Rake in Poker
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Rake is an inevitable part of almost every poker game, every player, irrespective of a rookie or a pro has to deal with raking in a poker game in one way or the other. Now, if you are wondering what is the poker rake meaning, then here’s a quick guide wherein we have explained the poker rake meaning and detailed the top 4 methods of raking in a poker game.
Explain poker rake meaning
Rake in poker is a payment or a fee that the live or online poker room takes as compensation for running and organizing a poker game. In other words, when it comes to poker rake meaning, it is a payment taken by the poker room or casino for organizing a game or a tournament. Therefore, different poker rooms in general employ different methods for raking in poker. Now, since we are discussing the poker rake meaning, therefore, in the next section we have detailed the top 4 most common methods used by poker rooms to collect rake in poker.
Top 4 methods of raking in a poker game
Tournament raking in a poker game
In tournaments, a rake in poker is generally charged as a part of the entrance buy-in to the tournament. In such a scenario the poker rake meaning is calculated as a percentage of the buy-in amount and each player entering the tournament is therefore compelled to pay this amount during the time of the buy-in itself. Now, if you are familiar with poker then you must have come across tournaments that display buy-ins in the form of $100+$20. Here, the first $100 usually goes to the pot while the next $20 is taken by the poker room as rake.
Generally speaking, the lower buy-in tournaments are raked much higher than higher buy-in tournaments. So, while for $100 buy-in tournaments you might have to pay $20 towards rake but for $1000 tournaments, you will only be asked to pay $100.
Pot raking in a poker game
Pot rake is by far the most common type of rake collection method employed by online and live poker rooms. Herein, the rake is collected as a percentage of the total pot and usually ranges between 2.5%-10% of the pot amount.
Relative to this, most poker rooms have something called as a rake cap. Now, what is a rake cap? When it comes to poker rake meaning, a rake cap is basically the maximum amount that a poker room can collect from a single pot. However, not all poker rooms have a rake cap. Therefore, it is generally advisable that as an astute poker player you must always choose a poker room with a rake cap otherwise you will end up losing a majority of your winning amount as rake.
Some other poker rooms also follow a “no flop, no drop” policy. As per this policy, a poker room only collects a pot rake fee in an event where the flop is seen. So, if a player takes down the blinds and wins the pot during the preflop round itself then he is usually awarded the entire pot amount without any deductions.
Dead drop raking in a poker game
Although uncommon, under this method the player at the button position pays a certain fixed amount as a rake before the cards are dealt.
Timed raking in a poker game
In poker, the timed rake is that method wherein the rake is taken based on the time rather than the amount in the pot. Yes, under this method, a set amount of fee is collected every 30 mins or 1 hour from each player at the table during the game. So, herein each player pays an equal rake amount irrespective of who wins the pot.
As surprising as it might sound but live poker rooms actually charge a higher percentage of rakes than online poker rooms. In fact, a majority of online poker rooms have a rake cap.
With all things added, there is little doubt to the fact that when it comes to rake in poker, online poker rooms are far more beneficial for players than live poker rooms. So, what are you waiting for? Just register on the GetMega Poker app and enjoy a game of poker from the comfort of your home.
