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Long ago and much away within the land of '60's and 70's Vegas Poker, there have been a number of poker games to choose between. Unlike today, oh no, but still you had a call. Unfortunately, the decisions weren't great, since several of the games were what's affectionately remembered as Snatch and Grab games. That meant the dealer just about snatched whatever rake they wanted from each pot and glued it within the rack. Not all games had a drop box for the rake. I recall hearing from older dealers that they might sometimes rake up to 50% from drunk or unsuspecting players. That's terrible, but a few of today's games are no better. In truth they're actually worse, because they get twice as many hands out per hour so the hourly amount taken off in rake might be higher!
Now I DO KNOW we won't expect poker games to be as low-cost as baccarat, with a 5% commission on winning bets for a tiny house fringe of 1.06%, however the rake on some poker games at the present time is getting ridiculous. Even the brand new poker table game of Three Card Baccarat has just a 2.41% house edge. I WILL certainly live with that, and, it's available in places where baccarat hasn't been legalized or approved. That's cool. What's not cool is paying 20% in rake per hand of poker.
I play mostly $1-$2 no limit. $2-$5 if the sport looks good. I AM NOT too pleased with limit, especially a game like $2/$4 or $3/$6, because I DO NOT know the way anybody can beat the sport. I played in a $4/$8 game the opposite day at Ft. McDowell (Arizona) casino because they'd a $300 aces cracked promotion. That's worth a drive, so there I USED TO BE for a couple of days. Unfortunately they rake $7 from a $30 pot for the jackpot bank and the drop. That's greater than a 23% rake. The promo made it worthwhile, but would I play regularly? Although I had nowhere else to play at that limit it might be a tricky go.
So, I played at Wild Horse Pass last night, still in Arizona. It is a nice room, I HAVE BEEN there before, except there has been a wait list for the $2-$200 spread limit game (no-limit isn't allowed in Arizona, so the top game is $5 to $500 spread), so I just took the primary seat and ordered fried rice. The food was awesome. The players were friendly and able to gamble, the dealers were good, and the rake was impossible to overcome. A couple of dealer raked $4 ($2 bonus pool, $2 drop) at $18, that's 22%. At $24 the entire rake was $5 and when the pot reached $30 they pulled the last dollar. That rake isn't exclusive to Arizona, do not get me wrong, but how does any casual player beat a game with a 20%+ rake?
There has got to be a cheerful medium where the players aren't gouged to any such degree. I WOULD NOT mind a $1 jackpot pop and a $3 per pot rake. If the common pot was $40 the price can be 10%. That's livable for players. I DO KNOW we won't return in time to the rake the games had TWO DECADES ago when most tables were 10% to $2 max, but can't we get close?
I played long enough to enjoy my dinner, benefit from the players, get my Kings and Queens cracked, and watch $200 get raked off the table, not by the players, but by the home - in an hour. I SUPPOSE I'm lucky to play mostly no-limit, were that rake isn't 20% of each pot. So, the most obvious question is, do any of you've got a preference at your casino? Would you rather have big jackpots and pay a 20% rake, or would you rather have very little jackpots and pay 10%?
Read More... [Source: About.com Casino Gambling]
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