for nerds / the rake
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The rake

8 steps · read as text
one pot
pot 12 bb · rake 0.6 bb · 5%
the table
start
600 bb
4 hours
360 bb
8 hours
120 bb
you
edge
+6
rake
−10
net
−4
big blinds per 100 hands
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Poker is zero-sum. Every chip one player wins, another loses. Six equally good players would, on average, all break even.

the rule

rake per hand = min(rate × pot, cap)

your share ≈ rake per hand × 100 ÷ players

Your real win rate is your edge over the other players minus your share of the rake.

in practice

Rake varies a lot by site, stake and game. Look up the exact structure before you sit down, and count it as a player at the table.

next
08Variance & bankroll12Blockers→Practice: pot odds
sources & further reading
The Poker Face of Wall StreetAaron Brown · 2006 · book
Poker Theory and Analytics (15.S50) ↗MIT OpenCourseWare · 2015 · course