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Want a better understanding of what rake is in poker, or how much rake a poker room will take from you? This guide will help you, covering everything from the basic definition of rake to how it might impact you in different tourney and cash game scenarios.
Scroll down to find out more about what rake is in poker and how it works.
Rake Definition
So, what is rake in poker? In a nutshell, it’s a small amount of money which comes out of players’ pockets and goes straight to the poker room. It’s how casinos make money on poker.
Based on that rake definition, it can seem to those just learning how to play poker to be an annoying extra expense.. But it’s completely necessary.
Without rake in poker, the card room would not be making any profit, and therefore have zero incentive to host any events.
Think of rake as a small poker tax which is unavoidable.
How Does Rake Work?
The odds of every other game at online casinos favor the house, which is how they make money.
In poker, there is no house edge inherent in the game because players are competing against one another – so the house collects poker rake instead.
Poker rake is collected in several ways, which can vary from one casino to another. Or from one type of poker to another, like cash games and tournaments.
If you’re playing online and you see an $11-entry poker tournament, chances are that’s a $10 buy-in with $1 in rake. So, $10 goes towards the collective prize pool, which any player can win. And the other dollar goes to the house, as a thank you for hosting.
In cash games, things are a little more flexible. The poker room might only collect rake once the flop hits, or on every hand, and it could be a fixed amount or a percentage of the pot.
We’ll explore those options later in this guide to what rake is in poker.
Rake Amounts in Casino Poker
Generally speaking, rake is higher at live casinos than it is online. And this makes perfect sense; live casinos require a dealer, a physical space, and deal fewer hands per hour. Online, it’s much easier to quickly open up a new table and have digital cards dealt automatically.
If you’re playing actual casino poker, like Caribbean Stud, there’s no rake involved. Casino poker doesn’t need rake because you’re playing directly against the house, which has a statistical edge.
How to Calculate the Rake
Poker rake varies from one casino to another, so there’s no set formula to calculate rake with 100% accuracy. But you can make some solid estimates quite easily.
In online multi-table tournaments (MTTs), expect to pay anywhere from 4-17% rake, with 10% being around average.
Using 10% rake as an example, a $10 tournament would have an $11 buy in, a $100 tourney would have a $110 buy-in, and a $500 event would have a $550 buy-in. There is usually a cap for especially large buy-ins.
Figuring out how to calculate rake in a poker cash game requires details on how that card room operates.
At live poker rooms, you might expect the poker room to remove up to $5 from the pot as soon as the flop is dealt. Online, you might pay 4.5-5% of the pot in rake with a cap of $1-5 per pot.
Does Rake Impact Strategy?
Yes, rake should directly impact your poker strategy.
Low stakes players and those who are new to poker may hardly notice the rake, and should just play as they normally do.
But high-volume grinders and professionals will factor in the rake when making marginal decisions, or deciding on their range.
A simple rule of thumb is: the higher the rake, the tighter your range. That means a lower VPIP (voluntary put in pot – check out our guide to poker terms for more poker lingo) giving up your big blind more often, and even folding post-flop more regularly.
Of course, you shouldn’t let other players steamroll you. But paying more in rake lowers your overall EV (expected value) and therefore makes it less profitable to play a wide range of hands.
Our advice? Rather than being forced to adjust your strategy, try to play at the online poker sites with the lowest rake.
Is Rake Different for Different Poker Variations?
Yes, rake in poker is different depending on where you play and what type of poker game you’re playing.
Here, we’ll walk through what the poker rake is in various scenarios.
Rake in Online Poker Tournaments
When you enter an online poker tournament MTT you’ll usually pay approximately 10% in rake. This is taken right at the beginning of the event, when you buy in. Nothing is taken from the pots during the tournament, as these have no cash value.
There’s often an upper cap, which could be around $50 – although this cap is only relevant to those playing events with extremely high buy-ins.
Rake in Live Poker Tournaments
Poker rake at live casinos is almost always higher than the online equivalent. You can expect to pay something like 15% in rake.
This slightly higher rake helps to pay for dealers and physical space in which you play.
Rake in Online Poker Cash Games – Pot Rake
We’re listing this under online cash games as it’s the most common method found on all the best poker apps, but you’ll also find this at live casinos.
With pot rake, a percentage of the pot is taken from each hand. The reason this is so popular online is that it can be done automatically.
Rake in Live Poker Cash Games – Dead Drop
When you’re sat on the dealer button, you’ll be the only player to pay rake before your hand is dealt – then have a free orbit until it comes back to you.
Again, you’ll find this online sometimes, but it’s more common in person because it’s a quick and easy way to collect without the dealer having to do complicated math to take a small percentage of the pot each time.
Rake in Live Poker Cash Games – Timed Collection
In timed collections, poker rake is collected after a set amount of time. This helps leave the game undisturbed from pot to pot, and is usually reserved for higher limits.
Rake in Live and Online Poker Cash Games – No Flop, No Drop
If you see no flop, no drop being implemented into poker rake, it’s a good thing.
This means that no rake will be taken until a flop is dealt. If you can win a hand from pre-flop betting alone, you will receive 100% of the pot.
Conclusion
Rake in poker can never be an exciting proposition for players, but without it, we wouldn’t have poker games to play.
Your best bet is to hunt around for a favorable rake rate to maximize your winnings at the table.
FAQs
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