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.