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Poker Rake

How to Calculate the Rake in Poker

The rake in poker is what the casino takes for allowing you to play in their game. Typically the rake is 10% of every pot up to a maximum of $3.00. In a live casino you’re also going to tip the dealer $1 - 2 per pot, which for general purposes should also be included in your rake computations.

In order to beat the poker game you must not only beat the players but you must also overcome the rake. Luckily the rake can be overcome through skillful play.

How can you beat the rake in poker? Well, consider the statement above, “the casino takes 10% up to a maximum of $3.00”. That means if the pot is $30, then they take $3 (10% of $30 is $3). The casino also takes $3 if the pot is $100 or $400 or $1,000. Three bucks out of a hundred dollars is only 3% but three bucks out of $30 is 10%. Therefore, if you play for higher stakes you’re giving up only a small percentage of your winnings to the casino.

This should always be a factor when you’re deciding which poker games to play. Earlier I discussed that the rake is 10% in casinos but in online poker they’ve actually lowered that a bit.

You should always consider that if the rake taken is too large in comparison to the amount of money you can win then you may not be able to beat the game long term.

For example, if you are playing in a game where the house takes $2 when the bet gets to the turn but you're only playing $1-2 Holdem you will never be able to beat the rake. Let's assume that you call preflop, bet the flop, bet the turn, and bet the end. Let us also assume that you get called all the way heads up. The pot will be $12 and you have to give up $2 to the house. That means you're giving up 17% of the pot to the house and that's pretty tough to overcome.

See also: Poker Rake at PokerStars

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