Betfair’s official statement says:

It is important to note that Ongame is a rakeback-free network, so any players acquired as of today (July 12th) will not be eligible for rakeback deals but will instead automatically benefit from our loyalty scheme, once we migrate, known as the Betfair Player’s Club. Existing players however, will remain on their current rakeback deal.

Betfair Vs Ongame Traffic

Betfair is currently ranked #16 on PokerScout.com for traffic. Moving to the OnGame network will offer Betfair players more liquidity, wider game selection, access to some sick network wide promotions and some massive MTTs. Players will also be able to play using both a Mac or a PC.

New Betfair OnGame Promotions 12th-26th July

As you would expect poker and sports betting giants Betfair are laying on some promos so that all of their players have an incentive to grind on the new network

• $60,000 Points Race (AKA Rake Race) -Players simply need to grind and accumulate points (based on their play) to get to the top of the points leaderboard. $60,000 is up for grabs with $10k for the winner. A great additional bonus for playing this month.The race runs from 19th of July until 8th of August inclusive
• Free ‘SnG Step 2′ Tournament Ticket – Enter three sngs between 12th and 26th July and claim a free Sit-and-Go step 2 tournament ticket.
• 50 Free Seats to the $200,000 Guaranteed – Betfair are giving away 50 free tickets to their new Sunday Major tournament the $200K Guaranteed. On the 4th of August players can win a free tickets by earning earn 1,000 Betfair Points from the 12th -26th of July to receive a free entry to our 50 Seats Giveaway Tournament.

The End for Rakeback?

Could this be another indicator of the demise of poker rakeback deals? More and more poker rooms are moving to sites which off poker loyalty programs / poker VIP programs as opposed to flat rakeback payments. As of March 1st this year, online poker room FullTilt Poker announced a maximum of 3% commission for all new rakeback affiliates – saying in no uncertain terms that they don’t want rakeback players. The big daddy poker site, PokerStars doesn’t offer rakeback (instead they offer an interesting VIP Program), and rakeback isn’t permitted on the iPoker network either. It seems the poker industry is fed up with handing over rakeback to winning players and wants to focus on rewarding the low and mid-stakes grinders, to keep them from going broke, and of course to keep them raking, keeping the poker eco-system healthy and alive.

Visit Betfair Poker

Discuss Betfair’s move to the on the OnGame Network in our Betting Forum.

Possibly the largest obstacles to cross is being able to disassociate yourself from the monetary value of the chips in front of you. Every person’s threshold is different but there will become a point where the money you are essentially gambling with means something to you. For some this may be as low as a $20 whilst others may only shudder at the thought of having $2,000 in play.

There is no sure fire way to overcome this but one possible avenue to go down is to stop talking about your bankroll in terms of actual money, instead only mention it in terms of big blinds. This way you will have a greater chance of believing your chips are just weapons at the poker table which happen to enable you to win money at the end of the game.
Thinking in terms of big blinds also helps you to play more optimally by taking materialistic thoughts out of your mind. For example, if you are playing a $3/$6 game and have $600 in front of you, you may be less likely to risk your entire stack if you are thinking of what $600 could buy you or your family but if you can train yourself to see $600 as simply 600 big blinds you can take some emotion out of your game.
Having an adequate bankroll for the stakes you play also helps you think in terms of buy-ins or big blinds instead of actual money. In fact being over-rolled is probably best if you struggle with his aspect of poker. If you have a large cushion behind you, in terms of bankroll that is, then you are less likely to be worried about the financial side of the game and will be able to concentrate more on making plays with positive expectation, regardless of how much actual money is on the line.

Written by Matthew Pitt, who writes for Betfair Poker and the World Cup Betting Blog A2bworldcup.com

The advertisment with the byline “Online experience is measured in games, not years. Join the new breed. Annette_15” came to the attention of the ASA after it was distributed via email. The ASA claimed that the advert would encourage youngsters to play poker, and is highly irresponsible.

Betfair denied that the marketing campaign was aimed at underage plaeyrs in the UK, and have stated that they will not be using Obrestad in their UK marketing campaigns. The ASA also took this opportunity to reenforce the rule that no one under the age of 25 should appear in any form of online or offline gambling related marketing campaigns in the United Kingdom.

Since flat iPoker Rakeback deals are not permitted on the network, iPoker Loyalty programs are available which are pretty similar to rakeback.These schemes generally offer points which may sometimes be redeemed for cash, live poker tournament packages, luxury items such as TV’s, laptops, holidays etc are not uncommon. Sites on the iPoker network include Titan Poker, CelebPoker, William Hill, ChiliPoker,Sunpoker, Paddy Power Poker,Dirty Stack Poker, Expekt, as well as some other skins.

For a guide to ipoker rakeback equivalents, check out Poker Loyalty Programs.

PokerNordica Rakeback

PokerNordica is one of the oldest names on the network. They offer 30% rakeback, a deposit bonus of $500 which isn’t deducted from your rakeback as well as a monthly rake race to give players the potential to earn a lot more than just rakeback every month.

Download: Pokernordica Merge Rakeback

ReeferPoker Rakeback

ReeferPoker is a new skin on the Merge poker nework, also offering 30% Rakeback, a $420 deposit bonus and a bunch of promotions, many with a ganja theme.

Download: Reefer Poker Merge Rakeback

Spin32Poker Rakeback

Spin32Poker is the newest of the bunch, again offering 30% Rakeback, a $600 deposit bonus and a bunch of promotions including royal flush bonus, depositors freerolls and an additional points-based vip scheme to give you even more rewards for your loyalty.

