Those flashy banner ads offering high deposit match bonus, some exceeding 100%, seem to be everywhere in the online poker world. But before you click on one of them and sign up, you should pause and consider the wisdom of selecting initial deposit bonus over rakeback. Considering their individual frequency, style and limits of play, each player should make an informed decision about the direction to go, based on their own best interest.

Poker Bonuses usually earn more revenue for the poker site, so therefore they tend to be more aggressively marketed. Rakeback, however offers significant benefits for the long-term semi pro or frequent player. For certain sites where you don’t intend to stay long, but for sites where you expect to play long term should be carefully considered with each offer in mind.

The Short-Run Advantages of Poker Bonuses

In the sort term initial match deposit bonuses offer a strong attraction for poker players. Usually bonuses are released on a graduated scale based on your Monthly Gross Revenue (MGR) contributions to the pot – in effect a percentage of your rake contributions. And bonuses frequently offer a very high percentage rate, often greater than 100% of your contributions to the pot. If you only intend to play at a specific site for a short period, because of software, volume or game play issues, poker bonuses may be an ideal choice.

Many smaller scale sites such as Pit-bull Poker and Chan Poker offer competitive deposit bonuses to induce new players, providing an opportunity to benefit from a +EV deposit. Keep in mind, however, that earning a deposit match bonus often prevents your ability from benefiting from rakeback on the site, where you can still benefit from re-deposit bonuses (in certain cases.) As a result, any site where you only intend to play for an initial profitable run is ideal for a deposit match bonus.

Why Rakeback Often Offers a Better Long Run Play Deal

Initial bonuses are limited , so the rebate offered by these bonuses run out after a certain period of time. In these cases, continuing to play without rakeback means you are loosing out on possible earnings on every single pot you participate in. Earning up to a 40% rebate through rake back from each pot gives the player the best opportunity to maximize their earnings from every pot.

Rakeback programs offer continuous rebates based on your contributions to the pots you participate in, and that allows you to continue to build your earnings over time. For some sites you can earn rake back and re-deposit bonuses, and this further extends the baseline EV (expected value) of every hand in the right direction for sharp players. If you are approaching your play with a long term outlook, rake back provides a great opportunity for cutting your contributions to house rake, moving you further towards profitability.

The ideal solution is to sign up with an affiliate that offers a sign up bonus, rakeback, as well as additional bonuses and promotions. Jumping at the first big and attractive bonus offer you see can result with you being left out in the cold when you discover all of the benefits rakeback has to offer.

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