I get emails (mikeniks@yahoo.com) and a question came up about rakes and accumulating bonus points on- line. A good player was complaining that his Frequent Player Point Program (FPP) was not growing very fast. This discussion prompted this post.Whether you play on-line or in a brick and mortar casino, there is a 'rake' taken out of every pot to pay the casino for holding the game. This rake is a bankroll killer at the lower levels of poker. Obviously, the more hands a player plays - the more times that player donates to the site. The more hands you see, the more actual pots you will win. The casino profit is taken from each pot, so pot winners pay all the rake. As we all know, winning alot of individual pots does not necessarily mean you are winning overall. With any casino rake - this is especially true! On-line casinos usually have a FPP which give back to customers money in the form of 'points' that can be used to purchase poker site gear, books or entries into tournaments.Brick and mortar casinos (BMC) usually give poker players comps for free meals at the casino for playing so many hours. Sometimes there are usually free donuts in the morning and free sandwiches in the afternoon - for all the players regardless of how long they are there. (Secret - poker players are the most generously taken care of in BMC's in my opinion, even though they donate the least to casino profit).BMC's don't keep track of how many hands you play (it would be impossible), they just keep track of how long you were at the table. 'Free dinner shooters' often sit out laps or wander around the poker room - adding time while not risking chips - hoping the dealers won't turn them in.The On-line casino computers can monitor not only how long you played, but how many hands you actually 'contributed' to their profit. Actually time means little. Actual money taken from you does!The main thing with on-line poker is to play and WIN! The bounuses and FPP's will happen eventually. But playing at higher limits will get you there sooner, as the cutoff for rakes and pots gets there sooner.All casinos cater to the higher limit player - as they should.Any poker room casino takes between $3 and $5 out of every pot that hits $50. Now in a BMC, at the $2-$4 table, pots rarely make it to the $50 level. Therefore every rake is a 10% or higher- on every hand!A $10 - $20 table has pots over $100 every time a flop is seen usually. Even at a $100 pot, the $5 rake is only at 5% of the pot. See the difference.At the lower limits at any poker casino, you are fighting the house maybe more than you are fighting the other players.If you can consistently win at the low level tables, you are really doing something, because 'breaking even' means you are actually winning at a 10% profit level!If you are breaking even, winning a little or losing a little at the lower levels, moving up in class may actually be more profitable for you.The slightly tougher competition may be more than offset by the lower 'rake' taken by the casino.

Source: Nik's Poker Palace