Economics
Online poker rakeback: what it is and why it is the bonus that matters
Rakeback is a refund of part of the rake you paid. It needs no wagering, never expires and pays regardless of results. Over the long run rakeback, not the welcome bonus, decides how much you earn or lose.
- 16%GGPoker at the start
- 80%maximum
- 100 TP per $1 of rakepoints per $1 rake
- 8 tierstiers
Rakeback is a percentage of paid rake returned to the player, either flat or through a tiered loyalty programme. At GGPoker it is Ocean Rewards: 100 TP per $1 of rake, tiers from Fish at 16% to Shark at 80%, rewards in GEMs exchanged for dollars. Compute your rakeback from your own rake, not from the "up to 80%" in the ad.
Flat rakeback versus loyalty programmes
| Flat rakeback | Loyalty programme | |
|---|---|---|
| Computed as | a fixed share of rake | points for rake, tiers, percentage grows with volume |
| Paid | daily or weekly | on exchanging points or at period end |
| Suits | low-volume players | regulars with high volume |
| Example | niche rooms and affiliate deals | Ocean Rewards at GGPoker |
Your own percentage
Find your rake
The client's stats show rake paid over a month.
Find your tier
At GGPoker 100 TP per $1 of rake; the Crab threshold is 50,000 TP, roughly $500 of rake a year.
Multiply
Yearly rake by the tier percentage. Crab returns 30%, Octopus 50%.
Compare
Another room's flat rate on the same rake shows where you are better off.
The trap in "up to 80%"
The top rate goes to players paying around $100,000 of rake a year. A newcomer starts at 16%. Between them sit tiers with their own thresholds: GGPoker rakeback table. The second trap is the reward currency: GEMs convert at 1,000 GEMs per $1 to 660 GEMs per $1 depending on the amount, and small exchanges are poor value.
Why rakeback beats a bonus
A bonus is paid once and needs wagering. Rakeback keeps coming for as long as you play, independent of results: it turns a break-even player into a winner and shrinks a loser\'s loss. No other bonus does that. Other bonus types: online poker bonuses.
Keep reading
Rakeback
GGPoker rakeback through Ocean Rewards: what each tier returns, how Tide Points are earned, what GEMs are and how they convert, when a tier expires and how much rake each step needs.
Bonuses
Poker bonuses explained: matched deposit bonuses released for rake, ticket packs, freerolls and rakeback - which are worth taking as a beginner, how to compute real value and where the traps hide.
Bankroll
Poker bankroll management: buy-in reserves for cash, tournaments and spins, when to move up and down in stakes, separating poker money from life, and the limits you can set in the client.
GGPoker
GGPoker review for real-money play: who runs the room, what new players get, how Ocean Rewards and the cashier work, which formats exist only here and where the room falls short of rivals.
Rakeback starts with the first hand
Open a GGPoker account: Ocean Rewards is on for everyone and needs no activation.