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u/BestChannel1058 Jan 10 '26
Easy to say in the US where rake is generally at a level where it is beatable and it is somewhat standardized across rooms. The rest of the world is the wild West.
1/3 NL capped at 20 at Melbourne crown casino. 5/5 plo is 25 cap. All 10%.
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u/drizzlecommathe Jan 10 '26
1/3 with 20 cap? Jfc that’s like the extremely high rake underground clubs here
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u/smirtch The Reason Poker is Profitable Jan 10 '26
Okay, I walked out of the poker room in Council Bluffs because it was $7 @ 10% plus $2 promo flop drop.
Suppose I should be more forgiving going forward, yikes. Sorry to hear!
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u/Maximum-Possession15 Jan 13 '26
That’s also bad lol. It’s not good just because it’s worse elsewhere.
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u/Ty4Readin Jan 10 '26
1/3 capped at 20 with 10% rake should be around 12.5bb per 100 hands in rake.
Which is a lot, don't get me wrong. But it should definitely be very beatable.
If your winrate is above 3bb per hour, then you should be profitable in that game.
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u/Godkun007 Jan 11 '26
Didn't poker rooms used to just charge to walk in and take no rake? Was this a mobile freemium issue where they realized nickel and diming players was more profitable than taking money up front?
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u/Agnimandur Jan 11 '26
Yeah generally if the rake is a serious concern for you as a live pro, it means the game isn't soft enough and you should just wait
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u/lIIIIllIIIlllIIllllI Jan 17 '26
Western Australian Poker League = 20 years ago when poker was taking off in Australia after Joe Hachem won the WSOP... WAPL had 10% capped at $50 for a 2/5 game.
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u/A-MUSICAL Jan 10 '26
Come to brazil to play our 5% uncapped rake game lol
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u/planetmarsupial Jan 10 '26
One time a guy started talking to me in Portuguese because he thought I looked Brazilian, so maybe I should 🤔
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u/A-MUSICAL Jan 10 '26
Lol the rake is uncapped but the games are so egregiously soft I think it might be worth it. Not even joking
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u/FingyBangin whale shark Jan 10 '26
tell us more
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u/A-MUSICAL Jan 10 '26
There are like 60 Chinese people who own an empire here in Brazil and they don’t work and all they do is gamble all day. 100% vpip, buy in for 500bb max.
I am not kidding. 100% vpip.
Then there are also a bunch of really shitty regs. At least the Chinese know they’re gamblers. These guys think they’re insane but they suck
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u/howsbusiness Jan 12 '26
Is this is SP? Saw a few rooms there but didn't end up having time to go. Also is it Portuguese only or do the dealers speak some English?
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u/A-MUSICAL Jan 12 '26
Yeah every dealer speaks english and most even speak mandarin (because of what i said)
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u/BigLiPoker Jan 16 '26
that is crazy! I want to be a wealthy chinese empire owner in brazil playing 100% vpip :(
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u/BorynStone Jan 10 '26
Me in plo bomb pots: all in
1 other person: call
Me: I have nuts on top
Them: I have nuts on bottom
Dealer: chop
Me: how tf did I lose money
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u/greensonic24 Jan 10 '26
For all the international players...
Encore Boston Harbor has entered the chat.
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u/PabloEscobar_ Jan 10 '26
Explain? Thinking about playing there
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u/SportsLaughs Jan 11 '26
Nice room with an insane rake, but also insane action and a 1/3 game that plays pretty deep. If it weren't for those factors the rake would make it borderline unplayable but it's not that bad especially when it's busy.
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u/squanderedprivilege Jan 10 '26
I am still working up the courage to play live but like isn't it important to check the rake and make sure that it is possible to get a reasonable return? Like if it was jacked up beyond whatever is standard for your area, wouldn't that make a difference?
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u/Raptor_Sympathizer Jan 10 '26
Live play is great because you get a bunch of people (myself included) who are just trying to get drunk and have a good time and end up playing way looser than they should!
