What is Rake?

Rake - Rake is a fee that casino’s and online poker sites charge players for the use of their facility. This includes tables, dealers, security, and their enforcement of rules. Rake is normally a small percentage of the pot awarded to the winner. This method has proven very effective as the looser in the pot no longer cares about the fate of his lost money, and the winner who is simply happy to have won is indifferent. Most online poker sites charge around 5% of the total pot on every hand with a maximum of $3-$5. However casinos are not able to break dollars into cents and so they will take the lowest denomination chip off the table.

Rakeback – Rakeback is a loyalty program that most online poker sites offer to encourage new player to try their site. This allows players to save a percentage of the money that poker sites would charge. In most cases a site will offer 30% rakeback to players. While this sounds small to a regular player particularly to a high stakes player this can save thousands of dollars a year. For example a player who plays only one hour of poker a night at $5-$10 limit is estimated to save $2,292 a year with this program at only 30% rakeback.

What is a Sit and Go?

Other Sit & Go Variations

Knockout - Knockouts are played like a regular game. However each player has a bounty on their head for example in a $12 game a player might have a $2 bounty on their head. This mean that who ever knocks them out of the game wins $2. This does not affect the game directly, but the allure of bounty money generally causes players to be more aggressive and it makes it much more likely you will be called when you move all-in.

Double Stacked – These games start players with double the number of chips they would normally receive. This can dramatically change the value of your hand selection as you now have more time and more betting options. A simple way to adjust to this is to consider these games to be 1 ½ - 2 times longer then a normal game. There is also a triple stacked in which case I would consider the game 2 ½ - 3 times long then a normal game.

Duplicate Poker – This was an attempt to create a completely fair style of tournament in which all players received the same cards in the same situations as all other players in that seat at other tables. They would be given a betting cap of 1,000 per hand. Then based on your number of chips at the end of the pre-set number of hands your ranking would be determined. Players would continuously rotate positions until each player had directly competed against everyone. Then based on their scores they would decide your rank and payment. (Duplicate poker was only available at http://www.duplicatepoker.com/ which closed Oct 5th 2008.)


Matrix – This game has the normal 9 players play against one another on 4 separate tables. This is done in an effort to round luck out of the equation so the best player will benefit. Each game will reward 1st-3rd. There will be an additional payout to the players whom have the best results. They calculate your results by giving you 1 point for every player you outlast and an additional 2 for each you knockout. There is one exception to the payouts and that is if a player can win all 4 games they win it all. Here is an example of a $10 game with a $90 prize pool. (Only at Full Tilt Poker)Shootout – Shootouts are based on single elimination matches. They are most often either a 2 or 9 player per-table system. This system of play can dramatically change a player’s style as there is a real need to win rather then to just limp into the money. The most alluring feature to this game is the balance it creates as players are no longer affected by what happens at other tables. The absence of big stacks or chip dead seat warmers allows for a more rounded game. Here is an example of how a Sit & Go with 8 players would work with 1st taking 65% and second 35% of the total prize pool.