Rakeback 101 · Part 3
Is Rakeback Legit?
Yes — it's closer to a cashback credit card than anything shady. But the way you get it matters.
Rakeback exists because poker rooms budget for it. Every major room runs a loyalty program that returns rake to players, and every major room runs an affiliate program that pays referrers a share of rake. Both are documented in the room's own terms. A rakeback deal is simply an affiliate choosing to pass their share on to you. Nothing is hidden from the room, nothing changes at the tables, and the money is funded by rake you were paying anyway. I've lived on it for over a decade. The question worth asking isn't "is rakeback legit?" but "is this rakeback deal legit?" — and there the answer depends on a few checks.
What legitimate looks like
- ✓ The room is a licensed operator, or — for club apps — you know exactly who the agent is and how they've paid other people.
- ✓ The deal is on top of the room's own loyalty program, not a replacement for it. If someone tells you to skip the room's rewards, ask why.
- ✓ The percentage, the payment schedule and the payment method are written down before you deposit.
- ✓ It costs you nothing up front. A rakeback deal is paid out of rake you generate; anyone asking for a fee to "unlock" one is selling something else.
- ✓ You can verify it. Your rake is visible in your account history or tracking software, so you can check every payment against it.
Red flags
"Guaranteed" income
A second account
Numbers above the room's ceiling
Payment to a stranger's wallet
The honest caveats
Is it allowed by the rooms?
Yes. Rooms create and fund affiliate programs on purpose. Some rooms restrict how affiliates may advertise their share (which is why deals are discussed privately rather than posted as a price list), but receiving rakeback through an affiliate is not a violation of anything. Multi-accounting to get it is.
Is it taxable?
That depends entirely on your country and on how it treats poker winnings generally. I'm not an accountant and this site doesn't give tax advice; if your poker results are taxable where you live, assume rakeback is part of them and ask a professional.
What about club apps?
There is no licensed operator behind PPPoker, X-Poker, ClubGG and the rest — the games run inside independently owned clubs, and your money sits with an agent. The rakeback is real and large, but so is the counterparty risk. I play on several and only ever introduce people to agents who have paid me, on time, for years. Treat it as a different risk category from a regulated room, because it is one. More on the apps page.
Can rakeback be taken away?
A room can change its loyalty program — several have cut theirs over the years — and an affiliate program can be restructured. What can't happen is a legitimate affiliate clawing back rakeback already paid. If a deal ever changes, you should hear about it before it affects you, not after.
That's the whole of Rakeback 101: what rake is, how rakeback works, and how to tell a real deal from a bad one. If you'd like one set up properly, get in touch — or see what each room pays on the rakeback comparison.