author-picture

banoster

Norbert Bárdos — Editor-in-Chief Norbert has written about poker as banoster since 2009. He came to the game from sports journalism, by way of the television broadcasts that followed the poker boom — which meant he arrived already knowing how to file copy, and learned the poker afterwards. He joined PokerAkademia first as a player and then as an editor, and wrote most of the news archive that turned it into the defining community site of Hungarian poker. In parallel he built a playing career: an NL100 six-max cash regular, several years spent as a backed player, and three years in Team Hero's Hungarian cash game programme, coached by high-stakes regulars including Katz0r and neomorf. He is still an active, winning player at those stakes. What he brings to RakeRace beyond the editing is fifteen years inside the poker industry itself, including the affiliate side of it. He knows how rakeback deals get negotiated, why one room's offer wins on paper and loses at the table, and which parts of this business readers are usually not told about. That is the beat he covers personally: poker news, the industry, and how the money actually moves. He has followed casino games since 2025, and plays blackjack away from the poker tables. The hands-on casino reviewing on this site is done by Patr1ckz, who has six years of play behind it; Norbert's role there is editorial. What he covers Poker news and industry analysis Poker room reviews and rakeback deals How the affiliate business works — including ours NLHE cash game strategy at micro to mid stakes Experience Playing since 2009 Stakes and format NL100, six-max No-Limit Hold'em cash Coaching Three years in the Team Hero Hungarian cash game programme Editorial background Sports journalist, then editor at PokerAkademia Casino games Following since 2025 Role at RakeRace Editor-in-Chief Elsewhere His  A  The  — most of it his Disclosure Norbert spent three years in the Team Hero cash game programme, and RakeRace has a commercial relationship with Team Hero. He does not write our Team Hero coverage, and any article that mentions them carries this disclosure. The rest of the team Norbert edits the work of the writers on our team page — Zenderman on cash game strategy and poker news, Daniboy on solver work and study method, and Patr1ckz on tournaments and casino reviews.

Articles by banoster

Norway Moves Toward Legal Online Poker With Strict Limits

Norway plans to legalize online poker through Norsk Tipping, but strict stakes, buy-in and loss limits could make it difficult to attract players.

GGPoker Launches Ocean KO With Bounties Up to $1.5M

GGPoker is launching the new Ocean KO format with bounties of up to $1.5 million, alongside $18 million in promotions this October.

From Poker to ChatGPT: How Poker Helped Advance AI

From Cepheus and Libratus to Pluribus and modern reasoning models: discover how poker became an important testing ground for artificial intelligence.

Brazil Bans Online Betting – What Does It Mean for Online Poker?

Brazil has banned fixed-odds online betting, but P2P poker appears unaffected. Here’s what the new rules mean for players and global poker liquidity.

PokerStars Network: After 25 Years, PokerStars Is Building a B2B Poker Network

PokerStars is entering the B2B market after 25 years, allowing external poker operators to connect to PokerStars Network technology and shared liquidity.

WPN’s $2.5M Anniversary Special Enters Its Final Weekend

WPN’s $2.5M GTD Anniversary Special enters its final weekend. Qualify for the $250 event through PokerKing, with satellites starting from $1.05.

Winamax Player Turns €100 Space KO Into €927K Payday

A €100 Winamax Space KO tournament paid out more than €1 million after a record €838K bounty, with winner oldepaso68 collecting €927,783.

CoinPoker The One: $5M Guaranteed, $1M for the Winner

CoinPoker launches The One from October 4–12 with a $250 buy-in, $5 million guarantee, 26 Day 1 flights and a massive $1 million top prize.

CoinPoker Introduces K-Poker, a Fast-Paced New Cash Game Format

CoinPoker has launched K-Poker, a new seven-handed cash game featuring mandatory 1 BB antes, 10-second decisions and five preset bet sizes.

PokerKing: $50M Guaranteed in WPN Online Super Series XL

The WPN Online Super Series XL starts September 6 with 700+ tournaments, $50M in guarantees and three Main Events available to PokerKing players.

$1.10 to Seoul: How the WPT Global Satellite Path to the Korean Championship Actually Works

WPT Global runs satellites to the WPT Seoul Championship until 25 October. The full path costs $1.10 to enter — here's the structure, the odds, and the deadlines that void your package.

CoinPoker 3-Bet Club Explained: Cost, Requirements and Whether It's Worth It

CoinPoker's 3-Bet Club costs $35/month and pays up to 15% extra rakeback — but Tier 2 requires hitting published 3-bet and VPIP thresholds. Full breakdown and break-even maths.

The Beast Explained: Why WPN's Rake Model Is the One You Can Actually Calculate

The Beast takes $0.02 of every $0.06 in rake — published, capped and identical for every player. Here's the arithmetic, and how it compares to GGPoker's hidden PVI.

Summer Polish Poker Cup Starts Today in Bratislava — €250,000 Guaranteed for €150

The Summer Polish Poker Cup runs 17–24 August at Banco Casino Bratislava — €250,000 guaranteed for €150, with 13 Day 1 flights, a €400 High Roller and satellites from €60.

