Poker Rake Impact Calculator
Calculates the total rake paid to the poker room over time based on pot size, rake percentage, cap, and volume. Use it to compare sites and formats or measure how rake erodes your hourly win rate.
About this calculator
Rake is the fee the poker room takes from each pot, calculated as a percentage of the pot up to a maximum cap. The total rake paid is: total rake = min(avgPotSize × (rakePercent / 100), rakeCap) × handsPerHour × hoursPlayed. The min() function ensures the rake never exceeds the cap regardless of pot size. For example, a 5% rake on a $40 pot with a $2 cap yields $2, not $2 × 5% = … wait — $40 × 0.05 = $2.00, exactly at the cap. At $50, the pot rake would be capped at $2. Multiplying by hands per hour and hours played gives your total rake cost over any period. Understanding this number is essential because rake is a fixed cost that must be overcome by your win rate before any profit is possible.
How to use
Setup: average pot size $30, rake 5%, cap $2, 30 hands per hour, 40 hours per month. Step 1: rake per pot = min($30 × 0.05, $2) = min($1.50, $2) = $1.50. Step 2: rake per hour = $1.50 × 30 = $45.00/hr. Step 3: monthly rake = $45.00 × 40 = $1,800. This means you pay $1,800/month to the poker room before any profit. If you win at 8 BB/100 at $1/$2 NL ($2 per BB), that's $0.16 per hand × 1,200 hands/month = $192 gross — far less than the rake, showing why rakeback and bonuses are critical at lower stakes.
Frequently asked questions
How does rake affect my hourly win rate in poker?
Rake is a direct cost subtracted from every pot you play, meaning it reduces your effective win rate regardless of your skill level. A player winning at 10 BB/100 at $0.25/$0.50 NL might pay 5–8 BB/100 in rake alone, leaving a real profit of only 2–5 BB/100. At micro-stakes, rake as a percentage of average pot size is highest, which is why many micro-stakes players struggle to beat the rake even with a positive chip-EV game. Rakeback deals, loyalty bonuses, and VIP programs can return a significant portion of rake, effectively boosting your hourly rate.
What is a rake cap and why does it matter when choosing a poker site?
A rake cap is the maximum amount the poker room can take from a single pot, regardless of how large the pot grows. Without a cap, rake would scale infinitely with pot size, making deep-stack play extremely expensive. A $2 cap on a 5% rake means pots above $40 are not raked any further, protecting players in large pots. Sites with lower caps are generally more profitable for winning players, especially at higher stakes where pots frequently exceed the cap threshold. Always compare effective rake (rake percentage × typical pot relative to cap) rather than just the headline percentage.
How do I use this calculator to compare rake costs between two poker sites?
Run the calculator separately for each site using their respective rake percentage and cap, keeping all other variables (pot size, hands per hour, hours played) constant. The difference in monthly rake totals directly represents the cost advantage of one site over the other. For example, if Site A charges $1,800/month and Site B charges $1,200/month for the same volume, Site B saves you $600/month before rakeback. You should also factor in rakeback percentages — if Site A offers 30% rakeback, you recover $540, narrowing the gap to $60/month in favor of Site B. This makes the calculator a powerful tool for site selection and game selection decisions.