Where Can US Players Play in 2012 ?

One year after events of Black Friday there are only few sites allowing US poker players to play and receive rakeback.

Winning Poker Network
- Americas Cardroom
- True Poker

Cake Network
- Cake Poker
- Intertops

Although not so popular as Cake Network - poker rooms at Winning Poker Network are highly recommended for all players because of fastest cashouts and very good promotions including biggest guaranted tournaments, WSOP and the Punta Cana Poker Classic prize packages, $50000 Rake Race, frequent bonuses.

Rakeback for US Players

Due to United States legislation, US players doesn't have much choice where to play poker. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 prohibits the transfer of funds from a financial institution to Internet gambling sites, specifically excluding fantasy sports, online lotteries and horse racing.

Although this does not mean that it is illegal to play poker most online poker rooms don't accept US players. Luckily there are still a lot of sites that will allow US Players. Check out and compare our list of US friendly poker rooms.

Full Tilt Poker is the largest rakeback friendly poker room. Full Tilt Poker offers 27% rakeback and 100% up to $600 signup bonus. This bonus is deducted by Full Tilt Poker from your total rake.

Carbon Poker is the flagship poker room on the Merge Network. They are offering 35% rakeback and attractive player incentives such as rake races, bonuses and VIP program.

Cake Poker is a popular poker site for many players around the world, including from the USA. Cake Poker offers 33% dealt rakeback and a sign-up bonus of 110% up to $600.

True Poker is the flagship site on the Yatahay Network and has been serving players for almost 10 years. Players will receive 27% rakeback and 100% signup bonus.

So as you can see from the above list there are still plenty of rakeback options ranging from 27% to 40% for U.S players. As you probably well know, it's hard enough to make money from online poker, so you should consider rakeback and increase your win rate instantaneously. Even brak even player can earn thousands of dollars if he choose to sign up for a good rakeback deal.

5 Online Poker Rakeback Pitfalls You Must Avoid!

Big percentages can seem attractive to poker players wishing to switch to a rakeback deal - in which a percentage of their fee is returned each month. For the majority of players, the biggest 'headline percentage' is not necessarily the best long-term deal. In fact, experienced rakeback professionals would argue that the majority of the deals available should be avoided for one or more reasons. This article lists 5 pitfalls that online poker players need to avoid in choosing the best way to get their rake back.

#1 - Are There Enough Players?

Some of the biggest offers are from smaller sites with very few players. What is more these sites often attract a disproportionate number of winning players, attracted by the big headline percentage offer. Imagine the difference between a table full of other winners compared to a table of recreational players and inexperienced opponents. The difference in your potential for profit should be clear.

#2 - Are You Able To Multi-Table?

Many players on poker rake-back deals increase their bottom line by playing many tables at once. There are two reasons why this might not be possible at certain sites. First there may not be enough opponents at the levels and games you choose to play. Second, some poker software makes this difficult, by not being re-sizable or intensive on your computers resources. Make sure you are able to multi-table before choosing your deal.

#3 - Are Races And Tournaments Offered?

Some rakeback providers offer 'rake races' which act as an incentive to players by awarding extra cash prizes depending on how far up a time-limited leader board they finish. Other affiliates also offer freeroll tournaments. When comparing deals ask your operator how regularly these incentives are offered - and also how many participants are expected each time.

#4 - How Do Bonuses, Freerolls And Promotions Affect Your Rakeback?

Some sites deduct a percentage of your payout when you are clearing a bonus. This can still mean more cash when you combine the bonus with (reduced) rake back in some cases, though it is always best to ask your potential provider. Likewise promotions including freerolls, points redeemed in online poker room's stores and overlay tournament entries can also reduce your rakeback from some rooms. Ensure that you are comparing like-for-like before you sign-up.

#5 - Can You Quickly And Easily Deposit And Withdraw?

With increasing difficulty in the US and many other geographies with depositing and withdrawing from poker sites, this is something you must investigate fully before even considering a percentage deal. Reputable poker rooms offer a range of trusted deposit and withdrawal methods, while withdrawing from a small or new room might be very slow or difficult. Any reputable room or affiliate will be able to give you comprehensive information on this aspect of choosing a rakeback deal, do not settle for incomplete or vague information.

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Dealt and contributed method - how is rakeback calculated

Many poker players can become confused when trying to calculate the amount of rakeback they have earned. Even when not trying to manually figure this out, they might not understand how their rakeback is calculated. There are currently three different methods that a particular poker room will use to calculate rakeback. The following is an explanation of all three of these methods, with examples, that should make a poker player's understanding of rakeback much clearer.

Before explaining the three methods individually understanding what 'monthly gross rake (MGR)' is very important. In a nutshell, MGR is the gross profit a poker room earns from a poker player. Rakeback is based on this amount. If a poker room's method of calculating MGR shows a player has earned them $1000 and the player receives 35% rakeback, then the player will receive $350. In a sense, then, this article is not really about how rakeback is calculated, but how MGR is calculated, since the poker player receives this rakeback based on their MGR.

