Rakeback vs lower rake

[ogdundar]

Im wondering if RB really is profitable comparing to sites like PokerStars without RB, but with lower rake.

Does anyone have numbers on how much PokerStars rakes compared to the big sites with RB in the 20-40% range?

[uffda]

It depends what game and limit you play. If you play NL or PL, I don't think Stars has any lower rake than most other sites.

However, if you play low limit ($1/2 -$ 2/4 - $3/6), you're paying up to 40% less rake at Stars compared to some other sites. 30% non-contributed rakeback is better than 40% lower rake (for a tight player), but if you factor in the Stars VIP program I think it's close.

At $5/10 and higher, you'll find many sites with roughly the same rake structure as Stars AND rakeback (UB, Full Tilt, Absolute ... at the middle limits I hear OnGame isn't that bad either, but don't take my word for it).