A rakeback calculator shows how much of the rake you’re really getting back, and what it does to your win rate. Play 20,000 hands a month at 50-cent big blinds paying $4 in rake per 100 hands and you’re handing over $800 a month. At 30% rakeback, $240 of that comes back, $2,880 a year. In win-rate terms that’s 2.4 bb/100, which at micro stakes can be more than a solid regular actually wins at the tables. The calculator above is free and works for any stake.
How the rakeback calculator works
Rake per month = hands ÷ 100 × rake per 100 hands Rakeback = rake × rakeback % Rakeback in bb/100 = rake per 100 × rakeback % ÷ big blind
Your tracking software or the site’s own stats will tell you your rake per 100 hands. If you don’t have it, $1 to $5 per 100 is typical at micro stakes no-limit, and it’s higher at short-handed and fast-fold tables because more hands see a flop.
What the percentage really means
Sites pay rakeback in different ways. Some give a flat percentage in cash. Others pay in points that turn into cash at a rate that depends on your monthly volume, so “up to 40%” can mean 15% for a casual player. A few work out your share using the dealt method (every player at the table is credited with an equal share of the pot’s rake) and others use the contributed method (you’re credited in proportion to what you put in). The calculator doesn’t care which; it just needs the effective percentage you end up with.
Rakeback is also why volume matters so much at small stakes. A player who wins 2 bb/100 before rakeback and plays twice the hands of a 4 bb/100 player can end the year with more money.
For the swings that go with that win rate, see the poker variance calculator.
Play with money you can afford to lose. If poker stops being fun, BeGambleAware.org is free and confidential.