Rake & rakeback

Rakeback in Poker Clubs: How It Works and How to Get the Best Deal

In club poker apps rakeback isn’t a feature of the app — it’s a deal between you and your club or agent. Two players at the same table can pay very different real rake depending on what they agreed before their first deposit. Here’s how rakeback is calculated, which schemes to prefer and how to get a good deal without walking into a trap.

Updated: 16 October 2026

Key takeaways

Rakeback is a share of the rake you paid, returned by your club or agent — not by the app.
The cleanest scheme is a fixed % of your rake, paid regardless of whether you win or lose.
Compare clubs by effective rake: table rake × (1 − rakeback).
Agree the %, the formula and the payout day before you enter the agent’s referral ID and deposit.

40–50%rakeback in ClubGG clubs in our catalog

5–7%table rake in those clubs

2.5–4%effective rake after rakeback

Weeklythe most common payout schedule, in chips

What rakeback is and who pays it

Every pot you play is raked by the club. Rakeback is the part of that rake that comes back to you. On regular poker sites it’s a loyalty program run by the room; in club apps such as ClubGG, PPPoker, PokerBros, Suprema and X-Poker the app pays nothing — the club or your agent does, out of the rake your play generates.

You playevery pot is raked

Club collectsrake from all tables

Agent’s sharepart of the rake from their players

Your rakebackpart of it comes back to you

Where rakeback comes from

That’s why the referral ID you enter when joining matters so much: it ties you to the agent who will calculate and pay your rakeback. In ClubGG you can only switch to another agent later through the club manager. More on joining — how to join a poker club.

Why clubs pay rakeback at all

Club apps are a competitive market. In a union every club offers the same tables at the same table rake, so the only way for a club or agent to stand out is the deal they give players: rakeback, bonuses, payout speed, service. Agents usually earn a share of the rake their players generate and pass part of it on — the more you play, the more room there is to negotiate.

On union tables the table rake is the same for everyone, set by the union. Your rakeback is what makes your real price different — see how unions work.

Rakeback schemes: how it’s calculated

Fixed % of your rakeYou get back, say, 40% of everything you paid in rake — win or lose. Easy to check and predict.

Tiers by volumeThe % grows with the rake you generate in a week. Fine, as long as the tiers are written down.

Rake minus winningsBased on the club’s result from you: when you win, rakeback shrinks or disappears. Ask for the exact formula.

Leaderboards and rake racesPrizes for volume. A bonus on top of rakeback, not a replacement.

Scheme	How it’s calculated	Good for	Watch out for
Fixed % of rake	Your rake × agreed %	Everyone, especially winning players	Nothing — just get the % in writing
Volume tiers	% depends on weekly rake bands	High-volume grinders	Tiers that are hard to reach or change without notice
Rake minus winnings	Based on the club’s profit from you	Losing players	Winning players can get almost nothing
Leaderboards / races	Ranking by hands or rake for a period	Volume players	Prizes concentrated at the top

“Rake minus winnings”: why the formula matters

Here’s a simplified example of why two deals with the same headline number can be very different. Say in one week you paid 100 in rake and won 300 at the tables.

Deal	How it’s counted	Your rakeback this week
40% of your rake	100 × 40%	40
40% of “rake minus winnings”	(100 − 300) is negative	0

Both deals are “40%”, but the second one pays a winning player nothing. If you expect to win, insist on a percentage of your rake. The numbers in this example are illustrative; the exact formulas vary by club — ask the agent to show you how one real week would be calculated.

Effective rake: the number to compare clubs by

The table rake tells you only half the price. What you really pay is the rake minus the rakeback:

Table rakee.g. 5%

Minus rakebacke.g. 50%

Effective rake5% × (1 − 0.5) = 2.5%

Effective rake = table rake × (1 − rakeback)

Club (example)	Table rake	Rakeback	Effective rake
Club A	5%	50%	2.5%
Club B	7%	50%	3.5%
Club C	4%	0%	4%
Club D	6%	40%	3.6%

Don’t forget the cap: at higher stakes most pots hit it, and a low cap can matter more than the percentage. The full picture is in rake in poker apps.

