How to Use the Rake Schedule

The rake in poker is the small amount the poker room takes from almost every pot.  There is no rake in hands where everyone folds to the big blind.  Let’s see how to use the  rake schedule at Juicy Stakes Poker. Then we can talk about more important matters!

Where is the Rake Schedule?

You can find the rake schedule at the bottom of the Juicy Stakes homepage in the FAQ section.  We will be referring back to this section after we finish explain the rake and how to use the rake schedule since there is a lot of very useful information there.

Looking Deeper into the Rake

The rake is based on a few elements:

1. The game being played.
2. The number of players at the table.
3. The stakes.

We will go through one example since after we have done so, you will be able to run through any other example you wish to examine.

Here is a sample case:

1. At the left of the page is where you can choose the game.  Let’s choose Texas Holdem.
2. Next we will choose the stakes.  Let’s choose pot limit.
3. Then we choose the blinds.  In a low stakes game, the blinds will be quite low.  In a high stakes game, the blinds will be correspondingly high.  Let’s choose 100-200 as the blinds in our sample.
4. Next we choose the number of players.  We chose seven players.
5. Next we chose USD as the currency.
6. Then we clicked on calculate rake and we find that even in a game with such high stakes, the rake will only be $5.00!
7. From this one example, we can conclude that the rake is really an insignificant part of any strategy calculation.

It is true that the rake will be higher as a percentage of the pot in low stakes games but even then the maximum rake will be about 50 cents!  So, it is best to learn to play poker and let Juicy Stakes take a little bit from every pot so we can continue to host our many games and tournaments!

Juicy Stakes Introduces Bounty Tournaments

The FAQ section that explains the rules of Bounty Tournaments is very straightforward.  It is interesting to note that the bounty is based on one half of the buy in fee for that tournament and, as in the example given, the buy in might be as low as $ 2.

Although the section talks specifically about Bounty Tournaments, we can quickly see that many tournaments have such low buy ins that they are there mostly for players to have fun and to hone their poker skills.  Even at low stakes with inexperienced players, it takes both substantial skill and substantial luck to get to the prize money section of the tournament since there may be hundreds or even thousands of players at any single tournament!

How to Get Started Playing in Poker Tournaments

Let’s go now to the Playing Tournaments section.  Even more important than the low buy in fees are the staggering number of tournaments Juicy Stakes offers:

1. Multi-table
2. Sit and Go
3. Heads Up
4. Rebuy and Add On
5. Freeze out
6. Shoot out
7. Satellites
8. Free Roll
9. Gold Chip Buy Ins

You can play in as many tournaments as you wish!  There are players who only play in tournaments.  For players who simply lone poker and don’t want to take the time to learn all about poker math and all of the other esoteric aspects of the game, our poker tournaments are the perfect way to have  a great time at very little cost.

Can I Play for Free when I am a True Beginner?

Yes, you can.  The details are in the At the Poker Table section.  In brief, we do offer free tournaments.  These are a great way to get a lot of poker experience.

This section also talks about poker etiquette.  In an online poker room such as Juicy Stakes, the primary concern is players who abuse their chat privileges.  We feel that everyone knows already what would constitute inappropriate and unacceptable comments in the chat area.

If you are still unsure as to what is inappropriate, we suggest you go to YouTube and search for Phil Helmuth castigating an amateur for winning a hand.  Now you know!

I Have Heard that There is Software that Can Help Me Get Better

There is a lot of software around that poker players use.  We don’t talk about it because we feel that the best way to truly get better is to play and learn firsthand in real time how every hand went.

Without any mention of software, here are tips for getting better very quickly when you start playing poker at Juicy Stakes Poker.

1. Start out playing for low stakes.  Some players play only at low stakes and never advance to higher stakes.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with this approach.
2. Start slowly.  This means playing just one table at a time.  In the future, you might be able to play multi-table poker but, for now, one table is challenging enough.
3. Learn the very basics of poker math.
4. Learn to concentrate on everything but everything on every hand.  This obviously includes hands that you have folded out of.
5. Realize that poker is a very sophisticated game that will take you some time to master.  There is nothing worse for new poker players than to lose confidence simply because they lost a hand.
6. Make sure that you can play with no distractions.  At land-based casinos, there are so many distractions that they do intrude on blackjack and video poker players.  Poker may be played in a separate room.  At home, make sure that any noises are noises that absolutely do not bother you.  In other words, fix the faucet!
7. Make sure that you know all the rules.  One rule that new players have a hard time learning is the betting order before the flop and then after the flop.

Join Juicy Stakes

We offer so many games and tournaments.  In addition, we publish many articles that we hope help players get better from very green newcomers to players with substantial amounts of experience.

Join Juicy Stakes.  You will be happy that you did!

PLAY NOW!