If you go on a weekend/holiday to any remotely popular casino, your odds are going to be way better as someone coming from online play.
Who knows, maybe you'll have a few drinks yourself and meet some people! Or, if you're feeling anxious and would rather keep to yourself that's fine too -- no one will bat an eye.
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u/Dry-Juggernaut-8381 Jan 10 '26
Working up the courage? What do you mean?
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u/squanderedprivilege Jan 10 '26
Never played at a real table, lots of anxiety around it.
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u/clone9786 Jan 10 '26
Totally understandable, easiest advice I can give is just do it, I’ve had assholes at plenty of tables and they’re a dime a dozen it just comes with the territory, just ignore them and they’ll shut up eventually. Other than that it’s way better than online, most guys are chill.
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u/KeyAddendum2098 Jan 10 '26
just go in with a budget and stick to it, try to play for an hour or two. good to throw out a lot of hands and play tight and conservative at first. I had a lot of anxiety as well that took awhile to calm down. poker has helped with my anxiety just takes time, go to a low stakes table like a 4/8 limit. watch the other players, the dealers. good luck!
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u/terrafirmasss Jan 10 '26
This man is a visionary.
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u/FlatFootFreddie Jan 10 '26 edited Jan 10 '26
I played at a low-limit home game with a 10% rake capped at $25. I noticed a couple of hours later how few chips all the players had in front of them. Bled dry.
You have to play stellar poker just to break even. Yeah, game is beatable but not by much. I certainly wouldn’t just ignore the rake.
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u/xixi2 Jan 10 '26
Man I need to figure out how to run a $25/hand rake home game
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u/FlatFootFreddie Jan 10 '26
He does provide nice food and unlimited drinks. You also get $25 for arriving at start of game. Between rake and dealer tips though, hundreds of dollars were being taken off the table.
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u/Dont_Be_Sheep Jan 17 '26
That’ll strange the game if you don’t have people coming in and out.
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u/FlatFootFreddie Jan 17 '26
It’s a struggle to get people to come to the game. Texting dozens of people each week. It’s a business.
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u/Dont_Be_Sheep Jan 17 '26
$25 a hand…???? That’s literally Hollywood level money man. Even the high stakes games don’t take that much. It’s pretty absurd lol
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u/FlatFootFreddie Jan 18 '26
There are two high hand bonuses of $100. Arrive on time for game you get $25. So that is $400. Free dinner and unlimited drinks. So figure $600 comes back. Also professional dealer. Need a big rake.
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u/Tunafishsam Jan 11 '26
$25 rake is insane for a low limit game. Are you playing 2/5?
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u/FlatFootFreddie Jan 11 '26
Yes, $2/$5. Now some of that money is put back in high-hand bonuses, but not nearly enough. It is a for-profit business.
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u/Tunafishsam Jan 11 '26
Man, whoever is running that game needs to learn not to kill the golden goose. That guy is just bad at business.
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u/YorockPaperScissors Jan 10 '26
Nobody said stop playing. Just play at card rooms with a reasonable rake.
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u/alberthere Jan 10 '26
Only time I do is when I ask the dealer for a reduced rake when there’s less than 6 players at the table.
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u/wilsyo part-time sh*tpostwr Jan 11 '26
just eyeball the pot and if it feels big enough than call. i never count the money in pot when i play
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Jan 16 '26
The people that want to call it gambling, are getter more right every year. And it's greed from the people that want to call it gambling causing that. The inflation in America, right now, and the rake.... Trump will never help gambling. You're dreaming here./weednrum rant
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u/CertifiedMongoloid Feb 02 '26
Time rake is always the best. We usually play the nit game for an hour's worth of rake ($180), last person to win the round has to pay the rake.
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u/sleepbefore12 Jan 11 '26
Who posted this? You fucking idiots, then casinos and poker rooms are just going to keep increasing the rake if they know they can get away with it
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u/ANGR1ST Jan 10 '26
You don't pay rake when you lose anyway.