Frequently Asked Questions

A: A proposition player (or prop, as they are commonly known) is a player paid by the poker site to help start new tables and sustain short handed tables while creating a good atmosphere for the other players. The prop plays with their own money, but they get a much better rakeback/propback deal than all the other non prop players for this service. In return, they must follow a few simple rules that each poker site has for their props. They are responsible for their own bankroll and their own wins and losses at the table, but they have a significant advantage by getting paid by the poker room to play this role. A similar situation occurs in live poker rooms and casinos, where some players get paid, comped meals and rooms, for being a prop player.

A: Poker rooms invest considerable resources marketing their rooms and they can't afford to have these new players show up and not see any games running. These new players are typically reluctant to start new tables or play short handed. Therefore, the poker rooms are willing to pay props quite well for assisting them in creating action. Poker props play that important role of populating these tables and encouraging these players to play, thereby helping the poker room make money. The prop player plays with their own money and they are responsible for their own wins and losses, but the poker rooms pay you for this valuable service by giving you most or all of your rake back. While the need for poker props is greatest at new and small poker rooms, that doesn’t mean props will be relegated to playing at such upstart sites exclusively. Some of the already established brands hire poker props in specific areas that need more activity and action.

If you need further reasons to consider propping, we've noticed changes in the online poker scene the last few years. The players have generally become more skilled and tougher to beat. Some countries have enacted restrictions affecting the quality of the overall casual player pool. These changes require that poker players work harder to improve their game and look for profitable edges. Poker propping is a great edge for the right player. Whereas most players pay around a 5% rake to the poker rooms they play on, with poker propping you can get most or all of that back. In some instances, you can be paid to play. That edge can turn losing and break even players who like to grind into consistent winners and regular winners into much bigger winners.


In return for the tremendous rakeback (also referred to as propback or extra pay benefits) that the poker rooms give their props, the props have certain responsibilities and obligations. Each room has different restrictions or guidelines their props must obey. Before you sign up to a poker prop deal, make sure you understand these propping restrictions. You want to factor those in with the actual value of the deal to determine whether they are a good fit for you or not.

A: Poker rooms prefer to keep their propping efforts quiet. That is a condition for participating as a poker prop. You are not to share the fact that you are a prop except with other props in private or on pokerprops.com. You will learn which sites you will be playing for when you accept the terms and conditions of the propping.

Most people don't know what a prop or propping is. They fear props have special benefits or are there to make "ordinary" players lose or rake a maximum. A prop is an ordinary player, just with a better rakeback deal and some rules to follow. Additionally, some people think props are better players and therefore want to avoid playing on sites that use props. This, in most cases, is not true. Many of the props are formerly break even or slightly losing players that start to win through the great propback pay. Last, but certainly not least, the poker rooms are afraid of missing out on players that would have started to play without a prop deal. This means they have to pay a lot of money for something they could have gotten for considerably less. As a result of all these factors, it is vital that propping and the sites that offer it keep their efforts quiet.

A: Anyone can become a prop, but PokerProps doesn't recommend just anyone to becoming one. Each poker room has their own expectations or restrictions that you should read carefully. Playing as a prop is not a good alternative if you do not like to play Heads up poker or short handed play. If after a bad beat, you have problems controlling yourself and like to humiliate your opponent in the chat, maybe you should consider any of our regular rakeback deals instead. The rakeback deals don't have any restrictions on when, where, or how you play.

A: While the opportunity to be a prop is open to anyone, it is our opinion that only the right candidates will succeed at being a prop player. The characteristics listed below have been garnered from years of representing and managing prop players.

