Low Rake Poker Sites - Best Low Rake Poker Rooms Online

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If you've been playing poker for a while you will have noticed that the amount of rake you pay to the poker rooms can add up considerably.  The vast majority of poker rooms use a fairly standard rake schedule, however, the amount of rake you pay at one room to the next can still vary.   If you're unsure how the low rake poker sites will effect your bankroll read on. The information provided below will outline how to minimize the rake you pay to the poker rooms, what "rake" is and how to find the best low rake poker sites.  We've already done half the work for you. Below you will find a complete list of the top five "low rake poker sites" online. These sites offer a significantly better rake schedule then what you will find at other sites, in addition to better rewards, higher bonuses and excellent software

What is Rake?

The rake is a fee the poker site charges, and how they make money. Each hand that is played out will be charged a small percentage based on the amount of the pot. The industry standard for low rake poker rooms is 5% however; the rake varies according to stakes, game format and the number of players at the table.  The majority of low rake poker sites will cap the amount of rake taken from the table at $3 or $5, depending on the poker room.

For example, in a $300 pot at $2/$5 NLHE, the rake might be $6. When playing in a tournament, the rake is taken from the buy in fee. For example, a $100+$10 tournament has a $10 fee which serves as the rake. This is the general way in which rake is paid by players to a poker site or casino. Though the rake is usually quite small in comparison to the actual pot that is being played, the rake you pay will really add up over time, even if you don’t realize it until much later. In fact, a lot of amateur players don’t even realize that rake is being taken at all, this is how insignificant the rake might seem.

Finding the Low Rake Online Poker Sites

Since you are reading this article, there is a good chance that you take your poker game quite seriously. As a serious player, you should be looking for ways to maximize your profitability. When you are playing a lot of poker, the rake you pay is going to add up to amounts you might not even believe. There are, however, a handful of ways to ensure that you are not paying in more than you absolutely have to.

How to Minimize Rake Online - Find The Low Poker Site Rake Schedules
Always look at your poker site’s fee structure. These are always easy to find, and if they are not openly listed on a poker site, you probably shouldn’t be playing there in the first place. Compare the rake that is taken from site to site. After you do this, you might find that a lot of poker rooms charge just about the same rate in rake. Since the rake appears to be relatively equal from site to site, you need to find other ways to determine the actual amount of rake that is paid in.

How to Minimize Rake Online - Avoid the BBJ and Capitalize on Bonuses at Low Rake Poker Sites
If a poker site has a Bad Beat Jackpot, they will almost certainly be taking a quarter or two from each pot that is played. This, in addition to the standard rake, can really add to the money you are paying out. Of course, the chance of hitting the BBJ will counter this money to a certain extent. For the most part, you should expect to lose 10% of everything that you pay into a BBJ. BBJ games are basically a side lottery to add some action.

Aside from normal game rake fees and a BBJ, low rake online poker sites offer many different types of rewards and promotions. Take into consideration just how much you are able to get back from anything that a room offers. This might come in the form of cash for player points, items in the site store, or a deposit bonus. A knowledgeable poker player will end up paying significantly less in rake than a player who is left in the dark. Make an active effort to pay attention to what you are really losing through rake and what you are making back and you will inevitably find your profitability increase, be it a little or a lot.