The drop in a poker room refers to the pot rake that is placed and allocated by the dealer before any cards are dealt for poker games.
You may also notice a drop box which is the house stake in a card room, and it will be withdrawn from the pot at the end of each round.
Many online sites will not allow or accept a rake until the flop is dealt, so if you are successful in the pre flop, and you manage to take down the blinds in card rooms, you will get your hands on a large pot. This is often deemed to be “no flop no drop” by those who play poker, and it is found in Texas Hold’Em games.
In the following sections, we will look more closely at the role of poker rake in online poker, and look at the operating costs too.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT POT RAKE
The pot rake is a table charge fee imposed by poker card rooms for those who buy in for cash games. This will equate to a fixed percentage and it is a form of commission on a sliding scale that casinos will take to cover any underlying costs.
Usually, there will be a timed collection rake, where a fixed amount fee will be taken every half an hour from poker players. It will usually be collated in the following two ways:
Time pot – A set amount is taken from the first pot at a poker table over a certain amount.
Player time – A set amount will be collected from each poker player.
It is worth noting that timed rakes will generally be reserved for poker tournaments that have higher limit games ($20 and above).
POT RAKE VALUE IN ONLINE POKER ROOMS
While you get the occasional rake-free tournaments or general rake-free cash games pop up, the poker rake will go towards the flop.
Usually, the pot rake in top online poker rooms will be a fixed fee rake that equates to 2.5% to 10% of a predetermined maximum amount.
There will usually be a set rake amount taken from live games by a casino regardless of what the pot size is.
The dealer will then calculate the pot, and if he deems it to be higher than the threshold, he will automatically place them into a box. However, with online poker games, the dealer button will remove this.
WHAT IS 3 CARD DROP POKER?
3 card drop poker is a simple poker game played at many a poker site, where players in online cardrooms will be dealt three cards, and they compete against the house. Usually, the house takes more, but it is a great game for beginners.
The dead drop rake size can vary, especially if you are playing in bigger legal poker rooms. There will usually be tournament fees allocated or a poker site will advertise the minimum and maximum amount for those playing online.
Sometimes, there may be an enticing bonus promotion or bonus code that pops up, and for VIPs or high rollers, they will be able to enter loyalty programs and pick up status points for every game they play at poker sites.
HOW TO PLAY 3 CARD DROP POKER
To make games more appealing and exciting to the masses, poker sites introduced 3 card poker, where a random jackpot would be put in place, and the prize guarantee would depend on the size of the blinds put in place.
So, for example, the tournament fee might have a minimum of 10 big blinds, and if you are lucky enough, you might find the table pays 600 big blinds, which adds some additional cash into the pocket of the winning player.
If you are unfamiliar with the rules of 3 card drop poker, we have provided a summary of the key rules:
- Each player is dealt 3 cards when they play at the table.
- An additional ante takes place, but there is no further betting at this point.
- There is no draw as there are no uncommon hands.
- The best three hand card wins with this ranking, including high pair, flush.
- No chip in hand = drop
- One chip in hand = play
- If no players declare, then the game has to be replayed.
- Time limits are in place and there may well be a timed rake, so poker players will be charged a rake fee for every half hour played. In some cases, there will be rake-free games which is a promotion offered by casinos.
- Losing hands must match big pots.
Below, we have illustrated the possibility of picking up certain hands when playing this version of poker at the casino, and our chart should help, especially if you are concerned about stumping up sizeable tournament fees.
| 3 Card Hand | Percent probability | Odds Probability |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Flush | 0.22% | 454/1 |
| 3 of a kind | 0.24% | 416/1 |
| Straight | 3.26% | 30/1 |
| Flush | 4.96% | 19/1 |
| Pair | 16.9% | 5/1 |
The probabilities illustrated above show the chances for a player in a multi table tournament situation, and there will be a significant dead drop fee in place.
When playing this version of poker at the casino, at least one player will be dealt a pair or better virtually all the time, while a flush or better will be returned 50% of this time.
DIFFERENT VARIANTS OF 3 CARD DROP POKER
3 card poker is a mentally stimulating game, and you will find multiple variants of this popular game whichever casino you choose to play at. Check to see if there is a fee charged before playing, and if you are a high roller, you will see the status points earned per game played.
- 3 Card Poker Progressive
- 3 Card Poker 6 Card Bonus
- 3 Card Poker Prime
- Ultimate 3 Card Poker
- 3 Card Poker Pair Plus
WHAT DOES NO FLOP NO DROP MEAN IN POKER?
When playing a high rake poker game, there will be multiple losing players. As such, players will need to make strategic adjustments in the rake.
But with the above rule, if there is no flop, then there is no rake, no matter how large the pot size is. So, whether you are competing in a high rake or a low rake game, you need to play responsibly as a casino won’t always offer rakeback.
The onus is on the player to check to see if a casino has a rake for all preflop pot poker games before proceeding. You therefore can’t compare the rake percentage or poker rake cap for a casino if one rake preflop pots, while the other doesn’t.
NO FLOP NO DROP IN ONLINE POKER ROOM
As mentioned, this is a policy that an online casino will have for games involving a rake. So, if there is no flop, there will be no drop, which means there won’t be a poker rake or commission to be paid by the casino.
WHAT IS ADMIN RAKE IN CASH GAMES?
An admin rake is used more for tournaments when it comes to poker. The house will set a rake limit for each game. For those who are looking to get involved, they may have needed to complete a certain number of games over seven days, for example, or meet the required points total to get involved.
The poker rake will be determined by the number of blinds needed for games, and the house will have a rake amount in place. The rake will usually be as much as 10% of the overall pot, and it can be instalments based.
CONCLUSION
Sometimes, a winning player can be stung by the pot rake, but having a drop in place levels out games, and it’s always fascinating to see how things pan out in a tournament situation.
Players should check to see if there are games with a fixed fee, but if you can understand the basics, then you can adjust your strategy accordingly. If you have found our guide useful, then join games with a rake.
⭐ What is a dead drop in poker?
This is where a fee is applied, and it will be the same for all players involved.
⭐ When is a fixed commission applied to a player?
This will usually be the case for all poker tournaments, where all sitting players will have to stump up a fee to compete.
⭐ Are there any disadvantages to playing no flop and no drop?
The only major disadvantage is that you might not always get the best deal, but players should always try to seek this out when playing at casinos.
⭐ What is "no flop no drop" on micro-limits?
There won't be a rake here if the pot is lower than a certain amount. Generally, players will be hammered when there are micro limits imposed, as the lower the amount, the worse it gets.