How poker rake is counted

Start with the pot, not a reward percentage

A cash-game rake is usually collected from an eligible pot under a room's published schedule. For illustration, consider a 5% fee capped at $3. If the eligible pot is $40, a simple calculation gives $2 in rake. If it is $100, the percentage gives $5 but the $3 cap makes the fee $3. Actual rooms may apply rounding steps, rules on uncalled bets, game-specific caps or conditions such as no flop, no drop. Those details must come from the operator's own rake page.

What weighted-contributed rake means

Now assume the room collected exactly $1 in rake from a hand. Player A put in $40, player B put in $20 and player C folded before contributing anything eligible. Under a simplified weighted-contributed allocation, the $1 is split according to each player's eligible contribution: A gets 40/60, B gets 20/60, and C gets zero. Rounded to cents, their attributed rake is $0.67, $0.33 and $0.00.

The $1 is allocated once, rather than being counted as $1 for each seated player. This simplified method is useful for understanding loyalty reports but does not reproduce any particular operator's internal calculation, which may use different contribution definitions or adjustments.

Other ways a room may attribute rake

Historically, some programs have used dealt-rake methods, where qualifying seated players share the fee by dealt hands, and others have used actual player contribution or weighted contribution. Tournament fee credit can instead be linked to the fee charged for the entry. Terms such as "generated rake" and "attributed rake" need an operator-specific definition; their everyday meaning alone does not establish the point calculation.

Tournaments: only the fee portion is the rake

At a fictional $22 tournament priced $20 + $2, the $20 funds the prize pool and $2 is the fee. Ten such entries cost $220, but the fee amount is $20. If all ten fees qualify at 20%, the gross cash-equivalent reward would be $4. You would not multiply the $220 in total entry payments by the reward percentage.

Why this affects site comparisons

If two rooms have different pot rake caps, different eligibility rules and different attribution methods, their published reward rates cannot be compared on a percentage alone. A better comparison calculates the net cost of your expected hands and formats, then subtracts realistically usable rewards. That approach is demonstrated in the worked examples and the calculator.

Questions worth asking support

Ask whether the loyalty system uses dealt, contributed or weighted-contributed rake; whether jackpot fees and tournament fees count; when the earning period resets; and whether your country or account has a different schedule. These answers can change your personal effective return more than a few percentage points in an advertisement.