Shorthanded Rakes Could Close Small Poker Sites

Online poker rooms make their money though the rake which leaves players with the continual struggle to make money while still paying the house fees.

In a land casino, patrons are often allowed to play rake-free or at a discount when a game becomes shorthanded. This allows the game to keep going while waiting for other players to join. However, a number of online poker rooms are still to adopt this policy.

The biggest problem with shorthanded rake is that games often fail to get going. While this isn’t a problem for a large online poker room, it is enough to destroy a small room which might have just a few hundred visitors a day. Furthermore, if a game fails to fill then all the participants can end the session having lost to the rake drop.

The good news is that some online sites recognize this problem, for instance PokerStars only charges 2% up to $0.50 for $1/$2 thorough $10/$20 fixed limit games. Bovada only charges 2.5% for a number of fixed limit games when it is two or three handed while other sites will not take a rake until the pot reaches a reasonable level.