02- 5-07, LearnTexasHoldem:
Rakeback vs. Bonus Offers
Hunting down great promotions is a big part of online poker success. The major promotions online poker players are looking for are online poker bonuses and rakeback deals.
Due to the proliferation of online poker sites out there and their need to drive new traffic to their sites, there are a great many online poker bonuses and rakeback deals to be had. As a successful online poker player, you need to know how to negotiate and compare these different types of promotions.
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You can get only one...
The first thing to understand is that online poker bonuses and rakeback deals are not mutually exclusive. You will not be able to get an online sign-up bonus and a rakeback deal with the same site, because you can only sign-up for each online poker site one time.
However, you should be able to sign-up for one poker site using an online sign-up bonus and with a different site through a rakeback program.
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Why choose rakeback?
That being said, if you plan to play at any site for any significant length of time, you should usually opt for the rakeback deal, because rakeback deals last as long as you are a player on the site, whereas sign-up bonuses are a one-time lump sum.
You should definitely be sure to sign-up for a rakeback program that allows you to collect other types of online poker bonuses.
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Loyalty Bonuses
Many online poker sites offer loyalty bonuses for continued play on the site. These bonuses add a percentage to your next deposit just for continuing to play. Any time you can get extra money into your account and grow your bankroll, you can build up your edge, so you should definitely take advantage of these opportunities.
The only problem you may encounter is that the site will probably count your bonus money against your rake total, so you will not be able to begin collecting rakeback again until you have paid more in rake than the amount of the bonus. However, since that bonus money is free and can be used to generate even more money, you should not let this deter you from collecting the bonus.
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When to choose sign-up bonus?
To sum up, if you have a choice between rakeback and poker bonus, you should choose rakeback if you're going to be on the site for a while. If you're planning a surgical strike before moving on to another poker room, you may opt for a large sign-up bonus instead.
To maximize your profits, you should look for sites that allow you to collect both rakeback and online bonuses, although you will not be eligible for the initial sign-up bonus.
Enough talking! Take me to a poker room now!
