Rake Race Tips and Tricks

Obviously the best way to win a rake race is to play lots of poker during the time frame of the contest. There is not substitute for seeing lots of hands. If you're really serious about winning your race, there are some rake race strategy tips that you may also want to consider. We have put together a short list of them for you to use as best you see fit.

1. Multi-table

This is not for everyone, but if you can handle more tables, it will help immensely in your quest to win a rake race if you can open a few extras. It is easy to see how multi-tabling rapidly increases your hand count, and thus your rake and rakeback. Just be careful not to bite off more than you can chew. It makes no sense to turn yourself into a fish at the tables just to win a rake race.

2. Limit/level selection

Poker sites differ in the way they collect rake. Become familiar with the one where you are racing and choose a limit that is aligned with both your skill level and your rakeback (and race) goals. For example, say you are comfortable playing up to $3/6 limit holdem, and the site where you are racing uses a $20 pot as the minimum rake threshold for the $1/2, $2/4 and $3/6 tables. At $1/2 this is 10 big bets, at $2/4 it is 5 big bets and at $3/6 it is just over 3 big bets. A player at $3/6 will establish a significant lead in a rake race over a player at $1/2 playing a similar number of hands. Always be aware of the rake structure of the poker site you are playing.

3. Table Selection

While table selection is a good poker skill in general, it can be crucial in a rake race.  Tight tables should be avoided.  Your rake race results will be tied directly to the size of the pots at the tables you play.  You need to be at tables where the average pot size is comparatively large for the limits you are playing.

4. Site-specific Issues

Variations in the way poker sites calculate net generated revenue can make an impact on your rake race results. These are too many issues to list every one here but an example would be Cake Poker's rule that debits your deposit fees from your net generated revenue in any month that that you make a deposit. There are fees associated with depositing at a poker site and most poker sites pass that fee along to their players. The fee varies with deposit method. If you make a deposit at Cake and that deposit resulted in a $10 fee, then Cake Poker deducts that $10 from your net generated rake figure for that month. This directly impacts your final rakeback figures and could impact your rake race results. You could circumvent this by depositing in the month prior to your Cake Poker Rake Race. Other examples to be on the lookout ofr:

• Rules on bonus being deducted from rake
• Other promotions, such as loyalty programs
• Free tournament entries
• Different rules for tournament fee rakeback than for cash games

The list could go on and on. While these site-specific issues may not ultimately decide your final race position, most racers want every bit of their effort to count toward their results.

Pay Attention to the Details and Have a Great Rake Race!