Solana Casinos 2026: Best SOL Gambling Sites & Poker Rooms

Compare the best Solana casinos and SOL poker rooms of 2026 — near-instant deposits, sub-cent fees, no-KYC options and rakeback, tested by the RakeRace team

BCPoker Desktop Client Is Live: Multi-Tabling Just Became Possible on the Softest Crypto Poker Site

BCPoker's native Windows and macOS client is live. Four tables, auto-tiling layouts, no browser crashes — and a VIP ladder that finally becomes reachable.

Kevin Martin’s “Poker Wars” Pushes Poker Further Into Reality Entertainment

Kevin Martin’s new reality poker series Poker Wars combines poker, eliminations and social strategy. Haven Taylor won the first $50,000 season.

KKPoker March Millions 2026 – $1M Guaranteed Series Now Running

KKPoker’s March Millions is live with $1M guaranteed, 66 tournaments, PKOs, freerolls, Gold Rush missions and Lucky Wheel prizes.

PartyPoker MILLIONS Online 2026 – $4M Guaranteed Series With $300K Main Event

PartyPoker launches MILLIONS Online 2026 with $4M guaranteed, a $300K Main Event, PKOs, Mystery Bounties and low-cost satellites.

WPT Global to Relocate Select Players to Nexa Poker Platform

WPT Global confirms the transfer of certain player accounts to invitation-only Nexa Poker, an Anjouan-licensed offshore platform launching March 2.

2026 World Series of Poker Schedule Released: Stability, Subtle Changes, and Signals of a New Era

The 2026 WSOP runs May 26–July 25 in Las Vegas with 100 bracelets. See the full schedule, new events, satellites, and Main Event dates.

Venom Fever Satellites Run on the WPN Network Until February 1

Venom Fever satellites run on the WPN network until Feb 1, offering freerolls, step satellites, Mega qualifiers and Survivor Flip formats to win $2,650 Venom tickets.

888poker Launches $1.5M XL Winter Series for January 2026

888poker launches the XL Winter Series 2026 with $1.5M GTD, a $500K Mystery Bounty Main Event, RakeLESS tournaments, freerolls and low-buy-in satellites.

GGPoker in 2025: Five Billion Hands Dealt as Tournament Play Drives Record Year

GGPoker dealt 5.08 billion hands in 2025 as tournament traffic surged. Cash games dipped for the first time, while payouts and promotions hit record levels.

$800 Freeroll Series at BCPoker: The Second Weekend Is Here!

The second weekend of BCPoker’s December $800 freeroll series is starting, bringing you another two free $100 tournaments.

GGPoker Winter Giveaway Series Returns – Once Again Featuring $100 Million in Prizes

The GGPoker Winter Giveaway Series is back from December 14 to January 27, offering $100 million in guarantees and a 5% added prize boost across all events.

PokerStars Moves SCOOP Forward – Spring’s Flagship Online Series Now Kicks Off in March

PokerStars moves SCOOP to March 1–25, 2026, aiming for a clearer schedule, stronger player activity, and better alignment with major live events.

Holiday Countdown Arrives at KKPoker – Over $950,000 in Festive Prizes

KKPoker’s Holiday Countdown runs Dec 6–Jan 4 with over $950K in prizes, Mystery MTTs, freerolls, mission rewards and festive end-of-year events.

WPT Global’s $5M Holiday Boost: Daily Rewards Through the Festive Season

WPT Global is closing out the year with a seasonal promotion that spans nearly an entire month: the $5 Million Holiday Boost.

KK Legend Freeroll Series – $30 000 in Prizes, Now Running on KKPoker

Don’t miss the KK Legend Freeroll Series on KKPoker! Running until Dec 7 with $30,000 in prizes, daily freerolls and $5K Finale events.
Our partners
RedStar Poker
  • Highly trusted operator with outstanding support
  • Part of the third largest poker network
  • High overall rakeback
  • HUD is available
Go to the room
CoinPoker
  • High stakes games
  • HUD is available.
  • Beginner friendly
Go to the room
PokerKing
  • American players
  • HUD available
  • High central refund
  • New software to meet all your needs
  • More advanced game types
Go to the room
SportsBetting
  • Crypto Deposit & Withdrawals
  • US players
  • Wide selection of games
  • Beginner friendly
Go to the room
partypoker
  • Great tournament selection
  • Attractive VIP promotions
  • User-friendly software
  • Reliable provider
Go to the room
Bet365 Poker
  • Premium tables
  • Many sports betting players
  • HUD available
Go to the room
Ipoker Italy
  • Privat deal: Only for Rakerace.com players
  • Untouched Fish Ponds on the Segregated Markets
Go to the room
bwin Poker
  • Great tournament selection
  • Attractive VIP promotions
  • User-friendly software
  • Reliable provider
Go to the room
Betsson Poker
  • HUD is available
  • Good fields
  • Part of the third largest poker network
Go to the room
BetOnline
  • Beginner friendly
  • Wide selection of games
  • US players
  • Wide range of payment options
Go to the room
Live support