Rakeback versus Bonuses

Choosing between a bonus offer and a rakeback offer is not always an easy choice. Let’s review some of the factors that you should consider before deciding what’s best for you.

Bonus offers come in two varieties: sign-up bonuses and reload bonuses. Depending on which sites you are looking at, there can be a huge difference in the clearance rates. Typically, sign-up bonuses are used to lure players in the hopes that they will open up an account, and deposit a significant amount of money, and then generate a lot of rake while playing out the bonus requirements. It’s a win-win because both the player and poker site get paid, however, they typically expire after 90 days or less. Reload offers are similar, except that you normally won’t get the same clearance rate as a sign-up bonus. The problem is, if you are not working on a bonus, there is little or no incentive to keep playing at that site, knowing that other offers are available on different poker sites.

Rakeback on the other hand, is paid for as long as you play on the site. You might get paid based on a tiered system (i.e., the more you rake in a given month, the higher the percentage of rakeback you receive), but you are continuously earning rakeback every time you contribute to the rake, at cash games or in tournament fees.

We always tell you to think about optimal play, and that will serve us well here, too. Unless you get really frustrated with the registration and cash out procedures associated with signing up at a new site, we suggest you hedge your bets: sign up for a rakeback deal on a site that you really like (you will also be entitled to the initial sign-up bonus, in addition to the on-going rakeback as our preferred sites). Then, decide which sites offer the best sign-up bonuses for you, and play them off as you see fit. In other words, ensure you have a site where you can go to get rakeback any time, but keep your options open when you find a bonus that works out even better.

We provide equivalent rakeback and clearance rates for all our popular sites, so it’s easy for you to quickly compare the best offers.

And if you don’t have a rakeback deal yet, look no further than our new 32Red Poker links. Not only will you get a poker bonus of up to  $1,000 for signing up, you’ll get 30% of your rakeback, and you there are no deductions while you are earning your sign-up bonus, so you’ll get the benefit of both deals simultaneously!