Online Poker Rake Explained: How Much You Really Pay

What is Poker Rake?

Rake is the fee charged by online poker rooms for hosting games. It is typically calculated as a percentage of the pot in cash games or as part of tournament entry fees. Think of rake as the dealer's tip that you can't skip. Online poker rooms aren't running a charity; they're businesses that need to keep the servers humming and support staff paid. Because they don't have the same physical-property overhead that live cardrooms do, their rake percentages are usually lower than what you'll find in brick-and-mortar casinos.

How Rake Works: Cash Games vs. Tournaments

Different poker formats handle rake collection in distinct ways, each with its own structure and impact on your bankroll. Let's see below what the differences are.

Cash Game Rake: Percentages, Caps, and No-Flop Rules

The bread and butter of poker-room revenue comes from cash-game rake. Here's how it typically breaks down online:

Most major sites charge between 3% and 5% of each eligible pot.
Rake caps usually range from $0.30 at the smallest stakes to $5.00 at the highest commonly offered limits.
"No flop, no drop": if the hand ends pre-flop, most sites don't take rake. Learn more about pre-flop strategy.
A minimum pot size (generally $0.10–$0.50) must be reached before any rake is removed.

Stakes	% Taken	Cap	Notes
$0.01/$0.02	5%	$0.30	No flop, no drop
$0.05/$0.10	5%	$1.00	—
$1/$2	4.5%	$3.00	—
$5/$10	3.5%	$5.00	—

(Exact figures vary by site; check the lobby rules before playing.)

Tournament Rake: Understanding Entry Fees and Buy-Ins

If you start playing poker tournaments, you'll quickly notice rake here hits differently. Instead of taking a slice of each pot, poker sites charge an upfront fee for your buy-in. For example, a $10 + $1 tournament means:

$10 goes to the prize pool
$1 is the fee (rake)
Percentage-wise, that's a 9.1% rake (1 ÷ 11), usually rounded and advertised as "10%"

High-stakes events often feature lower effective rake (e.g., $1,000 + $50 is only 4.8%).

Why Rake Hits Micro-Stakes Players Hardest

Rake disproportionately affects players at the lowest stakes. Let's take a look at what it means for profitability. At $0.01/$0.02 ("2NL"), the cap might be just $0.30, but that still represents 15 big blinds, which can come off several times per orbit. Typical micro-stakes rake burden:

8–14 BB/100 hands in total rake paid, according to PokerTracker network averages.
Around 5% of every qualifying pot once the rake threshold is met
Proportionally higher than what $5/$10 or $10/$20 players pay (often <3 BB/100)

Stake Level	Typical Rake % / Cap	Rake Burden (BB/100)	Notes
$0.01 / $0.02 (2NL)	~5% per pot; $0.30 cap	8–14 BB/100	Extremely rake-heavy; eats a big chunk of winrate potential
$0.05 / $0.10 (10NL)	~5% per pot; $1 cap	6–9 BB/100	Still tough but slightly more manageable than micros
$0.50 / $1 (100NL)	~5% per pot; $3 cap	3–5 BB/100	Grinder-friendly; skill edge starts to matter more
$5 / $10+ (High Stakes)	~5% per pot; higher cap, often reduced rake deals	<3 BB/100	Lowest proportional burden; effective rakeback and VIP deals amplify edge

Poker Site Rake Comparison: Which Sites Charge Less?

Understanding the differences between major poker sites helps you choose the most cost-effective platform for your stakes and playing style. Not all poker sites are created equal when it comes to rake. Here's the current landscape represented by some of our top-reviewed sites:

Site	Cash-Game Rake (NL50 example)	Tournament Fees	Rakeback Available
ACR Review	4.5% rake per pot	8-11%	Yes (Elite/VIP Rewards Program)
BetOnline Review	5.56% rake in cash games; rake caps at around $3	8-13%	Yes (10-25% when rake exceeds $500)
Bovada Review	Standard cash-game rake is 5% across all NL cash games	7-10%	No (Rewards points-based system)

Pro tip: Lower-stakes players should seek sites with low caps and generous rewards over slightly softer competition. The difference can add multiple BB/100 to their win rate.

