Just a few weeks after Ongame launched their proprietary "Ongame Essence" formula Bodog changed their formula as well. The new Bodog formula would appear to be based on the same concept as Ongame Essence.

Bodog has been very public this year about their opinion of rakeback. Jonas Odman, Vice President of the Bodog Network, wrote this article earlier this year. It took until June for Bodog to make their first anti rakeback strike. On June 15th Bodog stopped allowing new players to get rakeback. Existing players were grandfathered in and still are allowed to receive rakeback.

Bodog had never really allowed rakeback. Their position was that it was your commission and you could do whatever you wanted to do with it. You just couldn't publicly offer rakeback and Bodog would not facilitate the transfers. There wasn't any other online poker room that this type of "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Not long after Bodog banned rakeback for new players they introduced their new rake formula. The formula is based on the player's overall win rate and skill level just like Ongame's system. I am sure it is not a coincidence that part of the Bodog Network management team once was a part of the Ongame management team.

There is one major difference between Ongame's Essence and Bodog's new formula. At Ongame a player actually earns points at a rate based upon the new formula which affects their bonus clear rate as well as their VIP status. Bodog decided to only have the formula affect how they pay affiliates. A player that does not receive rakeback on Bodog would never notice any kind of change.

There were some reporting bugs at first. For example players reported that they had tournament overlays deducted from MGR. Bodog has since corrected the bugs and stats are being reported smoothly. Only time will tell if Ongame and Bodog are pioneers in the online poker industry or if this concept alienates too many players to be a sustainable model. Since neither Ongame or Bodog will release the details of their formula any network that wishes to base their rake distribution on player skill will have to come up with their own formula.