[Joe Tall]

but to say that rakeback does not exasperate higher rakes is just plain silly

I can't say that rakeback doesn't have a part of raising rates; yes, that would be silly. However, it's not as directly related as I've heard it argued. There are much more factors involved. In the expanding market, costs rise, in turn, the site has to charge more for addition support, accounting, customer service, etc. Sending them an email costs them money.

In addition, the shear fact that the most players who are playing online don't even know what rake is, has a lot to with it. The sites can raise rates because most don't even notice and so few complain compared to the larger scale of players.

I feel, as I stated above, affiliate program's positives outweight any negatives for the online poker community, including rakeback programs.

it is still MUCH cheaper than B&M. also, if players use applied knowledge to improve their game, the rake being slightly higher at one site versus another is irrelevant as long as it stays under B&M rates.

This is 100% true and likely forever will be as the opportunity cost of B&M poker is so much higer than online poker.

Thanks for your reply Granny as I just puked on my monitor when my Red Sox gave up a 5-spot in the first, sorry to get some on your avatar's chin... [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Peace,
Joe Tall