Rake

Also known as: Rake Cap, Time Rake, Drop

The house fee taken from each pot, a capped percentage or a time charge. It's the biggest hidden cost in poker and lowers your winrate.

Rake is the fee the house takes for hosting the game, its revenue model. It comes in two main forms:

• Pot rake: a percentage of each pot (commonly ~5%) up to a fixed cap, e.g. 5% to a 3bb cap. No flop, no rake in most rooms.
• Time rake ("time charge"): a flat fee per player per half-hour, common in higher-stakes live cash. Pots aren't taken from directly.

Rake is the single biggest hidden cost in poker and the reason most break-even players are actually long-term losers. It directly subtracts from your ROI and winrate. It also changes correct strategy: because every pot you contest is taxed, marginal preflop calls and thin steals that are break-even at zero rake become losers. You should play tighter, especially when rake is uncapped or a high percentage of small pots.

Returned rake — rakeback or loyalty rewards — partially offsets the cost. For a winning grinder, rakeback can be the difference between a small edge and a meaningful one. Always factor rake into game selection: a soft game with brutal rake can still be unbeatable.