What’s the Best Rakeback Method?

There are two methods of calculating rakeback. One is the contributed rake method and the other is the dealt rake method. While any rakeback program can improve your win rate and both methods have their merits, many strong players prefer the dealt rake method.

How the Dealt Rake Method Works

To determine how much rakeback a player should receive, the rakeback site first must determine how much rake they have paid. Since rake is taken out of the pot and not from individual players, this could be a problem.

The dealt rake method is usually how it works. This method simply distributes the rake among all the players at the table. They do not have to play the hand to receive credit for rake, although they do have to receive cards.

Why the Deal Rake Method Is Preferred

The alternative to the dealt rakeback deals is the contributed rake method, used by many different poker sites such as Betfair Poker. In the contributed rake method, players receive rake credit according to how much they contribute to that particular raked pot.

The reason stronger players do not like this method is that it penalizes players who do not play a lot of pots. Good players understand that the winner in poker is not the one who wins the most pots, but rather the one who wins the most money. For them, the dealt rake method gives them rake credit for every hand they play.

If you’re interested in how much rake you’ll earn, put your stats into a rakeback calculator and get an estimate.

Fairness of the Dealt Rake Method

Some fans of the contributed rake method may feel that the dealt rake method is unfair, that if someone isn’t actually paying into a pot they should not benefit from the rakeback. The reality is that poker players win or lose when the amount of the pots they win are more or less than the amount they put into all the pots they play.

A player invests in a pot expecting a certain return, and this return diminishes by the presence of the rake. This affects all players, no matter how many pots they play. This is why tighter players feel entitlement to just as much rake credit as the loose ones.