Making sense of Full Tilt rakes

I was playing 5/2 cent rush poker on FT today when I realized just how much I was paying FT in rake just in one single hand.

In the particular hand, I was on the button with AK and called a raise from early position for 20 cents (4xBB). Both blinds fold and I am HU. Total pot is now 44 cents, 5+2 (blinds) + 2x20 - 3 cent rake. Flop comes A55, and the opponent bets 47. I call. There is now 0.44*3 = $1,32 in the pot, making the total rake 9 cents so far. Turn brings a blank, and the opponent goes all in for another 1.44. I call, making it an additional 2.88 to the pot. Of this FT keeps a 19 cent rake, making the total pot 4.01 dollars net of 28 cents rake. In the end we tie for the pot as both have AK. I recover $ 2 out of the 4.01 pot.

To sum up, in this pot which ended up a tie, the accounting goes as follows:

My net loss: 11 cents
My opponents net loss: 10 cents
BB+SB net loss: 7 cents
_________________________
FT profit = 28 cents

To put this in perspective, my opponent and i lose more than 6.5% of the total pot in one single round.

I have two questions:
1. How can anyone remain profitable in the long run when the rake represents such an incredibly large fraction of the pot?

2. I clearly have to quit playing at FT (or at the very least I have to quit playing cash games). Can anyone recommend me another site where the rake structure is not a complete robbery AND the site is not a scam in other ways?

Theres another thread about rake let me find it......

Here, listen to Hamm, he's smart, as he shows us here that there are many ways to calculate your rake paid. The full tilt link should answer your question thoroughly though.



Pretty much all of the other poker sites charge ridiculous rakes for the micro blinds. If you don't want to get bent over by the rake, your only option is to move to higher stakes, or not play online poker. I doubt there is a poker site that facilitates the flow of money without taking some for itself.


bdecc166-0a93-425f-b1f6-5d8576f7e3c3
1.03.01

^^ Why's the BB system keep attaching these code gibberish here? Is that like hexi-decimal or something crazy?

sign up for rakeback through full tilt, there the only site that offers it and it gets you 27% back every week

^ Oh yeah I forgot to mention rakeback. That is a good way to make up some of what the sites jack from you. If you signed up to full tilt through an affiliate site, you wont be able to get it though. You have to have downloaded and signed up through full tilt's website.


bdecc166-0a93-425f-b1f6-5d8576f7e3c3
1.03.01

^ wtf? I've been marked...

But I cannot sign up for rakeback once I have an FT account, right?

You could possibly still get rakeback at rakebackpros.com if you did not originally download the FT software through another site. I downloaded the software directly from FT site a while back, and just recently applied for rakebackpros.com and got it the next day.

As far as I know every site offers rakeback either as a direct percentage or through VIP programs. Just do a search for rakeback and you will see.

I am getting 35% rakeback at Carbon Poker.

The drawback is it's hard to clear the deposit bonus though.

On the other hand, Carbon also offers a maximum of 14 ($200 guaranteed freeroll tourneys, one at a pre-designated time per day) in your first 2 weeks after first depositing. The field was manageable when I played it: no more than 170 players each time.

I played 9 times and managed to make $70. Not bad for a $50 deposit. Players are bad mostly. Easiest site I've played on so far.

Yes you can, I did, it just takes a lot of emails and patience

But without rake there is no rakeback. I do not see your point.

Stars charges slightly less rake than FTP. It used to be no contest to play on Stars below 25NL. Tho they also raised their rake making it much closer.

I was recommended Rakebackpros through someone on this site. Its a nice supplement if you have a bad streak on a Thursday.