Rakeback is the worst thing that ever happened to my poker game!

[O Doyle Rules]

There! I said it!

(Kind of like an alcoholic admitting their problem at an AA meeting)

[captZEEbo1]

explain

[mattw]

the R word should not change how you play. its a "gift" for your normal playing style. changing your play to increase the R is -EV.

[grinin]

[ QUOTE ]
changing your play to increase the R is -EV.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not exactly true.

Lower rakes increase the number of starting hands that you can play profitably. Higher rakes decrease the number of starting hands you can play profitably.

So, it's not that you change your play to increase the Rakeback. It's because of rakeback that you would change your play. This change in play will actually increase the Rake that you would have payed before rakeback.

[MaxPower]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
changing your play to increase the R is -EV.


[/ QUOTE ]

Not exactly true.

Lower rakes increase the number of starting hands that you can play profitably. Higher rakes decrease the number of starting hands you can play profitably.

So, it's not that you change your play to increase the Rakeback. It's because of rakeback that you would change your play. This change in play will actually increase the Rake that you would have payed before rakeback.

[/ QUOTE ]

If poker sites caculated your rake based upon the rake taken out of the pots that you actually won, then you should play more hands if you are getting some of that rake back. But since they don't calculate it that way, you should not play more hands, because you will will make more money on the hand by folding.

[O Doyle Rules]

[ QUOTE ]
you will will make more money on the hand by folding.

[/ QUOTE ]

And this is exactly why the sweet addiction of rakeback is so to difficult break.

[O Doyle Rules]

[ QUOTE ]
explain

[/ QUOTE ]

A more accurate statement would have been to say the more I tried to maximize the amount of my rakeback as opposed to playing fewer tables and attempting to make the best possible decision on each hand by considering all the information at my disposal has hurt my game.

I have little doubt that for me to play my very best poker, I should only play one table. Now does this mean I will earn more money if I took that path? Probably not, but maybe. If I had not taken the path of multi-tabling $5/$10 & $3/$6 to max out rake, I might now be playing one table of $30/$60 or $50/$100 and beat it for 1.5 BB/100 because I would be making much better poker decisions on average.

[IndieMatty]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
explain

[/ QUOTE ]

A more accurate statement would have been to say the more I tried to maximize the amount of my rakeback as opposed to playing fewer tables and attempting to make the best possible decision on each hand by considering all the information at my disposal has hurt my game.

I have little doubt that for me to play my very best poker, I should only play one table. Now does this mean I will earn more money if I took that path? Probably not, but maybe. If I had not taken the path of multi-tabling $5/$10 & $3/$6 to max out rake, I might now be playing one table of $30/$60 or $50/$100 and beat it for 1.5 BB/100 because I would be playing much better poker decisions on average.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is what happened to me. I came pre-rakeback and moved up much quicker.

[morgant]

so how did your 100k hand challenge or whatever that was do for your game? seems you are making these decisions on a consistent basis.

[O Doyle Rules]

[ QUOTE ]
so how did your 100k hand challenge or whatever that was do for your game? seems you are making these decisions on a consistent basis.

[/ QUOTE ]

It didn't help my game. The addiction of rakeback is a hard one to break.