Rake vs rakeback: what 100% rakeback really means
Rake is the fee an operator takes from your play, and rakeback is the portion of that fee returned to you: rake is what you pay, rakeback is what you get back. The two words describe opposite directions of the same money.
In poker, rake is an explicit charge: rooms typically take around 2.5% to 10% of each cash-game pot up to a fixed cap per hand (a typical range, not a guarantee), or add a fee to tournament entries. Because that fee is a known amount, returning most or even all of it is mathematically possible, which is why poker rakeback of 60% to 100% is a real, honest number. GGPoker, for example, markets its Fish Buffet rewards as up to 60% rakeback; treat the exact figure as operator-advertised and tiered rather than a flat rate every player receives.
At a crypto casino there is no explicit rake on each bet, so "rakeback" instead means a share of the house edge (the built-in margin) on your wagers. Honest standing casino rates run from single digits to roughly 30% of the edge. A standing 100% rakeback of house edge would mean the casino keeps nothing and cannot exist as an ongoing rate, so when you see a huge headline percentage, it is a promotion, a poker-style offer, or a number calculated on a different basis. Before comparing any two offers, ask what the percentage is a percentage of.
Key points
- Rake = the fee the operator takes; rakeback = the share of that fee returned.
- Poker rake is explicit: commonly 2.5% to 10% of the pot, up to a cap.
- Poker rakeback of 60% to 100% is possible because the fee is a known amount.
- Casino rakeback is a share of the HOUSE EDGE, not of your wagers or a fee.
- A standing 100% rakeback of house edge cannot exist; big numbers signal a different basis.
FAQ
What is a rake percentage?
A rake percentage is the share of each cash-game pot a poker room takes as its fee, commonly around 2.5% to 10% of the pot up to a fixed cap per hand; the exact percentage and cap vary by room and stakes.
What does 100% rakeback mean?
In poker, 100% rakeback means the site returns all of the rake you paid, usually as a time-limited promotion or top rewards tier; at a casino, a standing 100% return of the house edge is impossible, so check what basis the figure is calculated on.
Is rakeback the same as rake?
No. Rake is the fee the operator takes from your play; rakeback is the portion of that fee (in poker) or of the house edge (at a casino) that the operator pays back to you.
How do you get 60% rakeback on GGPoker?
GGPoker advertises its Fish Buffet rewards program as returning up to 60% rakeback; the rate is tiered and rises with play volume, so the top figure is an operator-advertised maximum rather than a rate every player receives.
What is a good rakeback rate at a crypto casino?
A good flat crypto casino rakeback rate is roughly 5% to 10% of the house edge, with solid double digits generous and rates near 30% rare; because the basis is the house edge rather than an explicit fee, casino percentages are not comparable to poker rakeback percentages.
Related
- Rakeback explained
- Rakeback is a % of the house edge, not your bets
- How rakeback is calculated
- What is a good rakeback rate?
- The rakeback index
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