Do poker players look at rake and tipping in an unrealistic way?

[JJNJustin]

I know many old timers in Detroit who used to play in and operate backroom games before there were any casinos or poker rooms here. They tell me that the standard rake was 5-10% with no maximum. A $200 pot standard for a $10-$20 game would be raked $20. And these were backroom games that could get robbed, raided, or cheated and werent hardly as juicy as the casino games. And yet they still played because there was no internet and unless they wanted to fly to Vegas or AC that's all there was.

I played (unknowingly) in a game where the rake was 10% no maximum for a few hours. F--- that.

From the standpoint of the oldtimers, casino poker is really a deal. They get protection, good action, plenty of players, different games, different limits, cocktail service, some comps, and the rake is still cheaper than what they used to pay.

I, myself, living in Detroit and playing primarily limit poker at the casino have pay the highest rake in the country ($5 max and $6 max at MCC + $1 bad beat). When I play limit I'm usually not winning 3 pots an hour, it's more like 1 pot every two hours. I play very tightly in these games and let the other fish at the table throw their money back and forth and feed the rake. Many people say that you are paying $15 an hour regardless, on the average, but I disagree. I would imagine that the good solid player who is playing fairly tightly is not necessarily getting ass-raped by the high rake, but the loose fish who calls on every hand is paying more than their fair share.

I would play NL in Detroit, and my no-limit game is not very strong, but the reason is the players are just horrible. But there is a time charge rather than a rake, and the dealers and players are so painfully slow. As tight as I play I feel I am better off playing in a raked game limit game. The players there are just as bad and the house doesnt get as much of my profits.

What makes me sort of angry, though, is that MCC always has these short handed games w/o must move tables, so you are paying the same rake on a short table which starts to get you. They wont reduce the rake, either, (they will, but on the condition you lose the bad beat jackpot possibility. Fish never agree to this, so it never happens). When tables get short, I ask to combine tables. If they wont, I simply get up and stop playing.

There are alot of home games around, too, where noboby is taking any rake because they mistakingly think this makes the game legal. Regardless, as long as I know a few people in the game, I try to round these as much as I can.

I just wanted to add the idea that guys in Detroit were paying much higher than $5 max in the past. It seems to be tradition here in Detroit to charge fairly high rake to play. But to the old timers who were used to paying 10% no max, it's peanuts.

-J