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| The Beginner's Guide to Poker Loyalty Programs | | The Basics of Online Poker Economics |
| This section will cover the subjects of Rake and Poker Networks. Skip to the next section if you already know about these subjects. | The Rake is how Poker Rooms make money. They collect a percentage (usually 5%) of every pot where a flop is dealt, which is called "Rake". They also take an entry fee on tournaments, usually about 10% of the total buy-in.
Most Poker Rooms are part of so-called Poker Networks, which are large companies that provide smaller companies with software and games, for example. The biggest and most well known network is the iPoker Network, which houses such brands as Titan Poker, CD Poker and VC Poker. These sites share the same software and the same tables. This means that Titan Poker players can sit down and play against VC Poker players without you being able to tell the difference.
The Rake is mostly spent on fees to the Network, deposit and transaction fees, marketing fees, and of course player rewards programs. Since these companies are essentially competing with each other based on price, it can be beneficial to you to shop around to find the best deal. However, different sites market to different players, so the best deal for one player is unlikely to be the best deal for another player. Read on for more information... |
| | | Different types of Poker Loyalty Programs |
| Sign-up bonuses, Rakeback, Loyalty Bonuses and Races | Sign-up bonuses are the most common way to attract new players. They often show attractive numbers like high percentages and high dollar amounts. While some sign-up offers can be very lucrative, there is always a 'catch'. Each bonus requires you to earn points (generated by producing Rake for the site) to be able to receive or withdraw the bonus. Sign-up bonuses can be best compared to coupons, which offer you a temporary discount or a free trial occasionally. Most sign-up bonuses give a discount of 20 to 50%. This is where a lot of sites stop giving. Make sure you follow our advice and avoid sites that will give you nothing or very little back after the initial offer!
The most common type of Poker Loyalty offer is called Rakeback. This term essentially describes itself, these are deals that return a part of your rake back to you. Common Rakeback percentages are 27 to 35%. However, some of the major networks like iPoker and Ongame forbid Rakeback, in order to combat price competition between different operators on their Poker networks. They are, however, allowed to offer Loyalty Programs.
The difference between Poker Loyalty Programs and Rakeback, is that Loyalty Offers aren't based directly on the Rake you pay, but on the number of Player Points you earn. Different sites have come up with all kinds of complicated schemes to reward players. The advantage for players is that these deals can be quite lucrative, more lucrative than rakeback. They can also be structured in a way that rewards loyalty and high volume play more than Rakeback does, which is beneficial to both Poker Rooms and players. The disadvantage, however, is that they are usually hard to understand and evaluate compared to Rakeback, which is very simple. That is why we have designed a Poker Loyalty Calculator for you! All you have to do is fill in the following:
-How many months you are going to play at iPoker
-Which games you expect to be playing
-How many hands you will play of each game
It is very important that you fill in the calculator as accurately as possible. How long you will play and how actively has a great influence on your rewards. Don't forget that sticking with a site for 12 months will get you much more than 12x the rewards of playing 1 month, so it pays to be a loyal poker player!
From May 2009, we are running monthly Poker Points Races, starting with a $1,000 prize pool, to be distributed among our active players. The way it works is very simple: the more you play, the more Race Points you collect. The top Race Points earners are paid cash prizes each month. Please go to our Poker Points Races page for more information.
Hopefully this guide has enough information for you to get started on making the most from Poker Loyalty Programs. If you don't want to play on the iPoker Network, take a look at our partner site RakeAway.com for Rakeback deals, or stick around, because we will be adding Ongame Network, Everest Poker, PartyPoker and more to our Loyalty Calculator soon!
Please contact us if you have any further questions. Feel free to add any of these Instant Messenger addresses if you want personalized advice or help:
MSN/Y!M: jameslomas@gmail.com
Skype: JamesLomas
ICQ: Search for jameslomas@gmail.com
Google Talk: jameslomas@gmail.com |
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