Propping/Rakeback --- Is it for real?

Since I am now taking on poker full time I am considering giving propping and rakeback a try to see if its all its cracked up to be.

I was accepted for a rakeback propping deal of 85% at a certain poker site out there. I came across a calculator that estimates your rakeback. Two tabling NL six handed at $.50/$1.00 for 8 hours a day (hours of a regular job) translates into $3000 and change a month. Is this realistic at all? Another thing that threw me was instead of six handed play heads up, your getting close to $3500 a month at the same. Again is this realistic?

If this is really what it says it is, could you not take advantage of it in your playing style?

Is there a way to change your play to maximize rake?

Is it wrong to play to collect on rake and simply maintain your bankroll instead of taking chances and attempting to take the profits?

I am not saying im not playing to win, but if I make a base deposit into this certain room and simply aim to maintain even par with the bankroll and pocket the rake back, it seems like a great deal to me.

Can anyone help me with this?

It's definitely for real. There are breakeven players that make six-figures a year in rakeback and bonuses. Keep in mind that this rake you're getting back is money that you've already paid the house/site, so you still have to beat the game to make money. i.e. in order to break even, you actually have to win money from the other players first, then the house takes it, then they give it back.

How the hell do you get that much rakeback? I only get 27% :'( Oh and what's 'propping?'

EDIT: deleted company name in light of dakota's post down there VVVVV cheers bud!

Let's make sure we avoid mentioning and/or linking specific rakeback sites and deals in this thread.

As I understand it - props are employed by casinos or online sites to encourage other players to sit at cash game tables. Props will sit at empty tables in an attempt to get others to join (rather than joining a waiting list at another). They are compensated by increased rakeback deals. They always have to use their own funds when playing though.

A prop will spend much of their time playing (very) short-handed as they are expected to move to a new empty table when the current one fills up. So they're not able to go fishing with good table selection like the rest of us. In fact, when they do find themselves at a good table they're gonna be moved on regardless of how much they want to stay...

Can't answer the OP's question of whether they are really that profitable. I suspect not: your standard 30% rakeback calculators are notoriously inflated - I would guess that propping rakeback calculators are too.

Chernoff - I've been looking into this a bit more and I think there's another thing to consider. The figure you stated ($3000 a month) is dependent on playing 6-handed for 8 hours a day. But the nature of propping is such that you will very rarely be playing 6-handed for much of the time. Most of this will be spent 2,3,4 handed and rake will suffer because of this. And, depending on the site(s) you'll be playing at - at non-peak hours when traffic is low - you will probably be sat by yourself a large proportion of the time. Zero-handed. So no rake there.

I suppose if you're exceptionally capable of profitably multitabling heads-up at this level then maybe it's something to consider. If not, I think additional rakeback% will be negated by reduced rake. .

I've only recently come across this whole propping thing though so would be interested to know what others think.

Here is the thing on that. You get nearly 1.3 times the amount of rake playing heads up then you do 6 handed and nearly 1.6 times the rake playing heads up then 9 or 10 handed. SO the shorter handed you are, the more rake you generate, the more money you make.