Good candidates to become a prop:

You don't mind starting tables and playing heads up or short-handed.
You don't mind playing regulars or other props
You can play patient and tight when needed
You like to play regularly (a grinder)
You like to play multiple tables, sometimes at different levels or across different sites.
You are friendly at the table
You are even-keeled and don't get over-emotional (tilt) when you lose to a bad beat
You can deposit to fund your initial reasonable bankroll on the prop site
You can be discreet about your role as a poker prop

Poor candidates to become a prop:

You are unable to deposit on a site to establish your initial bankroll
You suffer from serious tilt issues, or you are historically a big losing player
You can't resist being negative and berating your opponents in chat
You don't like short handed play
You only like to 'bum hunt' or play full fishy tables
You only play MTT's
You like to brag about your special role as a poker prop
You already have accounts on the prop sites you intend to play - this can be overcome on some sites

A: In the early years of a poker room, they invest considerable resources to promote and market their site. They will advertise great sign up bonuses, great rakeback, and other incentives to come to their poker room. If you take them up on their offer, make a deposit, and check out their poker room, how long will you stay if you rarely ever find games going at your preferred stakes? How long after clearing your bonus are you going to wait before cashing out your entire balance? They realize they also need to make sure they have regular games running at different stakes and games. They help accomplish this by hiring poker props to start and fill games. That encourages regulars and new players to join the games, which develops a site's momentum and revenue.

A: Many poker rooms, at one time or another, have used props in order to help their player liquidity. Most poker rooms use them in the early years when they are trying to build traffic. Most poker rooms suspend their prop program once their site has reached a large steady mass of player traffic. Although, some larger sites will employ props in specific areas that they are trying to develop or at certain times where their traffic is lower.

A: Player liquidity refers to the numbers of poker players playing at a particular poker site. The old adage that it takes money to make money translates closely to poker room player liquidity. The sites that have lots of players on them tend to attract more players. Players are more reluctant to play on sites where there aren't as many tables going. They prefer having choices and being able to play multiple tables at a particular level. Therefore, poker rooms need to focus on keeping a high level of player liquidity in order to attract more players. Prop players play an important role in that process of having many games, tables, and levels of play running to attract new players.

A: The most noticeable difference is that props make a MUCH higher percentage, two to three times as much (e.g. 90% vs. 30%) of rake back from propping compared to traditional rakeback. The poker room is compensating the prop well for providing a service. The prop is helping to start or maintain tables which encourages full paying players to play. The prop is guided to play certain pre-approved games and levels while following a basic set of good conduct rules that is encouraging of all players. Higher percentage rake back propping situations are created by poker rooms with lower traffic and game selection so that there will be games for full paying customers. Each poker room has slightly different expectations and responsibilities for their props, so make sure to check out all the details on the individual prop deals.

On the other hand, traditional rakeback allows you complete freedom of when and where to play, but a much smaller returned percentage of the rake you pay in. Rakeback is offered to players as both a sign up incentive and a retention tool, not too dissimilar from the comps you earn from regular play in a live poker room setting. The larger and more successful poker rooms will offer a lower percentage of rakeback than the smaller and newer poker rooms. Some poker rooms will not offer any rakeback, but instead emphasize stepped up rewards and frequent player points that can be redeemed for cash and prizes.

While poker propping may not be for every player, not having rakeback at poker rooms that offer it is giving away free money. It is key to sign up for rakeback before you download the software for a particular poker room. At the very least, even if none of the PokerProp deals fit you, you should seriously consider establishing rakeback at the rooms you might play at now or in the future.

A: Each poker room has its own set of restrictions and expectations. Below are some examples that are commonly found.

- The poker prop will be required to sign in with the shift-manager every time he starts a propping session.

- The poker room may require poker props to play at certain limits, but you aren't forced to play limits you aren't comfortable with playing. Sometimes, prop rakeback will only be offered on those given limits. When playing on other limits, poker props will earn regular or significantly less rakeback.

- The number of poker props at one table may (and probably will) be limited.

- Poker props will not be eligible to participate in any of the promotions offered by the site, including the sign-up bonus.

- The main purpose for props are to create liquidity by starting new tables and joining shorthanded ones that are about to die.

- As a prop, you should always strive to create a nice atmosphere. If you have problem controlling yourself in chat and like to curse and intimidate your opponents propping is not for you.

A: All props are managed by a shift manager from pokerprops. You will typically sign in and check in with a shift manager who will guide you. Once you are established, the shift manager may be passive as long as you follow the rules.

Sample rules that a prop might anticipate:

1. Go to our forums and check for new information, changes in rules, new promotions and an updated prop list. All information will be posted there.

