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I just pulled up a 6 max 3-6 game on fulltilt. They are getting about a hundred hands an hour and the rake is up to $3. So they are taking off about $150/hror $25/hr for each player. If you don't think this is a joke, you are a fool or on the payroll. FOOLS! THIS IS WHY ONLINE SUCKS.
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You know, the main reason you're not getting much in terms of serious replies, isn't that no one here takes rake issues seriously, but because of the ton of idiocies you surround this complaint with. That said, here's a serious reply:
Let's take the SNGs. If you're going to play tons of them, and you know you're working an hourly wage, the rake becomes a big factor. The reason I pulled up SNGs here, is because the differences in charges are more obvious and easier to compare.
A $3 SNG at Party takes $0.60 from that ($2.40 + 0.60), or 20%. Compare that to the $6 tables where the rake is $1 or 16.7%. Now jump to the $11 tables, also charging $1, and the cut drops to 9%. So, obviously this 'minimum charge' bell curve tapers out a bit after a while.
This is hardly new, and while the occasional player may not blink an eye at this, any small-stakes multi-tabling pro will have long since calculated this, and asked themselves if the softness of the Party tables makes up for the rake compared to Stars tables (for example).
At Stars, a $6.50 (turbo) table will charge you $0.50 or 7.7% and the $16 turbos even less, 6.25%. There are other factors of course, such as the average time a table lasts, availability, etc. but this is an example.
Cash games are subject to the same scrutiny, and the solution is the same: <u>game selection</u>. Game selection means selecting the site(s) you play at according to a number of factors:
- strength of opposition (obviously). You can either ask around for advice, or use some of the sites that collect this sort of info based on pot size and flops seen.
- rake AND rake
back. For example, suppose two sites have similarly tough games and availability, but one has rakeback, and the other doesn't. If you still play at the wrong one, blame yourself, not the site.
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Reload bonuses: For the low-stakes player these can make a big difference. The low-stakes I'm referring to aren't 1-cent/2-cent games BTW. Be serious. Play them to learn or have fun, but complaining about revenue will earn deserved laughs.
All this means that players have the same weapons ANY discriminating consumer has with any product, whether it be where they eat, which mobile phone provider they choose, or where they play poker online:
If you're not happy, you take your money elsewhere!
Also remember, the above discusses purely site-dependent factors. You can have all the factors to perfection, and not be break even. They won't help you play better, nor protect you from tilt. In the end, whether it be the site chosen, or the playing ability brought to the table, it's still up to you.