Many poker sites have a program where you can earn points or money back, these are incredibly common and something that many players look out for. Earning these is usually based on rake, and there are two types of rake that may be used by the poker room, so make sure you understand the type that is being used where you play.
The two versions are known as a contributed rake and dealt rake, and here we will take a look at them both, and explain how they work, and what the key differences are between the two.
Contributed Rake
Contributed rake is the first type to look at. In this instance, you are allocated status points according to the contribution that you make to the rake in a cash game. This is solely based on your own play, so the more hands you are involved in, the more you are going to get back as a player. This is the type of rake that suits regular players, especially if you ever play in games that have a dual pot, as this would mean two lots of contributed rake from you.
There is no requirement to stay in the game, as long as you have added some funds to the pot during the hand in play. Everything is based on what you put into the pot, and there will be a fixed number of points given per stake, which everything is based on and worked out.
If you are an active player who likes to get involved in a lot of hands, and only folds on a small number of occasions, you are going to give yourself the chance to win a lot of rake back by playing with this method. Every pot you contribute to will give you something back here, and you will be getting that while those who are folding get nothing.
Dealt Rake
With the dealt rake method, status points are allocated to every player who has been dealt into the hand, provided rake has been deducted from the pot. For most sites, this means that if a hand is won before the flop, no rake is deducted and no status points are given out. This is known as no flop, no drop, and many sites use this policy on their tables.
As long as that doesn’t happen, and the game goes into the flop element of the game, and beyond, rake points are given out. The key difference between this rake and contributed rake is that with dealt rake, every player in the game gets the same amount of status points given back to them. The amount of money put into the pot, or length of time played, has no impact, if you have been involved in the game in any way, then you will receive your status points from the deal.
The only way you will not receive rake back on these tables is if you are sitting out. This means you are sitting on the table but choosing not to be part of the deal. As long as you are dealt cards, you will receive your share of the bonus points awarded. There are times when you will not pay into the pot at all but will be dealt into the hand, on these occasions you will be receiving status points without any outlay in that particular hand.
Which is Best to Play?
There is no right or wrong answer in terms of which is the best outright, but what you can work out is which is the best rake back method for your own personal gaming style.
If you like to get involved in a lot of hands, then contributed rake is certainly the right way for you to go. Also, be sure to head this way if you like to play games that have dual pots. If you are the opposite to that, and you do not want to get involved in a lot of hands, and you want to play a tight style of poker, then played in dealt rake rooms is the best way for you to go.
If you are one of these players then the best table to find is one where there are many loose players, who are getting involved in the game regularly and spending a lot of chips. These players are all building big pots, while you can sit back and play your tight style, getting involved when the percentages say it is the right thing to do. However, you will be taking home the same amount of status points as the loose players, without the same level of contribution to game pots, so you are getting this without the same kind of risk attached.
With contributed rake, you will determine how much you earn by your own play. If you want to earn status points, you will need to get involved to get them, while dealt rake is all about the table as a whole, and what type of game is being played. You do not want a table to be too tight, with a lot of people choosing not to get financially involved, as this will result in small pots, and small rake back. However, if you can find a loose table, but stay disciplined yourself, then it is likely that you will find yourself in a position where you are claiming more rake back than what you spend says you should be, making this a good table to be involved with.