Rake in online poker: what it is, how rooms charge it and the 3 rules that decide how much you pay
Updated on October 15, 2026.
Rake is the fee a poker room charges to run the game. In cash games, it’s taken from each pot as a percentage, up to a maximum amount called the cap. In tournaments, it’s built into the buy-in: in a $10 + $1 tournament, that extra dollar goes to the room.
Quick summary
- Rake is the room’s main source of revenue: it comes from the pots in cash games and from the buy-in in tournaments.
- In cash games, three rules decide the charge: the percentage, the cap and “no flop, no drop”.
- On PokerStars, USD Hold’em has 5% rake at most limits, with a cap that varies by limit and by how many players are in the hand.
- At low limits, the cap is higher relative to the big blind, so rake weighs more heavily on your results.
- Rakeback returns part of that fee, but it doesn’t turn a losing player into a winning one.
What is rake in poker
In poker, you don’t play against the house. You play against the other players, and the room makes money by charging a fee for the service: the tables, the software, security and payments. That fee is the rake.
According to the Wikipedia entry on the subject, cash game rake usually runs between 2.5% and 10% of the pot, up to a maximum set by the room. In tournaments, the charge appears in the buy-in itself. Wikipedia gives the example of a tournament advertised as $100 + $20: the $100 goes to the prize pool, and the $20 is the house fee.
In live poker, there are other formats. Some venues charge a flat fee by time, usually every half hour, instead of taking a share of each pot. Online, the standard is a percentage of the pot.
The 3 rules of rake in cash games
1. The percentage
This is the slice the room takes from each pot. On PokerStars, according to the room’s official table, USD Hold’em and Omaha have 5% rake at most limits and 4.5% at some, such as $5/$10 and above. At the lowest Zoom Hold’em tables, the percentage is lower: 3.5% at $0.01/$0.02.
2. The cap
The cap is the ceiling on the charge per hand. It changes depending on the limit and on how many players were dealt cards in the hand. Anyone sitting at the table who wasn’t dealt cards doesn’t count. At PokerStars’ $0.05/$0.10 table, the rake is 5% with a $1 cap. In an $8 pot, the room takes $0.40. In a $40 pot, 5% would be $2, but the cap limits the charge to $1.
3. No flop, no drop
If a hand ends before the flop, there’s no rake. PokerStars applies this rule across all formats: in Hold’em and Omaha, a hand that ends during the first betting round pays nothing.
See the PokerStars table for USD Hold’em and Omaha (Zoom tables and Omaha at the lowest limits have their own rules):
Limit | Rake | Cap (2 players) | Cap (3 or 4) | Cap (5 or more) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$0.01/$0.02 | 5% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
$0.05/$0.10 | 5% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
$0.25/$0.50 | 5% | $0.75 | $0.75 | $2.00 |
$0.50/$1 | 5% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $2.50 |
$1/$2 | 5% | $1.25 | $1.25 | $2.75 |
$5/$10 | 4.5% | $1.50 | $1.50 | $3.00 |
These values are from the PokerStars table as of October 2026. Rooms revise these tables over time, so check the current version before you play.
Why rake weighs more at low limits
Compare the cap with the big blind. At the $0.05/$0.10 table, the $1 cap equals 10 big blinds. At the $5/$10 table, the maximum $3 cap equals 0.3 big blinds. Proportionally, players at low limits pay far more rake per hand played.
That’s why many micro and low-stakes players end the month close to break-even, even when playing well. Part of what they win at the tables stays with the room. For high-volume players, rake is the biggest fixed cost in poker.
Rake in tournaments: the fee comes with the buy-in
In a tournament, you pay the rake once, at registration, and it doesn’t change based on how long you stay at the table. To compare tournaments, calculate the fee as a percentage of the total amount paid. In a $10 + $1 tournament, the room keeps about 9% of the $11. If the tournament allows re-entries, you pay the fee again with each new entry.
Bounty formats follow the same logic: the fee comes out of the buy-in, and the rest is split between the prize pool and the elimination bounties. Before registering, check the tournament lobby to see how much goes to each part.
How to pay less rake, wherever you play
You don’t control the room’s table, but you do control where and how you play:
- Compare rooms. Percentage, cap and tournament fee vary from one room to another. See our ranking of the best online poker rooms.
- Look for rakeback. It returns part of the rake you paid. Learn the math in our guide what is rakeback and how to calculate it and see how rakeback on WPT Global works.
- In app-based clubs, ask first. Rake and rakeback vary from club to club. See how PPPoker and PokerBros clubs work.
- Track your rake. Your account history shows how much you’ve paid. To find out how much comes back, use our rakeback calculator; for the terms, check the poker dictionary.
Lowering your rake reduces the cost of playing, but it doesn’t guarantee profit. Set a spending limit and only play with money you can afford to lose.
Get the news on Telegram
Changes to rake tables, room promotions and rakeback deals are posted on our channel first. Join the RakebackPokerWorld Telegram and ask any questions you have.
Frequently asked questions
What is rake in poker?
It's the fee the room charges to run the game. In cash games, it's taken from each pot as a percentage, up to a maximum amount called the cap. In tournaments, it's built into the buy-in.
How much rake do poker rooms charge?
According to Wikipedia, the charge is usually between 2.5% and 10% of the pot, up to a maximum amount. On PokerStars, USD Hold'em has 5% rake at most limits, according to the room's official table.
What does no flop, no drop mean?
It's the rule that exempts a hand from rake if it ends before the flop. If everyone folds to the last raise before the flop, the room takes nothing from that pot.
How can you pay less rake in online poker?
Compare the rake tables of different rooms, work out the tournament fee as a percentage, and look for a rakeback deal, which returns part of what you paid. None of this guarantees profit, but it does lower the cost of playing.
Sources
Play responsibly. 18+ only, and check the legal age where you live.
Who writes this
The RakebackPokerWorld team: professional poker affiliates since 2017, more than 20,000 players helped. We test rooms, payments and rakeback before recommending them.
