What is a Poker Rake Chase?

A poker rake chase is a promotion offered by some online poker rooms to provide rakeback deals for their customers. A rake chase is different to a rake race as a race is a competition against other players to rake the most in that month and prizes are awarded based on their standings in the table. A rake race, however, is a competition only against yourself, the aim is similar, to rake as much as you possibly can within a set limit but it isn't compared to any other player.

Unlike a rake race where you would usually win a fixed amount depending on how much rake you raked compared to other players, in a poker chase you normally win an amount based on how much you raked. It varies from room to room and site to site but with us it is normally approximately 10%.

As with rake races the goal is to play as many hands as possible so you can pay the most rake possible, only initially of course, remember, the more you pay in rake the more you can claim back in rake. Because of the need to pay rake you will need to play a cash game at one of the eligible sites, as opposed to Tournaments which take a fixed fee in your entry which isn't technically the same as paying rake, although it is often referred to as such.

Why should I enter a Rake Chase?

First and foremost because they are completely free to enter. Although a rake chase won't directly affect your win rate they can definitely change the amount you may win. Sometimes chases can be just the thing that makes the overall return from a room worthwhile and can also help turn a losing or break-even month into a profitable one. Be aware though, sometimes you need to opt in for a chase, so always make sure to opt in before you play any hands as any rake paid before you opt in won't be counted towards your overall rake total.

How do I enter a Rake Chase?

Here at RakeTheRake.com we have led the way in offering rake chases to our players and have done so for years. To participate in a rake chase you would first need an account at an eligible poker site. At the time of writing we have two rake chases running, one that only allows accounts from partypoker, bwin and optibet, and another that only allows accounts from Betsson, Betsafe and NordicBet.

For an up to date list of all of our Rake Chases please click here.

How do I win a Rake Chase?

Each rake chase will likely have different rules and goals so be sure to check what the rules are before attempting any of these chases. Most of the time the goal is to rake as much as possible in a given time, usually a month. So the way to win the biggest prize, put simply, is to rake as much as you can. As we discuss in our "What is rake?" guide rake is a fee paid to a casino or poker room to keep the casino or poker room in business. These fees go towards wages and general upkeep.

The question then is how to rake as much as possible and again the answer is fairly straightforward, you play as many hands of poker as possible. Remember, you pay rake on every hand of poker you play, so more hands = more rake and more rake = more prizes.

On top of increasing the amount of poker you play you can also increase how many hands of poker you play at the same time, this is referred to as "multi-tabling". Multi-tabling is exactly what it sounds like, playing poker on multiple tables at the same time. Before using this tactic you should be aware of two key points.

First, make sure to check the rules of the particular poker site that you are playing at as some sites ban this practice. The second point is actually the reason WHY some poker sites ban multi-tabling. For new players multi-tabling can be very confusing and it can sometimes be hard to keep track of what your opponents are doing. For this reason it can actually be a way to quickly lose your money as opposed to quickly gaining it. So we only recommend this strategy to seasoned players who play at poker rooms that allow it.

We've covered the key points of what a rake chase is and what you would need to do to be successful at one, so we recommend you sign up with Rake The Rake and start earning prizes for your rake now.