The first method that a poker room might use to calculate MGR is the 'dealt' method. This is the most simple of the three to understand. If there is rake taken from the pot and a player was dealt in the hand, they will earn MGR, and hence rakeback, on that hand. This is calculated using the following forumula: ($amount raked from pot) / (amount of players dealt in) = MGR. The player will then receive X% ('X' being their rakeback percentage) in rakeback.

If, for example, there is a poker hand where 10 players are dealt in and the pot is raked $3, then for that hand the MGR will be $0.30. It is important to remember that as long as the player received cards, under this method, the player will earn MGR, and hence rakeback, on this hand.

Another method of MGR/rakeback calculation is the 'average contributed' method. Not only does a player have to be dealt in, but they also have to contribute to the pot in some way (even if they fold the small blind). This method, along with the final method, is much easier to explain with an example.

If 10 players are dealt in a hand, but only 6 contribute to the pot and the pot is raked $3.00, each player will earn $3.00/6 players ($.0.50). The formula the poker room uses for this method is ($amount raked) / (amount of players contributed to the pot) =MGR.

The final method is very similar to the 'average contributed' method above. This method, 'weighted contributed', differs in that MGR is figured in direct proportion to the amount of money a player puts in the pot. For example, 10 people are dealt in the hand and 8 of them contribute to the pot, but Player A folds on the flop, after he contributed $20 to the pot. If at the end of the hand there is $300 in the pot, then Player A has contributed 6.67% of the $300 pot. If $3 was raked from the pot, Player A's MGR is (.067) * ($3.00) = $0.20. The formula is then (amount contributed to the pot / $ amount of pot ) * ($ amount raked) = MGR.

Each method has its benefits as well as its drawbacks, but these benefits and drawbacks are somewhat subjective and is not the purpose here. It also needs to be mentioned that a poker room always uses the same method to how they calculate rakeback. The only time it has changed in the past is when a poker room is bought by another company.

Once a player knows the formula used for each method, they will find that calculating their rakeback manually is quite simple. At the same time, this will most likely not even be necessary to do, but knowing how to do this can create a deeper understanding of how much the rake affects their bottom line and why rakeback is

Shannon Gilchrist is the lead editor of Rake Tracker, a site dedicated to online poker rake tracking and rakeback.

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How Much Does Rakeback Increase the Online Poker Player's Win-Rate?

The amount of poker players that are interested in rakeback has increased by such large amounts over the last two years that there are now multiple poker web sites and poker forums that are solely dedicated to the subject of rakeback. With all of the information that is available on the subject, it is surprising how many poker players do not understand the fundamental theories behind rakeback and the positive effects it will have on their bankroll. Using examples of the winning, break-even, and even the losing player, the purpose here is to show that no matter what limits of poker one is playing online, that the effect rakeback will have on their bankroll will prove to be positive.

The terms 'winning poker player', 'break-even poker player', and 'losing poker player' need to be given some sort of definition. For our purposes here, we will assume that the winning poker player wins 2 big bets per hundred hands ('big bets per hundred hands' will be denoted as 'bb/100 hands), the break-even poker player wins at 0 bb/100 hands, and the losing poker player wins at -1 bb/100 hands. As will become apparent, the actual limits being played is not important for our purposes , but in order for the explanation to be understood abstractly and conceptually, a $3-$6 game is going to be used as an example throughout the rest of the article. Using the definition of a winning player from above, the $3-$6 player will win $12 (2 bb) every 100 hands. The L will win -$6 every 100 hands. The bb/100 hands is not taking rakeback into consideration.

The average $3/$6 10 handed game will have a pot that is raked $2.00 (it is a little bit more, but for our purposes here, $2.00 will be an easier number to work with). This means that each player contributed $0.20 to the rake. The player will receive 35% of that $2.00 back for a $0.07 refund.
To clarify, the Monthly Gross Rake (MGR) is calculated by dividing the amount of players dealt in the hand, by the amount of total rake taken from the pot (10 players / $2 = $.020). To figure the rakeback monetary amount received per hand, multiply rakeback percentage by the MGR per hand ($0.35 * $0.20 = $0.07). Then multiply the rakeback per hand by 100 to see how how much rakeback will be earned per 100 hands ($.07 * 100 hands = $7.00).

With the $7.00 per 100 hands, the winning $3/$6 poker player earns 150% of her winrate, the breakeven player now shows a $7.00/per 100 hands win/rate and the losing player will be slightly better than break-even (provided that he doesn't lose more than $6 per hour). If a player plays two tables at a time, they will be able to play approximately 150 hands an hour. This means that the winning player of 2bb/100 will win $28.50 on average for every hour she plays. Rakeback will have made up $10.50 of her poker winnings.