How to Get the Most Rakeback: VIP Programs and Promotions

Smart players know that rakeback can turn a break-even game into a profitable one. This section covers proven strategies to maximize your returns through loyalty programs and promotions. Some operators advertise up to 60% effective rakeback when you combine rewards, missions, and poker bonuses, but sustainable everyday figures tend to land in the 20–35% range.

Below are some strategies to get the most rakeback:

Opt into VIP programs immediately.
Focus volume on one site to climb reward tiers faster.
Take advantage of rake races and leaderboards.
Schedule sessions during double-point or "Happy Hour" promos.

Advanced Rake Management Strategies

Smart players treat rake as a business expense that requires active management. Here are proven methods to minimize your rake burden while maximizing your returns.

Multi-Site Strategy

Spreading your volume across multiple sites can increase your effective rakeback rate, as different sites excel at different stakes and formats:

Micro-stakes players: Prioritize sites with low caps over high rakeback percentages.
Mid-stakes grinders: Balance rakeback rates with game selection and traffic.
High-stakes players: Negotiate private deals and focus on sites with the lowest absolute rake.

Timing Your Sessions

Many sites offer promotional periods with enhanced rewards. Take advantage of them when they are in place to earn more.

Double VIP point weekends can boost your effective rakeback by 15-20%.
Happy hour promotions during off-peak times.
Monthly reload bonuses that effectively reduce your rake burden.
Seasonal campaigns with boosted reward multipliers.

Volume Optimization

Your rakeback tier directly impacts your long-term profitability. Calculate the break-even point for reaching higher tiers: If moving from 25% to 35% rakeback requires an additional $2,000 in monthly rake, you need to generate at least $200 in extra rakeback to justify the volume increase. Factor in the opportunity cost of playing additional hours versus other activities.

Bankroll Allocation

Maintain separate bankrolls for different sites to take advantage of the best promotions without risking your entire roll. A typical allocation might be:

60% on your primary site with the best long-term rewards.
25% on a secondary site for specific promotions.
15% reserved for new site bonuses and special offers.

The Hidden Psychology of Rake

Rake affects player behavior in ways that extend far beyond the mathematical impact on win rates. Understanding these psychological factors can give you a significant edge at the tables.

Rake-Induced Tilt

Players who become overly focused on rake often develop a specific type of tilt. They start making suboptimal decisions to "get their money's worth" from each pot, leading to:

Overplaying marginal hands in raked pots.
Avoiding profitable small pots due to rake concerns.
Chasing losses with higher-variance plays.

The solution is accepting rake as a cost of doing business, like the electricity bill for your home office.

Game Selection Bias

Rake awareness can create blind spots in game selection. Players sometimes choose higher-rake games with weaker opponents over lower-rake games with tougher competition. The key is calculating your expected hourly rate after all expenses, not just focusing on the rake structure.

The Rakeback Trap

High rakeback deals can encourage poor game selection. Some players chase volume on unfavorable sites just to maintain their VIP status, sacrificing win rate for rewards. Remember: a 5% increase in win rate beats a 10% increase in rakeback every time.

Micro-Stakes Psychology

At the lowest stakes, rake represents such a large portion of the pot that it fundamentally changes optimal strategy. Players often develop overly tight approaches that work at micro-stakes but become exploitable as they move up. Recognize when your rake-influenced habits need adjustment for higher-stakes play.

The most successful players view rake as one factor among many in their overall profitability equation. They optimize for it without letting it dominate their decision-making process.

Smart Rake Management: From Break-Even to Winning Player

Understanding rake is all about optimizing your game selection and maximizing your returns. Smart rake management can be the difference between being a winning player and a break-even grinder. You can optimize your efficiency by comparing rates across different online poker sites and calculating your effective rakeback before choosing where to play.

Cliff Spiller is a casino and sports enthusiast with nineteen-plus years of experience as a writer and editor. He's blogged about US casino and sports betting news for several prominent gaming sites. Along the way, he's written for OddsShark, NJ.com, SportingNews.com, and LegalSportsReport. Cliff is a US editor for ClickOut Media and a writer for Catena Media.