In order to provide guidance and knowledge for players to accurately choose the one that suits them best, we will now review them below.
Where it all began
If we look back in history, we can see that the presence of rake races can be linked to the rise of competition between online poker rooms and poker affiliate websites. With a lot of online poker rooms and affiliate websites available the players started hunting for better deals and online poker rooms and affiliates created the solution in the form of rake races.
Some of the online poker rooms started to organise rake races or cash/points races as an other kind of incentive. Rake chases stemmed off rake races. As time went on, poker rooms found their profits dwindling. In the need for a more profitable system, the creation of rake chases begun.
This new trend ended up being beneficial not only for the players, but also for the poker rooms who adopt well to this new demand from the players.
A majority of the rake race and chase promotions are only accessible through affiliate sites, such as Rakerace.com.
To start with, we must distinguish the differences between a rake race and a rake chase. The key factor that sets them apart is the relation of time and rewards.
Rake Race
A rake race is an event that is usually based over a monthly or weekly period, with a start and a finish point. The objective of a rake race is for players to generate the most rake within the promotion time.
Players are allowed to participate and compete for a (usually pre-determined) prize pool. During a rake race you can advance in position if you generate more rake than the other competitors. Therefore continuous play throughout the whole month is the key to winning the top prizes.
Movement within the leaderboard is monitored in two ways: either the amount of rake acquired, or the number of VIP or loyalty points gathered over the race period. (For further information on these terms, please visit our FAQ section.)
Lines behind cars represent Total Accumulated Rake
Rake chase
If we look at rake chases, we can see that they require a pre-determined amount of rake to be generated in order to obtain prizes. This means that poker rooms secure more gameplay and create more competition among players.
Rake chases also run over a specific time period, typically a month. Their main objective is to be among the first racers to reach a certain checkpoint or marker within the time limit. Checkpoints and markers are usually pre-determined by the amount of VIP points or rake needed to be collected.
The lower checkpoints are usually easy to reach and have a larger number of winners with minimal rewards. The higher the checkpoints are, we see the opposite occur: where the prizes get bigger, and the number of players receiveing a prize decreases.
Here, the aim is to reach the checkpoints for the rewards
A combination of rake race and rake chase
Rake races and rake chases have a child, bearing characteristics of both, but being an event much harder to win. In this type of rake event, players compete against each other (similarly to rake races), but, in order to make it to the leaderboard, they need to reach a minimum amount of rake. Unlike at other sites, here, at Rakerace.com, we do not set a minimum amount, so everybody registering to our race will secure a place on the leaderboard.
Final toughts
The general opinion on the Web is that people tend to like races better. Chases, however, can provide a more secure and reliable rakeback-like payment, where players can easily calculate their total return.
In conclusion, rake races and rake chases are both profitable returns for players who are dedicated to winning a competition. Because every player is different, it is hard to make a judgement on which one is better. Our recommendation at Rakerace.com is for players to test both, review their gameplay, track their progress, analyze their data and see how they can get the most out of poker. In the end, you’ve got nothing to lose, but everything to gain!
