notluck / Poker

Poker rake calculator

In poker you play against other people, not the casino. The casino still gets paid: it takes a cut of almost every pot. See what that cut costs you.

%

$

Estimated loss

—

Lucky player top 10%

—

Average player the middle

—

Unlucky player bottom 10%

—

Chance of profit

—

Estimates based on the RTP and pace you entered. Lucky and unlucky outcomes are approximate. How the numbers work

Your balance over time

    Poker odds and house edge

    Live cash games (Las Vegas)About 10% of each pot, capped at $3–$5, plus a jackpot drop
    Online cash games (PokerStars on FanDuel, 2026)5.56% of each pot at low and mid stakes, capped at $0.50–$5
    Online tournaments (same site)Entry fee of about 9% of the buy-in at low and mid stakes
    Typical paceAbout 25–30 hands an hour live; 60–80 per table online
    Average cost per hour at $6.00 a bet$14.40 ($180.00 wagered)

    Poker is different from every other game on this site. There's no house edge on the cards, because you're playing against the other players. The casino or website makes its money from the rake: a cut taken from each pot, usually around 10% live and 5% online, up to a maximum per hand. In tournaments it's an entry fee on top of the buy-in.

    The rake leaves the table every hand, whoever wins the pot. At a live $1/$2 game dealing 30 hands an hour, if the house takes around $5 from a typical pot, about $150 an hour leaves the table. Split between 9 players, that's roughly $17 each, every hour. That's a rough example, not a measured figure.

    This is why most poker players lose over time even when they play reasonably well. To come out ahead you don't just need to be better than the other players; you need to beat them by more than the rake. A player who is exactly as good as the table loses the rake, every hour.

    The calculator assumes you are an average player who would break even without the rake. "Bet size" is the money you put into pots per hand on average, and RTP is what's left after the rake. Both presets for cash games are estimates. For tournaments, each "bet" is one tournament: set bets per hour to 1 and think of a session as one tournament.

    Expected loss = bet × bets per hour × hours played × house edge

    The rake rates and pace come from the sources below. The share of the pot you pay, the money you put in per hand and your skill compared with the table vary a lot, so the cash game presets are estimates. Change them to match your game.

    Sources

    1. PokerNews: Las Vegas poker cash games: comparing rake and comps
    2. Pokerfuse: PokerStars on FanDuel rake: how it compares (April 2026)
    3. PokerNews: Five reasons why online poker beats live poker (hands per hour)

    FAQ

    Is poker gambling if it takes skill?

    Both. Skill decides who wins over many hands, but every player pays the rake. Most players aren't enough better than their opponents to beat it.

    What does "no flop, no drop" mean?

    Most card rooms don't take a rake if the hand ends before the flop. The rake only comes out of pots that see a flop.

    Are tournaments cheaper than cash games?

    Tournaments charge a fixed fee per entry, about 9% of the buy-in at low and mid stakes online. Cash games take a cut of pots every hand. Which costs more depends on how much and how often you play; try both presets.

    Do you take money from casinos?

    No. notluck has no casino affiliates and no gambling ads.

    Other games

    If gambling stopped being fun

    Free, confidential support is available.