Payout schedule: when and how rakeback arrives

Most clubs pay rakeback weekly, in chips, credited to your club balance. A good club pays on a fixed day without reminders. Before agreeing, make sure you know:

The payout day and the period it covers — for example Monday to Sunday.
Whether there’s a minimum volume to qualify.
Whether rakeback chips can be withdrawn right away or must be played first.
Where you can see your rake for the week — a statement from the agent or the club’s records.
What happens to unpaid rakeback if you switch clubs or agents.

Нужен скриншотClub chip transaction history: a weekly rakeback credit from the agent with the date and amount

How to negotiate a better deal

1
Talk before you join. Once your referral ID is set, you have less leverage — switching agents goes through the club manager.
2
Tell the agent your stakes and expected volume. Agents earn from your rake, so regular volume is your best argument.
3
Compare two or three offers in the same union — the table rake is identical, so the deal is all that differs.
4
Ask for the formula in writing: % of your rake, the payout day and any minimum volume.
5
Start small and check the first payout. If it arrives on time and matches the formula, scale up.

A higher % isn’t always the better deal. A reliable 40% paid every Monday beats a 60% that “will be sorted out later”.

Red flags in rakeback offers

The agent can’t explain how rakeback is calculated.
The deal is “discussed later” or changes after your deposit.
Rakeback is only paid when you lose.
An unusually high % combined with high table rake and no cap.
Withdrawals are blocked until you “play through” the rakeback.
Pressure to deposit fast to “lock in” a deal.

An agent who delays rakeback often delays withdrawals too. If payments stop, see what to do when a club freezes your balance.

Rakeback in the main club apps

App	Who pays	What we know
ClubGG	Club or agent	Clubs in our catalog pay 40–50% with 5–7% table rake; short-handed tables are discounted automatically
PPPoker	Clubs and agents	Big unions also run rake races and jackpots
PokerBros	Clubs and agents	Large unions run rake races and leaderboards
Suprema Poker	Clubs and agents	Unions run jackpots and rake races
X-Poker	Agents	Rakeback via agents; terms vary by club

ClubGG 4.5 · 1

PPPokerReviews & guide

PokerBrosReviews & guide

Suprema PokerReviews & guide

X-PokerReviews & guide

Rakeback is the main value in club poker, but not the only one. Leaderboards, freerolls and deposit bonuses are covered in poker club bonuses; everything else you pay — in all the fees in poker apps.

ClubGG clubs with high rakeback

Every club card in our catalog shows rake, rakeback and chip rate side by side

These clubs are ranked by player reviews. Check each club page for the rake and rakeback, then confirm the formula with the agent.

MOJO 2 4.5 · rakeback 50% · Massive Poker Union2

MOJO 1No reviews yet · rakeback 50% · AllinUnion3

Mr Pink PantherNo reviews yet · rakeback 40%4

ZerakeNo reviews yet · rakeback Zero Rake5

POKER VIBE UANo reviews yet · rakeback 40%All clubs in the catalog

FAQ

01What is rakeback in poker clubs?

A share of the rake you paid that your club or agent returns to you, usually weekly in chips. The app itself doesn’t pay it.

02What is a good rakeback percentage?

It depends on the table rake. In our catalog ClubGG clubs pay 40–50% with 5–7% rake. Compare clubs by effective rake, not by the rakeback number alone.

03Do I get rakeback if I win?

With a fixed % of your rake — yes. With “rake minus winnings” schemes you may get little or nothing when you win, so ask for the exact formula.

04How often is rakeback paid?

Most often weekly, in chips on your club balance. Agree the payout day before your first deposit.

05Can I change my agent to get better rakeback?

In ClubGG only through the club manager, who can move you to another agent. That’s why it’s best to negotiate before you enter the referral ID.