Rake (poker)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The rake is the scaled commission fee taken by a casino operating a poker game. It is generally 5-10% of the pot in each poker hand, up to a predetermined maximum amount, but not only can this percentage be anything, there are other non-percentage ways for a casino to take the rake, plus other means for a casino to earn revenue from players (e.g. serving meals). Poker is a player versus player game and the house does not wager against its players (unlike blackjack or roulette) so this fee is the principal mechanism to generate revenues.
It is primarily levied by an establishment which supplies the necessary services for the game to take place. In online poker it covers the various costs of operation such as support, software and personnel. In traditional brick and mortar casinos it is also used to cover the costs involved with providing a dealer for the game and the physical building in which the game takes place.
To win when playing in poker games where the house takes a cut, a player must not only beat opponents, but also the financial drain of the rake.
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[edit] Mechanism
Three predominant types of rake are applied depending upon the format of poker game being played.
During ring games the percentage rake is taken by the dealer based on the amount of money being wagered by the players. In a live casino, the dealer manually removes chips from the pot while the hand is being played and sets them aside to be dropped into a secure box after completion of the hand. Online, the rake is taken automatically by the game software. Some software shows the rake amount next to a graphical representation of the dealer and takes it incrementally between the rounds of betting, whereas other software programs wait until the entire hand is over and then takes it from the pot total before giving the rest to the winner of the hand.
The second type of rake is "time collection", or "table charge", where each player pays a set fee for playing in a ring game, typically every half hour, but another method could be a monthly subscription fee at an online site.
The third type of rake is an entrance fee taken when entering a poker tournament.
Some online poker websites have done away with the rake altogether. These "rake free" poker rooms generate revenue by increasing traffic to the company's other profitable businesses, such as sports betting.
[edit] Legality
In all known legal jurisdictions taking a rake from a poker table is explicitly illegal if the party taking the rake does not have the proper gaming licences and/or permits. The laws of many jurisdictions are written in such a manner that they do not prohibit the playing of poker for money at a private dwelling, so long as nobody is taking a rake.
