How to fix rakeback

[PPP]

Originally Posted by LadyHoldem

People WILL still play without rakeback, though theyre less likely to switch rooms from rakeback to non rakeback, and it is likely that when they find out they can get it, they will go find it if it's offered anywhere.

While that may seem logical, it is flat out not true. Right now people are flocking to the non-rakeback rooms, not the other way around.

Affiliates need to remember that rakeback is not the major consideration to the vast majority of players. By far the most important consideration for a player is: good online poker games. Everything else is trivia.

[Jeremy]

Prima used to offer the best rakeback, but the games were awful and filled with sharks. Prima never grew to be the biggest network.......

The full time guys I know look for juicy games, and if there is a room that they can play at that has rakeback, it's just a bonus. When you are a winning player at a certain limit, rakeback becomes negligible. But I still understand why many players want it FWIW.

If rooms themselves want to "get rid of" the whole rakeback issue, here's a novel idea....... stop giving the rake back and just lower the overall rake %....

When I look at rakeback from a higher level, and not thinking as an affiliate, it would seem just lowering the actual rooms rake percentage by 30% for the players and promoting the shit out of it would do the same thing. But I also realize there are the degenerates that depend on that payment every month to get them back in the game.

As it has been for years, rakeback is a very tricky situation from all angles.

[LadyHoldem]

I should have been more specific PPP, I meant players that play for rake. There are quite a few rake grinders out there. It's a low paying job, but if u can grind, it's a job.

Good point Jeremy. I believe if there's enough going out in rakeback to lower the rake, you're going to make a huge splash. Low/Mid level players are constantly vocally complaining about rake. If you're newly competitive there, and make a big media campaign, a big room would pick up a lot of traffic (both new and returning).

[Beanie]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

If rooms themselves want to "get rid of" the whole rakeback issue, here's a novel idea....... stop giving the rake back and just lower the overall rake %....

WSEX had no rake, how did they do? This is a complicated issue. But the solutions are actually quite simple.

Do you guys seriously think these cardrooms are going to lower the rake because a few affiliates are whining because the lost some MGR customers?

As solutions go that is about one of the easiest to debunk. If 30% of your people want rakeback, even 50%, it just isn't a big enough problem for them to essentially throw away 1/3 of their income. Even if it is for only 50% of the base (50 was extreme, as you go lower my point if proven even more).

[Rakeback]

Originally Posted by PPP

Daily rakeback is on the one hand absolutely crazy. It tells the players how much they are getting raked, and yes about half the players don't have clue how much is being taken. This is one reason rakeback is a nutso idea at its core. No place that has offered poker in the b&m world has ever deemed it a good idea to say "here is 100 of the 300 dollars we raked from you today." Bad bad idea.

Why is transparency in fees a bad idea? Your phone company gives you a detailed invoice of fees collected, that allows you to track spending and compare costs to other operators. If you know where you stand and are happy how things are going, you are not going to switch.

A company with honest business practices should have no need to hide fees from a customer. Yes, the player is a customer of the poker room who should be treated respectfully, and not as a wild west gold miner in a gambling saloon who can be cheated out of his gold nuggets.

Poker is just an industry in its infancy, and some things are not done properly compared to more established business sectors.

[Rakeback]

Originally Posted by Beanie

I think you can also put "clearing of the cookies issue here", stop allowing websites to have that on their sites.

Beanie can you explain more what you mean by this clearing of the cookies issue?

[carbonrichie]

Great thread Beanie and it's certainly made for very interesting reading. Can I just re-iterate that most RB terms, including ours forbid anyone to discuss PDCAffiliates.com specific rakeback details on forums.

If you are a current PDCAffiliates.com RB affiliate or want to be one and need more information about what we can offer, please contact me for more details.

Contact info below.