[playersare]

the truepoker rake structure is certainly different than absolute and paradise...saying that it is "more favorable", however, really depends on what the player's specific goal is concerning the rake itself.

the topic of this particular thread is bonus clearing. since all three sites we are discussing have the same criteria (100 raked hands = $10 bonus), the key then becomes which rake structure allows the maximum percentage of hands which will rake the minimum amount in order to fulfill the requirement.

the best way to calculate the 'percentage' of raked hands at specific limits is to chart the number of BB's needed in the pot to induce the rake, let's compare:

TruePoker $1/2 - $12 pot for $1 rake (6BB)
Absolute $1/2 - $5 pot for 25c rake (2.5BB)
Paradise $1/2 - $5 pot for 25c rake (2.5BB)

so to more accurately answer the original question, "How tough is it to clear the TruePoker signup bonus?" I would say, 'a bit harder than absolute and paradise at low limits'.

raking a full dollar at $12 pots in $1/2 limit yields a maximum 8.3% drop for True Poker...not a great deal either. the schedules at Absolute and Paradise ensure that the house edge never exceeds 5%. the raked hand definition you've indicated in your post is the same definition that virtually every major poker site uses already, no need to emphasize the obvious.

also, mentioning that TruePoker doesn't rake higher limit pots below $20, and that you can multitable, these are not particularly competitive selling points anymore, if they even ever were. the only site that would fear statements like that is Pacific Poker/888, and they essentially fear the existence of anyone with half a brain to begin with.