If you are a serious online poker player you probably already know what rakeback is. Many casual, or less informed players may have heard of it but are still asking the question “What is rakeback?”

You must first understand what the rake is. The rake is how online poker sites make their money. When playing a cash game the house takes a percentage of each hand for itself, this is how they make their money. It varies from site to site, but it is usually around 5% of the pot.The poker sites track how much each player pays per month, and if the player signed up through an affiliate (someone who advertises the site) that affiliate is paid a percentage for bringing the player to the site.

If you want to get rakeback you have to sign up at a poker room through an affiliate. An affiliate is someone who signs up players and earns money from the players’ rake. There are many sites that are affiliates and can offer players good deals. The rakeback site earns a couple of percent of your total rake back, but the major part of it goes back into your bankroll.

Why is rakeback important?

Since sites take the rake automatically many people don’t even know they are being charged. What most players don’t realize is how much of an effect the rake has on their play. Not only must you beat the other players at the table, you must beat the rake as well. A player who would win money if there were no rake ends up being a losing player after factoring in the house fee. The truth is about 50% of all poker players fit into this category.When you introduce rakeback into the equation many players who were once losers are instantly transformed into profitable winning poker players. If you are already winning rakeback will be a nice fat bonus every month.

How much can you make from rakeback?

Since the amount you get paid is a percentage of the money the house charged you in rake, the stakes you play and number of hands affect the size of your payment. A casual low limit player can make a few hundred extra dollars a month, while a pro (or any higher level player) can make $5000+.As you can clearly see signing up for a site directly, without getting rakeback, is a huge mistake. In fact, getting rakeback is probably the most important lesson a poker player can learn. If you don’t have it you are leaving tons of money on the table every month. A poker player must learn to optimize his profits, and if you’re without rakeback you’re making a huge mistake.