.

Does the room mind?

No — the room set up the affiliate program and pays the share deliberately. What rooms do prohibit is opening a second account to get a deal on a site where you already have one. That's a genuine terms-of-service violation and can get both accounts closed.

Can I add rakeback to my existing account?

Almost never. Attribution happens at signup and rooms won't re-tag an account. If you already play somewhere, the options are a deal on a room you're new to, or a sister skin on the same network (iPoker and WPN both have several) that shares the player pool.

Does rakeback affect the games?

Not the cards, the software or the rake taken from the pot — those are identical for everyone. It affects the ecosystem indirectly: rooms with very generous rakeback attract more professionals (WPN is the textbook case), which is worth knowing when you choose where to play.

Next: the question everyone has before they sign anything — is rakeback legitimate? Or jump to the room-by-room comparison.