The above examples are using very specific definitions of 'winning' and 'losing' poker players and also only takes $3-$6 limit hold-em into consideration. Using the above, one can easily deduce how much rakeback they will earn every 100 hands. Even players that are winning players at lower limits will earn a decent percentage of a bb/100 hands even if they don't win at a rate of 2bb/100. A losing poker player of more than 1bb/100 hands, will still benefit from receiving rakeback at any limits.

As long as the formulas above are used, it will be close to impossible to show that rakeback is not worth receiving if there is any significant amount of hands played in a month. Since poker players are always looking for an edge, turning down an obviously large rebate that will be received monthly (and sometimes daily) is a mistake that will not take long to show itself.

Shannon Gilchrist is the lead editor of Rake Tracker, a site dedicated to online poker rake tracking and rakeback. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Gilchrist

Online poker - why is rakeback so important

Why is rakeback so important for an online poker player?

Long-time online poker players are generally well informed on the benefits of online poker rakeback, and the vast majority of these players are already playing with the best rakeback deal. However, many new and casual poker players may be missing out on the added profits of a rakeback deal.

What Is the Rake?

The rake is small percentage of each pot that an online poker site takes as a "fee" for spreading the poker game. Since poker players compete against one another and not the house, this "fee" is how the online poker rooms make their profits.

Every hand that reaches a certain monetary threshold qualifies to be raked: The vast majority of cash games will incur a 5% rake, usually up to a maximum of $3. For online poker tournaments you will be assessed a fee, typically 10% of the buy-in amount.

What Is Rakeback?

Rakeback is a percentage of your rake that is given back to you -hence the term rake-back-by a poker affiliate when you sign-up at a poker site through them: Think of it as a rakeback bonus.

Poker affiliates are people, or websites, that drive online poker players to specific poker sites, and for doing so the poker rooms offer the poker affiliate a percentage of that player's rake, which they in turn offer back to the player as rakeback -usually from 27%-40%.

Rakeback is a win for everyone involved: The online poker site gains more players, the affiliate receives a small percentage of tall of heir players' rakeback, and the individual player receives a good rakeback deal.

How Much Can I make Through Rakeback?

A lot of players are probably thinking, "Big deal, it's only a small percentage of a small percentage." But like everything else in poker those small percentages add up really quickly!

For instance: Suppose you sign up at Full Tilt Poker through a poker affiliate who offers you 27% rake-back, and a player of equal skill joins through the Full Tilt Poker website. You both play 500 hands of poker every day, and the average pot is raked $2 by Full Tilt. So, if you are playing in a 10-handed game you are contributing $.20 a hand to the rake, many people feel that receiving 27% of this is chump change right? Well after 30 days that chump change turns out to be $3,000 you have personally paid in rake! After 30 days -with your 27% rakeback-you'll have earned an extra $810 in rakeback bonus!

Obviously signing up for an online poker site without checking to see if they offer rake back is a monumental mistake, and will cost even casual poker players hundreds of dollars.

Where Can I Find A Good Poker Affiliate Who Offers Rakeback?

Poker affiliates must adhere to the online poker site's terms and conditions, which stipulate how much they can offer players in rakeback; so if you come across an affiliate offering more than their competitors they are probably not legitimate and it's probably a scam.

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Rake, rakeback, rakebackpro

With poker becoming more and more popular each day millions of players from all over the world are taking up game. Some players play poker for living while others treat it as a fun and entertainment. But who would not want to make a few extra bucks just for playing games regardless if you are winning or loosing?

The keyword is "rakeback". For some players rakeback is the key to success. Without rakeback they wouldn't stand a chance to earn a living out of playing poker. If you haven't heard of rakeback before, it is the best way to turn a losing hobby into a winning one.

Let's start from beginning. What is rake? Rake is commission fee taken by a cardroom operating a poker game. The amount taken from each pot varies by limits, but is generally from 5% to 10% of the pot - capping at $3 per hand. Whether or not you realize, this amount can add up to quite a significant sum by month's end. A mid limit player, as for example a $10/$20 player, could give the poker room thousands of dollar every months even if he is only a break even player himself.

Now imagine that You can get back part of those money. This refund is known as rakeback. So the idea is quite simple really - a mid limit or high limit player which is only a break even player will earn thousands of dollars if he choose to sign up for a good rakeback deal. No matter what limits you play, whether you are a professional or just play poker for fun, receiving rakeback will greatly increase your win-rate, and allow you to make more money.

Many online poker rooms are offering rakeback The average online poker rakeback offer is about 30% of rake, however, doing some research You can find up to 50% rakeback deals! Even more, You can take part in special promotions like rake races, rake chases, get free access to poker training videos and much more... So if You are playing online poker get rakeback deal and start earning money today.

If You are interested in getting rakeback check RakebackOffers. They have a huge list of rakeback offers for most of the major poker rooms.