2. The general process is that they write a message to the shiftmanager on either Yahoo or MSN Messenger telling us what site they are playing at, what nickname they have and what limits they will be playing. The shiftmanager will not contact them or answer unless they are breaking the rules or to suggest a new table for them to sit at etc. We do not demand that the props sign out anymore.

3. Your job is to start new tables and save dying ones. If your table gets full - 1 (5 players on a 6 max, 9 players on a 10 max table) you have to sit out and leave or start a new one on the same limit or a higher one. If the full table get a waiting list with 3 or more players you have to leave before your next blind. A prop may not be on waiting lists for a table.

4. Props are not allowed to "sit out" for any duration longer than one rotation of the button.

5. Any prop caught trying to collude with another prop/customer will be terminated immediately.

6. Intentionally "playing soft" or favoring another player will not be tolerated.

7. Another important factor if you want to play poker as a prop is making a pleasant time for the customers. This means that a prop is not allowed at anytime talk bad of other players, no matter how bad or dumb he plays. A "nh" or "well played" really helps creating a good time on the table, if the customers notice that there is often a friendly chat they most likely will have a better time. A prop is never ever allowed to talk about the prop team, or even mention that he/she is a prop. A prop is never allowed to talk to anyone at what site he props or reveal the name of other props.

A: Absolutely not. There is no fixed expectation of length of stay. If you don't like it, you are free to stop at any time with no consequence. In most cases, you'll be eligible to return as a prop in the future. Please keep in mind, though, that even if you stop propping at a site, you are not allowed to mention that the site has props to the public.

A: You can sign up for as many prop deals as you feel are a good fit.

A: This is site dependent, as some sites will allow it, while with others it will cause you to be ineligible. Please contact Pokerprops.com customer support to check for you.

A: No, you will never be forced to play limits or games that you haven't agreed to. It is important to pay close attention to the expectations in the prop offer to make sure it is the right fit for you. Some poker rooms only offer propping opportunities above certain levels (i.e. .50-$1)

A: No, we can never guarantee the traffic of the sites. A prop is hired to boost traffic and there are times when you have to wait for a game to start. A good solution to be playing other tables or even other poker rooms where you have a rakeback deal, while you are waiting for players at your prop poker room. Another solution is to sign up for several prop deals.

A: Pokerprops.com has the largest array of prop deals available and is actively working to add more. You can only play as a prop on the sites we have a contract with, all of whom are listed on the site.

A: The poker site will determine if that is necessary to know or not. Pokerprops.com will inform you about special prop promotions, bonuses, daily announcements and possibly other props to be aware of on particular sites. On most sites, where the rules require you to know the other props, the software makes sure you are not able to break the rules associated with this.

A: Some prop deals are only for specific tables and games, while others are open to all cash games. It depends on the site. At times the site may request that you help at a certain table, but they will never force you to play a game or limit that you're not comfortable with. Sometimes you can play whatever games and tables you like, while other times you will be asked to help another table that is in need of prop players. Be aware that as the liquidity of players increases at a particular poker room, the levels that are awarded prop pay may change.

A: No. You are free to play as much or as little as you like. However, some poker sites may provide additional benefits for those that reach a certain number of hands per week, or put restrictions on the minimum amount in prop pay accrued before disbursement.

A: As you are responsible for your own wins and losses, the discretion for how much you want to deposit is up to you. You are welcome to deposit whatever amount you feel comfortable playing with, but we recommend you deposit enough to support the game limits you will be playing as part of your propping agreement.

A: Any prop that violates the rules will be warned the first time. If the prop violates the rule a second time, there will be a second warning and they will be charged one week of retroactive prop pay. If a prop violates the rules three times within a month, no prop pay will be paid out and the prop will be banned from the prop team for a month. Every month the warnings are re-set to zero, not carried over.

A: The shift manager is an employee of Pokerprops.com. They manage where the props are playing and make sure the props are following the rules. Sometimes they are actively managing your play, while at other times they take a passive role if things are running smoothly. You are responsible to follow the rules at all times, though.

