i currently play at FTP, but signed up a couple of years ago before i knew about rakeback. mainly i am a tournament player, and currently play $20 +$2 tournaments through to the $200+ $15 sunday guarantee (but only if i satellite into it cheaply).

as i dont have RB ive been thinking about moving to a different site for some time now and gettin RB there, as i feel im missing out on a lot of cash from receiving it.

Positives for FTP;
1) I like the softare and am used to the setup of it now (Other sites i have tried are horrible in comparison and i dont feel comfortbale).
2) They have many tournaments on offer at all times of the day (ideal for me as I am in UK).
3) Because the standard of players are better at FTP than most others, i feel that my game can improve significantly from being there.
4) Because of their large database of players, it is easy to play SNG's within minutes.

Positives for leaving;
1) FTP wont allow me to get RB.
2) Weaker competition on other sites.
3) Some sites dont fill their guarantees, and so there is plenty of dead money.

Any help and advice from anyone on this subject would be greatly appreciated as i have been fighting with the prospect of switching for a fair while now. if there are any more positives for FTP or switching id like to hear them. also, remember that i am predominantly a tourney player sothis is most important to me at the moment, but i do play cash occasionally.

thanks

Leaving points 1 and 2 are why I don't play at FTP. Rakeback makes up quite a bit of my income, it would be silly for me to play without rakeback.

is the competition a lot worse on other sites. i no its not as gd as FTP generally, but is it really noticeable?

also which sites have the softest players but still gd tourneys. heard party is weak, but dont know what the tourneys r like.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...d.php?t=128204

ipoker is pretty weak but don't allow US players and no rakeback.

they have this cashback thing though, which is basically like rakeback right?

They have a VIP scheme with different levels where you can cash in your loyalty points for cash when you reach a certain level. It caps the amount you can rakeback until you reach the highest VIP level though, when it becomes unlimited. Rakeback would be better, in fact I am thinking of changing to FTP even though the competition is stronger there as the rake is making a dent even at the 50nl level I play at.

What is rakeback? (edit) Actually, logic through deductive reasoning would imply that "Rakeback" would be some sort of software or program in which you are entitled to getting some of the ..."rake....back"?? Is it a percentage of the taken rake given back to you, the player? And if so, why would anyone offer this? What profit could a company or software site gain from FTP or anyone losing some of their rake?

yeah rakeback does exactly what it says on the tin. gives u some rake back to u.

if a player goes through a rakeback site (i.e rakebackpros.com, etc,etc) to sign up to a poker site (i.e. FTP), when the player signs in they can give a referral code. this means they are able to get some of their rake back through the affiliate rakeback site. what happens is FTP will give rakebackpros.com some of the rake they gain off the player in return for rakebackpros.com sending the player to sign up to FTP in the first place. rakebackpros will then pass on some of the rakeback to the player. in this case i think it is 27% of the rakeback that you generate you can get back.

trouble a lot of players are having with FTP is that they dont offer rakeback to players who already have an account with them. thats y many ppl r leaving, and partly the reason for me creating this thread. hope it clears things up.

am I correct in thinking that rakeback will affect you more if you play cash as opposed to MTTs and SnG's? I guess unless you are playing hundreds of tourneys a day?

SNG player can earn a fair bit because you get rakeback on each entry fee. Most SNG players multitable turbo's so they could be playing 20 an hour, perhaps even more depending how many they run at once.

Say you did manage to play 20 an hour, each with $1 entry fee you would earn a little over $5 in rakeback.

If you play 1-2 MTT per day you would earn a great deal less in rakeback.
The big 200+15 tournament would only generate ~4 in rakeback.

Curlee, I like FTP and defend them more than most people in the zoo. However, they have their problems with customer service issues at times and I cannot understand why anyone would play there without rakeback.

All your positives for playing there could be covered by switching to Stars. You cannot get RB there but their FPP system equates to a form of RB. You cannot compare FTP's points system to it. Also their customer service is simply the best.

Alternatively, as you are from the UK, get yourself a good affiliate and check out all the RB and bonus offers. Do a bit of bonus whoring and play a lot of sites - you will decide for yourself where you settle for long term satisfaction.

Someone told me of 'Rakebrain', a site where although you already have an account, you can register for rakeback. I have just registered and are going to try it out tomorrow. Google it and try....

yeah thanks rek, i really do like FTP as well, for some of the reasons i first mentioned and more, adn that is y i have spent so long there even without rakeback.

ive sent an email to ftp and rakebackpros concerning that and they've said they'll put me on the waiting list. but not sure how long this will take obviously. can any1 who was put on this list, tell me how long they had to wait before they received the RB offer/ have people been waiting a long time.

i would also move to stars but can never seem to download their software correctly. also, is stars a lot softer than FTP or is it about the same. i'd always assumed it was about the same as they are the 2 biggest sites.

if i were you
1) pull out your bankroll, and bonuswhore for a bit, try out all difference site.
when you do that, FTP will get you a reload bonus. take that as rakeback.
after you clear it. then pull out your bankroll again, for some bonus whoring.
you are hoping FTP finally get it, and sent you a invitation for rakeback.
if not, you get bonus for bonus whore, and you get ftp reload bonus.
it's still something extra.

reload bonus?

this is when i take ALL my bankroll out, and then deposit again. do i have to wait for FTP to get into contact with me to tell me its available to me?

also, has any1 played on PKR? i heard this was a particularly weak site because the players are attracted by the 'fancy' graphical elements of it and not the actual poker aspect.

when you pull your roll
they should email you a reload bonus (it's standard, everysite does that)
don't play at PRK because it's weak
now you want to focus on three thing.
1) get youself in on the waiting list for next direct rakeback at FTP.
2) Bonus whore, you will leave the site when bonus is done, and move on the next one, you only stop for FTP reload, let the cycle begin.
3) make a note of which site you would want to be back as 2nd/3rd site.