How To Become A Rakeback Pro
Becoming a rakeback pro isn't like becoming a professional poker player. Most rakeback pros are break even poker players and make their profit from the rakeback. A rakeback pro can easily make well over $1,000 a month just from rakeback not including the money won at the poker tables as well as rake race and rake chase cash prizes via Rakeback Rolls.
Step #1 - Choosing The Right Rakeback Deal
Choosing the right rakeback deal to become a rakeback pro has many factors to think about. Just picking the highest rakeback deal isn't always the best thing for you. The reality is online poker rooms that offer 40% rakeback is struggling to attract online poker players so it will be hard to find enough action to be a rakeback pro.
Another factor to take into account is dealt rake vs contributed rake. Rakeback pros are known to play very tight. However, it depends on the poker game. The most action is at the texas holdem and omaha tables. So if you're playing texas holdem it's recommended to play on a dealt rake poker room as you will be playing less hands and if you're playing omaha its recommended to play on contributed rake poker rooms as you will be playing more hands.
The best poker rakeback deals are on mid to large poker rooms with 30% to 35% rakeback. They have enough traffic to make a solid income from rakeback as a break even or low win rate poker player. However, if you want to try out the well known rush poker then playing at Full Tilt Poker for the low 27% rakeback will suite you just fine.
Step #2 - Getting Your Poker Tools
When you first starting out the only thing you really need is a online poker tool (Recommended: Poker Tracker 3) to keep track of your progress including hand history database and heads up display. Once you're making money from your rakeback you should upgrade to a dual monitor, upgrade to a quality mouse (or get the poker controller), and computer chair. Don't think of your hardware as an expense but an investment to make more money per hour.
Step #3 - Following Bankroll Management
Following bankroll management isn't a option it is a requirement to maintain a solid bankroll to become a rakeback pro and maintain being a rakeback pro. In texas holdem bankroll management you always need to have a minimum of 20 to 30 buyins for any given stakes you playing and for omaha bankroll management you always need to have a minimum of 30 to 50 buyins.
Step #4 - Becoming A Multi-tabler
While playing one table will make you a nice hourly wage multi-tabling can make you a nice full time income. However, you will need to first break even or win at one table then learn to do the same on two tables and once you get the hang of adding more and more tables you should be able to maintain multi-tabling the maximum allowed tables for that given online poker room.
For example, lets say you do 100 hands per hour, rake $1 per hand, and you have a 30% rakeback deal. This means you make $30 hourly from rakeback if you break even playing at the table. Now add 2 more tables and your hourly rate goes up to $90 hourly.
Also, by multi-tabling you will have a much bigger bankroll over time which allows you to move up stakes much faster than playing one table. However, moving up stakes may mean much harder opponents so don't be afraid to move down stakes if you can't handle the higher stakes.
Step #5 - Tilt Management
Tilt control is by far one of the most important things you need to learn to become a rakeback pro. Learn how to control your emotions to prevert tilting in the first place as you will have huge upswings and downswings that could make you lose control of your bankroll management skills. When you have a huge upswing that brings up your win rate higher than ever before, you could have what is called a "happy tilt" when you so overjoyed that you are winning you no longer playing ABC poker. You will start losing and down spiral for a huge downswing.
Once you are on a downswing you start to doubt you would ever break even or win again. This can even make you start to lose your rakeback money. Whenever you start tilting it is a good thing to take a break. This break can be a few hours, days, or take a week off.
What To Do On Your Break
When you take your break you should mix it up between spending time with family and friends, just having fun going out, and studying your hand history, talking with other players in poker forums, and watching videos at a poker training site.
Step #6 - Becoming A Full Time Rakeback Pro
Now to become a full time rakeback pro and quit your 9 to 5 job. You will need to take this serious like any other business. You will have to set your own schedule and stick to it without making excuses not to play poker. This means saving enough money to handle life expenses for a minimum of 6 months (12 to 24 months to be on the safe side) as well as having a large enough bankroll to handle the downswings.
Full Time Rakeback Pro Guide
1) You should have a savings account with minimum 6 months living expenses.
(i.e. If your living expenses is $2,000 a month you should have a minimum of $12,000 in savings or up to $48,000 to be on the safe side.)
2) You should have a bank account just for playing poker holding your bankroll reserves of a minimum 5 times your bankroll online.
(i.e. If your online bankroll is $1,000 then your bankroll reserves bank account should have a minimum balance of $5,000.)
3) Your playing schedule should be a minimum of 6 hours a day, 5 to 7 days a week, and scheduled around the best times of a day to play poker.
(i.e. couple of hours at each peak time around the around; uk players peak time, us/ca players peak time, and au players peak time.)
Become A Rakeback Pro Today!
Improve Poker Skills To Become A Professional Poker Player
Breaking even to profit from rakeback can make you a full time income online. However, that can only make you so much money. You can't play poker for the rest of your life. So you have to ask yourself what do I want to do in 10 years from now. If retirement came to mind then keep reading!
Learning how to become a pro poker player and not just a rakeback pro can give you the ability to win enough money on top of your rakeback income to invest in stocks, real estate, and other businesses to really enjoy retirement when the time comes. You won't have to keep grinding online poker to make a living or get a job after ending your online poker career.
