The Evolution of Rakeback: How Rakeback Started

In the history of online poker comps, there are new deposit bonuses, which reward brand new players based on their initial deposit(s); reload bonuses, which reward veteran players for re-depositing money; no deposit bonuses, which actually give real money to new players for trying a site or downloading the software; and frequent player points, which allow loyal players to accumulate points as they play that can be exchanged for tournament seats, merchandise, and sometimes even cash. These incentives were brought about by poker rooms to entice players to sign up and register a new account with them, and then to keep players returning to their sites because they feel an allegiance with them. Loyalty to a site has played a big part in the marketing of online poker. By returning to a site, players can stack loyalty points and earn rewards, and while these programs are nice, they just aren’t enough of a payback for devoted players.

A Simple Idea

Due to the industry’s need for a better incentive to offer online poker players, specifically high-rollers, an idea was generated in a forum around 2004. The idea was a concept referred to as rake rebate, now calledrakeback. This was a completely new idea and was the spawn of the high rakes and tournament fees charged by the poker rooms. The guys who run the poker bonus sites wanted to offer part of their commissions back to the players who they advertised to. They wanted to share part of their revenue, which appealed to both parties, serving as a way to comp the players and as a marketing strategy, as well.

The idea was initially pitched to Gold Tiger Poker, Party Poker, and Absolute Poker. The response was no, maybe, and yes (in order). Absolute Poker, being a fairly new poker room at the time, was the most willing to take the risk and be the first card room to offer rake rebate. In the spring of 2004, the first deal between poker room, affiliate, and player was made. Players began to receive a monthly cut of the rake they generated.

Just Like That

And the rest is history—today there are countless rakeback sites and thousands of dollars being returned daily to their original owners—the players. Absolute Poker still has a rakeback program in effect, as does Fulltilt Poker and Ultimate Bet Poker. But what if you want a rakeback from another site? That’s where other rakeback sites come in. By signing up with a rakeback site, you are basically employing a middleman, who can return a portion of your rake to you, when your favorite site does not support a rakeback program.

Don’t Miss Out

Thanks to these rakeback sites, you can now enjoy any of your favorite poker games and get some of the money you spent on rake fees and tournament fees back. Even if you aren’t a high-roller, you essentially have nothing to lose by signing up for rakeback. The bottom line is, if you are playing poker online for real money, you are paying the poker room(s) you frequent in the form of rakes and fees. By registering for rakeback, you are getting some of that money back. It is like a rebate on poker chips. You really have nothing to lose, except from 25%-35% of the rake you pay to play online. Furthermore, rakeback is not going anywhere, so as long as you play, you’ll get paid. It has become a permanent fixture of the industry—the next trend in the marketing of online poker—take advantage or miss out!