Rake Paid

What is Rake Paid?

Rake Paid is a term used in poker, particularly in online and live cash games, to denote the cumulative rake that a player has paid from the pots they have won. Rake is the fee taken by the poker room as a percentage of each pot (or a flat fee in some formats), and Rake Paid tracks how much of that fee has been collected from a specific player's winning hands.

How Rake Paid Works

In most cash games, rake is taken from each pot at a predetermined rate, often capped at a maximum amount. For example, a common rake structure might be 5% of the pot up to $3. When a player wins a hand, the rake is deducted from the pot before the winner receives their chips. That amount is recorded as Rake Paid for that player. Over a session, the total of all such deductions is the player's Rake Paid. In tournaments, the rake is typically included in the buy-in (e.g., $100 buy-in + $9 fee), and the fee portion is considered Rake Paid.

Importance of Rake Paid

Rake Paid is a key metric for players evaluating their profitability. Since rake directly reduces winnings, tracking Rake Paid helps players understand the true cost of playing. Many online poker platforms display Rake Paid in player statistics, often as part of a player's overall 'MGR' (Monthly Gross Revenue) or 'rakeback' calculations. Rakeback promotions return a percentage of Rake Paid to the player, making this figure crucial for determining the value of loyalty programs.

Rake Paid vs. Rake Generated

While 'Rake Paid' refers to the amount contributed by an individual player, 'Rake Generated' is the total rake taken from all players in a hand. In some contexts (e.g., rakeback calculations), the terms are used interchangeably when discussing the player's share. However, it's important to note that in a multi-player pot, only the winner pays the rake, so Rake Paid is solely attributed to the winning player(s) per hand.

Example

In a $1/$2 No-Limit Hold'em cash game with a 5% rake cap of $3, if a player wins a $100 pot, the rake is $3 (since 5% of $100 is $5, but capped at $3). That player's Rake Paid increases by $3. If they win multiple such pots, their total Rake Paid accumulates accordingly.

Tracking and Uses

Players can track their Rake Paid through hand histories, poker tracking software (e.g., PokerTracker, Hold'em Manager), or their online poker account's statistics. Affiliates and poker rooms use Rake Paid to calculate bonuses, rakeback, and VIP rewards. Professional players often aim to minimize rake by choosing games with lower rake structures or by taking advantage of high-rakeback deals.

Related Terms

• Rake
• Rakeback
• MGR (Monthly Gross Revenue)
• Pot Rake