[PlatinumPaul]

I read an article (in I believe in either Card Player or Buff) that has an offhanded remark about why sites prefer 9 person tables vs 10 person tables.

Both table sizes hit the rake at about the same rate and earn about the same amount/hour for the casino. With 9 person tables, you have more tables, thus more profit for the casino.

So which is better for the player? At a 9 person table you are roughly paying 1/9 of the rake. While at a 10 person table you are paying 1/10 of the rake. If both tables pay the same rake, it is obviously more expensive to sit at the 9 person table as your contribution to the profitabiliy of the site has increased.

You can also think of it another way. If there are 90 people playing online, and the casino is making X profit. The profit per person is X/90. If they field 10 tables (of 9 persons each) instead of 9 tables, their profit will increase. Thus their profit per person is also increasing. That profit has to come from somewhere.

Because of this, I prefer the 10 person tables.