Rakeback at Microstake Levels
If you’re grinding it out at the microstake limit holdem tables, rakeback is vital to your overall ROI.
The reason for this is that these limits are considered to be ‘unbeatable’. That means that most pro’s, semi -pro’s and people that do the math and talk about poker all day carry the opinion that you can’t make a profit playing these games.
That’s okay of course, if you’re playing poker for entertainment only, and you’re losing a few bucks a week or something, there’s nothing wrong with that.
If however you’re training yourself to move up in stakes, and you’re working on building and managing a bankroll, you need to be winning, not paying to see flops.
Taking the rake into consideration, without rakeback at these tiny stake tables, you can’t win. At Full Tilt Poker, playing a limit game of .10-.20 you’ll be paying a nickel for every dollar in the pot. That’s half of a small blind!
The best rakeback deal to use at these microstake tables is of course going to be the dealt method. Using this method you get credited for every hand in which you receive cards. You don’t have to actually put a penny into the pot here to collect rake.
People just don’t normally fold at microstakes tables, so the pots are raked frequently, and you want your cut, of every hand.
Picture yourself coming home after work, opening 10 poker tables, at a site like Carbon Poker that pays rake using the dealt method, and just earning rakeback. Playing only absolute premium hands, and steadily earning, building your bankroll out of virtually nothing.
You probably also want to play at a room that charges the highest possible rake at these low limit tables. That strategy mixed with a tight game, and you will see your profit’s turn green.
Picture this strategy in play at a room that caps limit rake at $3, charging 5% in rake per pot. If you can find a room that charges rake whether or not there is a flop, all the better.
Remember, multi tabling is a great way to get more hands in, thousands in fact. However, don’t get overwhelmed. No matter what stakes you’re playing at, you want the maximum value for your premium hands. If you’re playing more tables than you can juggle, you’re not going to get it. Not to mention making everyone wait while you repeatedly time out is just bad manners.
Also, I’ve read before that you don’t play poker to add to your rakeback, you play to win money from the other players. Heck ya you play to win from the other players, but at these stakes, play buddy get what you can from rakeback, so that when you move up, you can take further advantage of the weapon that is your bankroll.
You don’t need to win, you just need to avoid losing, collect the rakeback, sit back, and actually enjoy poker.