A: Notify the shift manager or send an email to prop support about it. Never say anything about it in chat or publicly. It is important that you keep your propping role private.

A: There is no limit to the amount you can make working as a prop. The amount of money that you can make depends on how much you play, including what games and stakes you play. You are responsible for your own wins and losses at the table, but you can get an estimate of the rakeback portion you will receive back from the site by using our poker prop calculator. Poker props will make anywhere from 2-4 times as much rakeback as a regular rakeback player.

Limit	1 Table	2 tables	4 tables
.50/1 FL	$3/hr	$6/hr	$12/hr
1/2 FL	$5/hr	$10/hr	$20/hr
2/4 FL	$7/hr	$14/hr	$28/hr
5/10 FL	$14/hr	$28/hr	$56/hr
.10/.25 NL	$2.50/hr	$5/hr	$10/hr
.50/1 NL	$5/hr	$10/hr	$20/hr
2/4 NL	$11/hr	$22/hr	$44/hr

A: "It takes players to attract more players." That would summarize why poker rooms pay props. A newer site may have great software, good promotions, but just not enough players. If a new player comes in and sees that there is no one to play against they will leave quickly. Props are there to start action and maintain a good atmosphere by being friendly. For this service the poker rooms pay a competitive price. It also means that the traffic on prop sites, in general, is lower than more established sites, but not always, as some more established sites have realized the value of props for certain areas of their site. In exchange for helping start, sustain games, and following some basic rules, you are paid anywhere from 70-135% of your rake back, depending on the site. Poker props provide a valuable service to the poker rooms. The poker rooms are willing to pay well to secure reliable props if it helps them increase their on-site volume, start games, and help short handed games stay alive.

A: Contributed Rake, sometimes called Rake Rebate, is calculated by figuring how much rake a player actually contributed to the pot. Let’s say 4 players are dealt into a hand and two of them fold preflop. Since they didn’t pay any rake that hand, they don’t receive any credit. Let’s say the two remaining players in the hand go to showdown. Whatever rake is taken in that hand will be split equally between those players, as they both contributed equally to the pot.

Rake Share, sometimes called Dealt Rake, is calculated by dividing the total rake collected in the hand by the total number of players dealt into the hand. So, if 10 players are dealt cards and the total rake taken from the pot is $10, each player is credited with having contributed $1 of the rake (10.00/10).

A: Each poker room that we work with pays you directly into your poker account, usually on a weekly basis.

A: It depends on the site. On some of our prop deal poker rooms, you can track your prop pay directly. Other sites will send daily reports or you can contact prop support for your rake status. Some sites you only find out when they pay you, so we recommend that you utilize tracking software like Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker 3 to track your play.

A: No. Propping is usually for cash games and occasionally for sit 'n go's.

A: Generally, you will not be eligible for deposit bonuses at these sites, because they are compensating you at such a high level through rakeback/propback, but you are sometimes eligible for other promotions. Each prop site will share their own specific details of what you are or are not eligible for once you request information.

A: No. There are no fees associated with propping. There are no registration dues, no costs whatsoever, involved with becoming a poker prop. Poker props play with their own bankroll and PokerProps makes sure our props are compensated by the online poker sites for their propping duties.

A: Yes. You are paid for every hand you play within the poker room specified prop areas. If there isn't much action going, you can often play in other non prop areas with a lesser or no rakeback option.

A: The way that poker sites make money is by taking what is called rake. For each "$X" amount of money in each pot/hand, they take a % of that pot. For example: If there's $40 in a pot for a hand, they might take $2 out of that pot. Poker rooms typically rake an average of 5% from the various games they offer.

A: Rakeback is a system to pay back a portion of the rake that you paid the poker site from each pot. It is used as a recruitment and retention tool for loyal players. Here's an example of 100% rake back for 1 hand/pot: Let's say that there are 6 players dealt into this hand. The pot builds up and the poker site takes $3 in rake for this hand. 100% rakeback would be defined in this particular hand as $3(rake) divided by 6(# of players) which would equal $0.50. Different sites use different methods to calculate the rakeback.