Offering Rakeback as new affiliate?

[LennyKGB]

Hello all,
I am relatively new to the forums, but have read quite a bit (including some related topics on this subject) and find all of your input extremely helpful. Clearly this is a helpful community. My question is quite simple... I am ready to start a new affiliate site, but am struggling with the somewhat common issue of whether to go the rakeback route or "regular" affiliate route.

My main sticking point is this...the type of content (niche) I was going to focus on is educational in nature... so if I am truly informing my visitors about how to get started with, and be successful playing on-line poker, then how can I NOT share the concept of rakeback with them? Is this a question others have struggled with? I know that most beginners do not know what rakeback is, but when I advise friends or colleagues, I always tell them about rakeback so it just seems odd.

And if the goal is that they stick with it and become a serious player generating MGR for you, they will likely eventually find out about rakeback, and so how is that handled? I just don't have a firm grasp on how this plays out... perhaps it isn't as big a deal as it seems to most of you, but any thoughts on this would be very much appreciated.

Also, this seems to obviously have an impact about whether I go direct as a regular affiliate, or go the sub-affiliate route via PAS or the like...

Thanks for any help,
LennyKGB

[Newjabber]

Hi Lenny

IMO

If a room offers rakeback, then offer rakeback.
Especially with the concept you describe that you will "educate" players into serious poker players.

And about going direct or with PAS.
Easy choise, go with PAS for sure.
They take care of support and promotions, and all you gotta focus on, is bringing in the players.
And you can proberly get as good a % with PAS once you bring in a lot of players, as you would get if you went direct.

And again, thats just my oppinion. :-)

[LennyKGB]

Thanks for the quick reply Newjabber! I have a followup based on some other reading... Is there really any advantage at all for a player to sign up without rakeback? Meaning, are they eligible for reload bonuses where a rakeback player would not be? Because a rakeback player (even if they don't rake very much), is still eligible for the signup bonus (although I know that most sites deduct from rakeback until bonus clears). So I am struggling to figure out if there is actually any advantage to a player to sign up in a "regular" fashion?
Thanks again... LennyKGB

[Newjabber]

Well i know i have a review here where the bonus is better than rakeback, not my research :-)
NOIQ Poker Rakeback | Poker Rakeback Online

I dont know in how many cases that a player would be better off without rakeback.
Unless you include cash back deals, which are basicly the same as rakeback.

Its the "NoIQ Poker Rakeback – Bonus Deductions" part.