The amount printed next to the blinds is not the full cost of a cash game. First identify what gets charged, when it gets charged and whether the amount you are reviewing already includes it.
This is a bookkeeping guide with invented schedules, not a ranking of rooms or a prediction of profitability. Obtain the schedule for the exact game from its operator. PokerStars' own rake page, for example, distinguishes game types, stakes and the number of players dealt into a hand. It does not supply a live room's charges.
Separate four charging methods.
- Percentage rake with a cap
- A fraction of a qualifying pot, limited by a stated maximum. Record the percentage, cap, rounding and qualifying condition.
- Fixed collection
- A stated amount charged according to the house's trigger, rather than a percentage of every pot. Ask whether the collection changes with game size or player count.
- Promotional or jackpot drop
- A separate deduction under its own conditions. Do not assume it is included in a quoted rake cap, or treat a possible future prize as a guaranteed offset.
- Time charge
- A charge per player or seat for a stated interval. Confirm how partial intervals and breaks are handled. Do not divide it by a single pot as though it were that pot's rake.
“No flop, no drop” should be checked against the exact schedule, not assumed from the phrase cash game. PokerStars describes its own first-betting-round exception in the source above. A different provider or a separate promotional charge may have different conditions.
Compare deductions on the same hypothetical pots.
Fictional schedules: Game A takes 5% of the final pot, capped at 6, plus a separate 1 drop. Game B takes a fixed 5. Every pot below qualifies for both schedules, no charge has already been removed, and there are no other fees, refunds or side pots. These are deliberately simplified whole-number examples, not observed room prices.
| Final pot before charges | A: rake + drop | A: awarded | B: charge | B: awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 + 1 = 2 | 18 | 5 | 15 |
| 80 | 4 + 1 = 5 | 75 | 5 | 75 |
| 200 | 6 + 1 = 7 | 193 | 5 | 195 |
The cheaper deduction changes with the pot. Comparing only the percentage or only the cap would miss that. This table does not choose a game for you: different rules, actual pot distributions, personal limits and the rest of the playing conditions are not modeled.
For a qualifying 120 pot, what does fictional Game A remove?
5% of 120 is 6, exactly the cap. Add the separate 1 drop: 7 removed, 113 awarded. Applying the cap to the combined rake and drop would incorrectly remove only 6.
Put a time charge in the right ledger.
Suppose an invented game charges 7 per half-hour per player. Six complete charged intervals cost one player 42. With eight continuously charged players, the table pays 112 per hour in aggregate. Neither number is a charge that one winner should subtract from one pot.
Track the intervals actually billed. Sitting out, arriving halfway through an interval or leaving early does not automatically establish a refund or pro-rata charge. Ask the room. Do not use an assumed hands-per-hour figure to claim an exact personal rake comparison.
Separate a decision's price from the session's costs.
The existing cash-game river example shows a charge changing a marginal call calculation. It assumes no further betting, a specified pot and a deduction from the final award. Read those assumptions before using its percentage.
An already paid time charge is normally part of the session record, not a new cost created by one later call. Conversely, a deduction that changes when a pot grows belongs in the modeled branch where it changes. A pot already displayed after rake must not have that same rake removed again. The study calculators state their no-rake assumptions; they do not silently account for a room's fee schedule.
Reconcile cash-out without counting costs twice.
Should the 8 in chip-paid tips be subtracted from -40 again?
No. Doing so counts the same outflow twice. Record it for explanation, but do not subtract it again. The 28 wallet-paid charge is different because it was not inside the starting/top-up/cash-out chip ledger.
Keep five facts with the hand.
Write the exact game and official source; the charging method and trigger; the cap and any extra drop; whether your pot is before or after deductions; and which costs were paid outside the chips. Mark an unconfirmed item as unknown. A precise-looking percentage is not a substitute for a missing fee rule.
Use the blank cash-game study sheet to keep this record privately. Then review a completed hand, not whether a single session happened to finish ahead. Read results in context before interpreting a short sample.
Source boundary: the operator rake page was read October 8, 2026 for how to identify a schedule, not to quote current live-room prices. The compared schedules, charges and ledger above are original fictional examples.
Published . Prepared with AI assistance. Examples are fictional, not Nolan's hands or results. Study before or after play, not as live assistance.