How does a casino make money from a poker game? Every other game is played against the casino – with the odds stacked in the casino’s favour. But in poker players complete against other players.

Question

Do you pay to sit at a table?

In: 304

Answer 1

Rake: Most casinos take 10% of the pot (capped at $5) plus 1 or 2 dollars in promotional rake.

Some casinos do time rake, especially for higher limit games. That usually varies between $6-$12 (Yup, the King’s Lounge games had extremely high time rake!) per half hour/dealer change. These games typically don’t qualify for promotions such as the Bad Beat Jackpot or High Hands.

You also essentially pay for the dealers as it’s expected to tip at least a dollar each time you win the hand. (I’ve tipped as much as a $100 before).

As for tournaments, they take a portion of every entry fee as “rake,” and that’s how the casino profits from running tournaments.

These factors are why winning in the long run at Poker is incredibly difficult. Most people don’t realize that essentially $150 is leaving the table EVERY HOUR.