1. What rake actually is
Rake is the fee the room takes from each pot (cash) or buy-in (MTT / spins). Cash rooms charge a percentage capped at a dollar amount per stake — typically 5% of pot to a cap of $2–$5. MTTs and spins bundle rake into the entry fee, usually 6–10%.
2. Rakeback vs cashback vs loyalty
Flat rakeback pays back a fixed % of your rake, weekly. Cashback pays a % of net losses. Loyalty schemes (Fish Buffet, Elite Benefits, Stars Rewards) trade rake for points that unlock chests / boosters at varying rates. All three collapse into one number: effective rakeback.
3. Where affiliate deals sit in the stack
An affiliate signup can add a top-up on the room's default scheme (extra cashback, higher rakeback %, an exclusive freeroll). The league table ranks the effective rakeback with our current top-ups already baked in.
4. Bonuses are amortised, not sticker
A "100% to $2,000" bonus rarely lands as $2,000 free. It clears at a fraction of your rake (often 20–35%). Divide dollars actually cleared by rake generated to clear them, and you have the real value.
5. What this means for a grinder
If you play 2,000+ hands/week or 30+ MTTs/week, your monthly rakeback bill is the single biggest lever on win rate — usually bigger than your ROI improvement from studying. Pick the room by the calculator, not the ad.
The Rakeback Calculator compares every audited room against your real stake + volume.
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