Signed up for your rakeback yet?  Here is some more info on rakeback and sign up bonuses for those of you still deciding…

Online poker players often have a tough time deciding between going for the bonus or rakeback – which one is the most lucrative deal?  The answer to that is simple: why choose one or the other, when you can have them both?

There are numerous poker rooms out there which do not deduct bonuses from rakeback, which means that you’ll be able to sign up for a rakeback deal and receive a regular sign up bonus as well.  Not all poker rooms are like this though and some of them will deduct your sign-up bonus from the rakeback you earn.  In such cases, you should know exactly how the rakeback and the sign-up bonus works, so that you can make the correct decision.

Rakeback and sign up bonuses are both different forms of rake rebate.  At a closer look, you’ll realize they’re not all that different at all.

A sign up bonus has to be redeemed.  You redeem your bonus by playing real money hands at cash or tourney tables and by generating rake or by paying tournament fees.  The bonus that you get is always a percentage of the rake you generate, which means that by unlocking your sign-up bonus, you’re basically earning rake back.  Now then, what that tells is that bonus redemption and rakeback are technically the same: they give you a percentage of your rake back.

There is one significant difference between a bonus deal and rakeback tough: while bonuses either expire or don’t get unlocked entirely, rakeback lasts for as long as you play.  Bonuses do tend to give you a better return over the short-run compared to your average (around 30%) rakeback deal.

When choosing between rakeback and a sign-up bonus, you need to have your objectives in sight: how long do you intend to stick around at the poker room in question?  If you do not plan on staying a loyal customer, then you should probably pick the sign-up bonus over rakeback and be on your way as soon as you pocket your bonus.

If you plan on hanging out at the poker room for a while and playing lots of online poker, rakeback is the right choice for you.

There are special rakeback deals called poker prop deals, that no bonus offer can ever beat – there are restrictions but you basically get paid to play poker at certain tables.  Poker propping is done to attract poker players and boost the number of players at tables.