Download Spin32 Merge Rakeback

5betPoker Entraction Rakeback

5BetPoker poker is a relatively skin on entraction. They offer 30% rakeback as well as a €1000 deposit bonus. 5BetPoker offers some of the best promotions on the Entraction network, including leagues, poker freerolls and other incentives to give players a little bit of an extra incentive to play on the software.

Download: Entraction Rakeback: 5betPoker(30%)

Devilfish Entraction Rakeback

Devilfish poker is another interesting brand the Entraction network. Devilfish Poker offers 30% rakeback to players as well as a €1000 deposit bonus on their deposit. Dave “Devilish” Ulliot can be found on the tables in bounty tournaments adding a bit of fun for the players. Other Promotions include rake races and leaderboards

Download: Devilfish Entraction Rakeback (30%)

The Betfar Pro’s include Annette “Annette_15″ Obrestad (WSOPE 2007 Main event champion) Sorel “1mperium” Mizzi and John Tabatabai, all are found regularly on the betfair tables.

Betfair rakeback information.

Rake up to £1499 in any one month and you are entitled to 30% Rakeback. If you rake over £1500 in a month, you will receive a whopping 40% rakeback.

Download Betfair for 40% Rakeback:Betfair Rakeback

The iPoker / Playtech network is the third biggest online poker network after Fulltilt and PokerStars. Whether a significant number of Celeb’s boss media player player-base actually moves over to the iPoker platform remains to be seen. Rakeback is not permitted on the iPoker Network, so anyone with 30% Boss rakeback via CelebPoker will be enrolled loyalty bonus / vip program, it is possible that players may get locked in to the VIP system at iPoker with no less than a 30% Rebate however specific details on this aspect of migration have not been released at this time.

Playtech’s iPoker Network is the industry’s leading platform, guaranteeing greater functionality and improved game play. Players will enjoy:

30,000 peak players including 12,000 peak cash players
24/7 action at the tables
Real time game history
Real time bonus history
Exciting tournament selection
Stunning promotions
Buddy Transfers
Huge progressive STT jackpots
VIP Club with 6 VIP Reward Levels

Expect the same award-winning customer service, plus additional 24/7 live support from within the software.

CelebPoker ->iPoker Migration Questions

How do I change over to the new CelebPoker ipoker software?
The new CelebPoker will not be available to download until we have finished the migration of your player account on August 12th 2009.

How long will the old boss media CelebPoker software be available?
The old software will be available until 04:00 GMT on August 12th 2009. The new CelebPoker will go live later in the day on August 12th 2009. Please keep checking back – as soon as you see the new CelebPoker download is available, you can log-in and play!

What happens to my bankroll?
At the time of migration on August 12th, your bankroll will be automatically transferred to your account in the new CelebPoker client. If you do not wish for this to happen, please ensure you withdraw your funds before the changeover.

I already play on another iPoker Network site. Why sign up with CelebPoker?

You’ll be able to play on both accounts and will receive great promotions on both sites. However, because CelebPoker.com offers some of the best promotions, enhanced customer service and incredible VIP Treatment, we are sure that you will want to spend most of your time with us!

How does the VIP Club work and what’s in it for me?

You have automatically been assigned a VIP Level for your new account, based upon the level of play of your best month in the last six months. Your VIP Level dictates how quickly you can earn CelebPoker Points (CPPs), for our loyalty program. Furthermore, you will automatically receive a monthly cashback bonus of up to $400, depending upon your VIP Level. VIP Levels are calculated monthly based upon the previous month’s play. Keep playing to increase your level and your rewards!

Resources

• Discuss the CelebPoker / iPoker move in our Poker Forum
• iPoker Rakeback Guide

The Irish Masters is a No-Limit Hold’em freezeout tournament, with a buy-in of €1,500 + €150, hosted in the CityWest Hotel, Dublin (host venue of the last two Irish Poker Open events).The Irish Masters event will run for for three days, from October 24th – 27th, and is expected to attract the best Irish and International poker players.

“The Sole Survivor promotion really spiced up this year’s Irish Open”, said Paddy Power, Communications Manager for paddypowerpoker.com. “We are thrilled to launch the IWF Sole Survivor by guaranteeing three seats to the Irish Masters main event in this Sunday’s mega satellite. It’s never too early to grab your seat and stake your claim as our next Sole Survivor!”

Weekly super satellites ($200 + $15 freezeouts) to the Irish Masters start online at Paddy Power Poker on Sunday May 17th, with a variety of small buy-in feeder satellites running daily.

A three tickets g’teed Super Satellite will run on Sunday May 10th at 9.00pm. Feeders to the Super Satellite will run daily from Wednesday May 6th.

Download Paddy Power Poker to qualify for the Irish Poker Masters, and for a shot at winning the extra €20,000 live sponsorship deal.

Discuss this article in our Poker Forum

Resources

• Official Paddy Power Poker Site
• Paddy Power Irish Poker Open Sole Survivor Promo

UKGF Poker League Prizes:

Our various poker leagues offer a variety of different prizes including:

• cash prizes
• Live Tournament Entries
• poker merchandise
• Games consoles
• Heads-up tournaments vs famous professionals

UKGF Poker leagues offer significant value to players in the shape of overlays, and are a fun way to spend an evening or two during the week. You can increase your bankroll and improve your poker game in a friendly environment and make a few friends at the same time!

All are welcome in the games as long as they are active in the forums: the more posters/players we have active on the forums, the more exclusive games we can offer players!

Previous UKGF Poker Leagues & Standings

• UKGF Play The Devilfish No Limit Holdem Poker League 2009 – UKGFer Errigal wins a headup with Dave “Devilfish” Ulliot
• UKGF PokerLiberation H.O.R.S.E League 2008

Join the UKGF Poker Leagues

Check out our Poker Forum for information on current leagues, and join in the fun today.