Rake is a crucial yet often overlooked aspect of poker that can significantly influence your long-term results. Whether you’re playing online or at a live table, understanding rake is essential for evaluating your profitability. Many players focus solely on skill and strategy, without realizing how much rake can reduce their edge and even turn a winning player into a break-even or losing one over time.
This guide will walk you through the basics of rake, the different types, how it’s applied, and most importantly, how it affects your win rate.
What Is Rake in Poker?
Rake is the fee a poker room takes from each hand or tournament as compensation for hosting the game. Since poker is played between players and not against the house, rake is how the casino or online platform earns revenue.
There are three common types of rake:
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Pot Rake: A percentage of the pot is taken once the hand concludes. This is most common in cash games.
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Tournament Fee: When you join a tournament, part of your buy-in goes to the prize pool and another part is the rake.
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Time-Based Rake: In some live settings, players pay a fixed fee for a certain amount of time at the table.
How Rake Is Calculated
The way rake is calculated can vary depending on the poker room or platform, but here are the typical structures:
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Percentage-Based Rake: Usually ranges from 2.5% to 10% of the pot, with a cap (maximum rake amount).
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Capped Rake: This ensures the rake doesn’t exceed a set amount, no matter how large the pot grows.
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No Flop, No Drop: Many poker rooms don’t take rake unless the hand reaches the flop, which can benefit tight players.
Impact of Rake on Win Rate
Even a small rake can drastically reduce your profitability. For example, if you’re winning at 5 BB/100 hands in a low-stakes cash game but paying 3 BB/100 in rake, your true win rate is only 2 BB/100. In tougher games or higher rake environments, this margin can completely disappear.
The lower your average pot size or the tighter the game, the more rake will eat into your edge. This is why many professional players prefer games with lower rake or use rakeback deals to offset the cost.
Strategies to Minimize the Impact of Rake
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Play in Low-Rake Games: Compare rake structures across sites or casinos and prioritize lower-rake environments.
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Use Rakeback Programs: Many online platforms offer rakeback, which refunds a portion of the rake you generate.
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Avoid Micro-Stakes Games with High Rake: At very low stakes, the percentage of rake compared to the pot can be disproportionately high.
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Tighten Your Preflop Range: By playing stronger hands, you win larger pots and mitigate the rake’s effect.
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Target Softer Tables: Winning more often helps compensate for the rake being taken from each pot.
FAQ
1. Why is rake higher in low-stakes games?
Rake is often a fixed percentage with a low cap, which disproportionately affects small pots. This makes it harder for micro-stakes players to show a profit unless they have a significant skill edge.
2. Does rake affect tournament players the same way?
Yes, but differently. In tournaments, rake is a fixed portion of your buy-in. While it doesn’t affect every hand, it still reduces your return on investment (ROI), especially in lower-stakes games where the fee percentage can be higher.
3. Can a winning player lose money because of rake?
Absolutely. If your win rate is only slightly higher than the amount taken as rake, you may find yourself breaking even or losing money over time. Understanding and accounting for rake is critical to long-term success in poker.
