What Is Rake in Poker: Grinder’s Guide
If you play poker online, rake is one of the few invisible forces constantly chipping away at your profit potential. It’s the main way poker rooms earn money — not by playing against you, but by taking a tiny cut of nearly every pot (or tournament buy‑in). To get the most out of Rakeback deals, it is crucial to first understand a site’s rake system.
At VIP‑Grinders we’ve analysed hundreds of cash‑game sessions and reviewed dozens of site policies: knowing exactly how rake works — percent, cap, rake type, and when it applies — is often the difference between a winning session and a losing grind.
Why Understanding Rake Is Critical for Online Poker Players
Think you just crush at NL50? Ask yourself: How much rake did you pay vs how much you won? Because rake reduces your net win rate measured in big blinds per 100 hands (BB/100), ignoring it can mask losing patterns until it’s too late.
So, What Exactly Is Rake?
- 1Rake = the fee or commission the poker room charges for hosting a cash‑game hand or running a tournament.
- 2In cash games, rake is almost always a percentage of the pot (e.g. 3–6%), up to a capped maximum per hand.
- 3In tournaments / SNGs / MTTs, rake is included in the buy-in (e.g. $100 + $10) — the fee portion goes to the house while the rest builds the prize pool.
Because rake is taken from each pot (or buy‑in), it reduces the expected value (EV) of many marginal plays. The higher the rake, the tighter you need to play to remain +EV over the long run. Of course, one way to offset this -EV is to ensure you are signed up to a competitive Rakeback deal.
How Rake Is Charged: Pot Rake Mechanics Explained
Understanding the rake mechanics below helps you avoid high‑cost spots (e.g. many small pots with rake every time) and seek high‑value spots (pots where you reach the cap, or frequent “no‑flop” wins).
| Factor | What It Means for You |
| Percentage of pot | Typically 2–6% on online sites; larger pots draw larger rake until the cap is reached. |
| Rake cap | Maximum rake per hand. Once the cap is hit, no more rake is taken regardless of pot size, reducing the effective percentage cost on big pots. |
| “No flop, no drop” rule | If a hand ends before the flop (no flop dealt), many sites skip taking rake. This benefits aggressive players who frequently raise or steal blinds. |
| Number of players / hand type | Rake may vary depending on the number of players in the hand (e.g., heads-up vs full-ring) or the game type (such as No-Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Zoom). |
| Tournament / sit-and-go rake | Rake is taken as a fee at registration rather than from individual hands. It is displayed as a fee portion versus the prize pool portion. |
Rake Contribution Snapshot: Top Online Poker Sites
This table summarizes the standard cash game rake structure. Note that rakeback earnings are a separate component (as detailed in previous analyses) and are not included in the “Typical Rake” column.
| Site | Stakes (Example) | Typical Rake % & Cap (5+ players) | Key Notes / Contribution Factors |
| CoinPoker | $0.05/$0.10 to $1/$2 NLH | 5% Rake; Caps are very low (e.g., ~$0.75 at NL10; $3.00 at NL200) | Lowest Caps in the Industry: Rake is called “Community Contribution.” This structure leads to the lowest overall rake paid at micro/low stakes. |
| ACR (Americas Cardroom) | $0.01/$0.02 to $5/$10+ NLH | 5% Rake; Caps increase by stake (e.g., $3.00 at NL200; $3.00 at $5/$10+) | Weighted Contributed Rake: Rake is only collected on hands that reach the flop (“No Flop, No Drop”). Used for The Beast leaderboard. |
| WPT Global | $0.05/$0.10 to $1/$2 NLH | 4% Rake (lower than competitors); Caps increase by stake (e.g., $0.60 at NL10) | Low Percentage: Typically uses a slightly lower rake percentage (4%) than the industry standard (5%), making the raw fee competitive. |
| GGPoker | $0.01/$0.02 to $1/$2 NLH | 5% Rake; Caps are generally higher than competitors (e.g., $2.50 at NL200) | Pre-Flop Rake & Jackpots: Rake is often charged on pre-flop 3-bet pots. An additional Jackpot Fee (e.g., 0.5BB) is often taken on large pots. |
Common Misconceptions about Rake
Rake is always a fixed small % – WRONG: Effective rake depends heavily on pot size, number of players, cap, and how much you contribute to the pot.
Low stakes = small rake = easy profits — MOSTLY FALSE: Micro-stakes tend to have high effective rake relative to pot size, making many marginal hands -EV over time.
Rake only matters for beginners — WRONG: Even high-stakes and pro players must respect rake, especially in deep‑stack or high-variance environments.
Tournaments have no rake — FALSE: Tournament rake is hidden in the buy-in fee structure; always check the rake percentage before registering.
5 Reasons Why Rake Structure Matters to Your Game
- 1Understand the core concept of GTO and why it provides an unexploitable baseline strategy.
- 2Learn to balance your ranges and bluff frequencies to avoid predictability.
- 3Apply exploitative adjustments by reading opponents’ tendencies and adapting your strategy to maximize value.
6 Tips for Smart Poker Site & Game Selection Based on Rake
- 1Always check the stake-based rake table on the site before playing — micro‑stakes rake changes often.
- 2Prefer tables with cap + deeper stacks — once pot exceeds cap threshold, effective rake shrinks.
- 3Use “no flop, no drop” to your advantage — raise and steal more pre-flop if you play tight post-flop.
- 4Avoid hyper‑raked micro tables with thin action unless you’re confident your win rate comfortably covers rake.
- 5If multi‑tabling, track average rake per 100 hands (BB/100) to ensure you remain profitable after rake.
- 6For tournaments, always scrutinise the rake portion vs prize-pool portion of buy-in — small buy-ins often carry a higher % fee than big buy-ins.
What is Rake FAQs
What is the difference between Rake and a Rake Cap?
Rake is the percentage (typically 3%–6%) taken from the pot on every hand. The Rake Cap is the fixed maximum dollar amount the site will take from any single pot, regardless of how large the pot grows. Once the cap is hit, no more rake is taken.
What does the "No Flop, No Drop" rule mean?
It means that if a cash game hand ends before the flop is dealt (e.g., all players fold to a pre-flop raise), the poker room does not take any rake (drop). This benefits aggressive players who frequently steal the blinds.
Is there rake in tournaments (MTTs/SNGs)?
Yes, tournament rake is taken as a hidden fee within the buy-in structure. It is the portion after the plus sign (e.g., in a $\$100 + \$10$ buy-in, the $\$10$ is the non-refundable rake/fee).
Why is the effective rake higher at micro-stakes?
Although the percentage (e.g., 5%) is the same, the rake cap is rarely hit at micro-stakes due to small pot sizes. This means rake is taken on a higher percentage of total pots, resulting in a higher effective rake burden compared to large pots at high stakes where the cap is frequently reached.
How does GGPoker's rake system differ from other sites?
GGPoker often applies rake on pre-flop 3-bet pots, even if the hand does not reach the flop (violating the “No Flop, No Drop” rule). They also typically charge an extra Jackpot Fee on large pots, increasing the total rake extracted per hand.
Which rake structure is best for Cash Game profitability?
Structures with the lowest rake caps (like CoinPoker) are generally best, as they limit the amount the house can take, especially in the larger pots where most profit is made.
