iPoker Rakeback | How It Works

Historically players have been able to get certain iPoker deals – sometimes a flat rebate on rake paid each month, regardless of play volume or VIP level – ‘under the table’, i.e. through private affiliate connections.

Private iPoker deals were the primary reason to play on the network over sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt that were superior in every other way, from higher traffic to better software (although iPoker was the third largest network).

How Private iPoker Deals Work

iPoker pays a certain percentage of a player’s rake revenue back to affiliates that bring them players.

For example player A clicks an affiliate banner ad advertising ipoker skin A. He’s new to poker and hasn’t heard about sites like e.g. Black Chip Poker where he could earn 27% rakeback.

He makes a deposit, and earns relatively low rewards from iPoker skin A’s in-house VIP program and his signup bonus. The affiliate that placed the banner ad however receives a majority percentage of his rake paid as an ongoing commission.

Player B is also a recreational player and hears about iPoker skin A online, logs onto the site’s homepage directly and makes a deposit. Like player A he is entered into the site’s low-value VIP program and will struggle to be a winning player. iPoker keeps all of player B’s rake as he didn’t sign up via an affiliate.

Some affiliates provide some value to their players in the form of promotions, rake races, strategy articles etc. Others provide nothing and rely on pot luck that you click their link, perhaps accidentally. Regardless, both reputable and worthless affiliates are prohibited from providing cash incentives to sign up.

The logic in this policy from iPoker’s standpoint is that they would prefer player B to player A. It could harm their profits if every player signed up through an affiliate like player A did, when they start hearing about private cash deals.

As the online poker boom progressed, players began to become more savvy about rakeback and information about certain private deals became more commonplace.

Some affiliates realized that high-volume professional players wouldn’t sign up to iPoker without anyway, as their volume of play afforded them high rewards like Supernova Elite and Black Card on the industry leading sites. Privately offering this kind of player a cut of their overall percentage deal from the room was more profitable than nothing. So iPoker private deals were born.

How much are iPoker deals worth?

Typically these deals return players a majority of their rake, but can also be dependent on your play volume. The specifics of the deal are agreed with your affiliate, e.g. raking over $500/month.

The subworld of iPoker rakeback can be quite cutthroat, with affiliates that offer a high percentage to their stable of players being reported to iPoker by competing affiliates, and having their deal shut down.

Affiliates targeting low volume players may offer much less in return for no minimum rake stipulation, or if they’re offering the deal to a large number of players and risking being reported.

Many of the regs on iPoker have some kind of deal and play there for that reason alone.

A debate exists between whether it’s best to breakeven on iPoker sites with a high ratio of ‘pros’ to fish or other networks where play may be looser. Review your results in Holdem Manager or PokerTracker to see where you are most profitable.

Rakeback.com iPoker Rooms

Today major affiliates like Rakeback.com can publicly advertise iPoker rakeback on certain rooms.

Our current deals are Iron Poker for old, 40% flat rakeback, and Winner Poker for 65 – 75% source based rakeback (SBR) weekly. SBR, introduced in 2015, disadvantages players that withdraw more than they deposit. One benefit is it can improve game quality if fish last longer at the tables.

Casual players should choose Winner Poker, and tight winning regs may prefer Iron Poker, especially low stakes grinders.

Find out if you’re on the iPoker banned countries list (US signups aren’t accepted).