Types of Rakeback

Online Poker Rakeback is an awesome way to increase your profits (and decrease losses) on the virtual felt. Choosing the right rakeback deal isn’t just about finding your favorite poker site that offers rakeback; it’s about choosing the type of rakeback deal that best suits you game play.

In this section, we’re going to define each of the three types of rakeback…

Dealt Rakeback

Contributed Rakeback

Shared Rakeback

…and explain which rakeback deals or best for specific player types and strategies.

Dealt Rakeback

Traditionally, this would be the last type of rakeback on the list. Dealt Rakeback used to be the hardest online poker rakeback deal to find. Now days, Dealt Rakeback is found at Full Tilt Poker, as well as every rakeback poker room on the Cake Poker Network.

Dealt Rakeback is an exceptional rakeback method because players are not required to contribute to the pot in order to receive rakeback. The poker room calculates the average rake, dividing the total rake by all players dealt into the hand. This average rake is where your rakeback earnings come from.

For example: The total rake is $2 and 8 players participated in the hand. You are earning 30% Dealt Rakeback. The $2 rake is divided by all 8 players for an average rake of $0.25. You get 30% of the average rake – $0.25 / 30% = $0.075

Dealt Rakeback is considered to be the most valuable rakeback offer for tight online poker players. A tight player is one who folds pre-flop when the cards have a low probability of going on to win. Tight player like premium starting hands; therefore tend to fold about 90% of the time.

Shared Rakeback

Shared Rakeback is often confused with Contributed Rakeback simply because so many web sites use the name “Average Contributed” in place of “Shared”. Note that if you see a Contributed Rakeback offer, be sure to read whether it is “averaged” or “weighted”.

Shared Rakeback is calculated by averaging the rake; the total rake divided by all players who contributed to the pot. The process is much the same as Dealt Rakeback with on important difference – you MUST contribute something to the pot in order to be eligible to earn rakeback. If you fold pre-flop without posting a blind, or at least calling a blind, you cannot earn rakeback for the hand.

For example, the total rake is $3. You are earning 30% Shared Rakeback. There are 8 players at the table, but only 4 of them contribute to the pot. The $3 rake is divided by the 4 contributing players for an average “shared” rake of $0.75. Your 30% rakeback comes from the $0.75 shared rake – $0.75 / 30% = $0.225

Shared Rakeback is preferred by loose/passive poker players. These types of players will take a marginal hand to the flop so long as it doesn’t cost too much to do so. If the flop shows little or no improvement, the player folds. Essentially, this player likes to see the flop – making them eligible to earn rakeback via contribution to the pot – but will not risk a lot of chips without a strong hand – resulting in frequent low contributions with high rakeback returns.

Contributed Rakeback

This is the most common rakeback method of them all. Contributed Rakeback is also the most complicated to calculate because it is based on a player’s exact contribution to the rake; not averaged like all other rakeback methods. Basically, the more you contribute to the pot, the more you’ve contributed to the rake, and the more you will earn in rakeback.

Note that Shared Rakeback is often referred to as “Average Contributed”, so be sure not to confuse this rakeback deal with Shared Rakeback. Look for the term “weighted” to determine whether it is a Contributed Rakeback deal or not. Weighted is contributed, Averaged is Shared.

To calculate Contributed Rakeback, you must first find what percentage you contributed to the pot. Next, find calculate the total rake. Then whatever your pot contribution was, find the same percentage of the total rake. This is where your rakeback will come from.

For example, you contribute $20 to a $60 pot, raked at $3. $20 of $60 is 33.33%. We take 33.33% of the $3 rake, which is $1, and this is your “weighted” contributed rake. If you’re earning 30% Contributed Rakeback, you would receive 30% of your $1 rake contribution for a total of $.30 in rakeback.