This decision is grounded in our commitment to maintain a healthy poker ecosystem while ensuring the sustainability and growth of our business.
Online poker giant PokerStars has announced a series of rake increases on its global dot-com market, set to take effect from next week, April 2, pokerfuse has been informed.
The changes will apply to No-Limit and Pot-Limit cash games (excluding Omaha and Zoom), Kick-off tournaments, and single-table sit and go tournaments, primarily affecting low-stakes. All other games, including multi-table tournaments (MTTs), multi-table sit and gos, and Spin & Gos, will be unaffected.
The decision comes “following a comprehensive review” and marks the first significant rake increase in eight years, pokerfuse was told. PokerStars says that these changes will impact 25% of PokerStars’ daily active users and affect 6% of PokerStars’ total poker Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).
PokerStars maintains that, even with this increase, its pricing remains “competitive in the industry.”
“Following a comprehensive review, we have decided to adjust the rake structure at PokerStars,” Chris Straghalis, Director of Online Poker Experience for PokerStars told pokerfuse. “This decision is grounded in our commitment to maintain a healthy poker ecosystem while ensuring the sustainability and growth of our business.”
Affected markets include the Global dot-com market, encompassing regions such as the UK, Romania, Greece, Estonia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.
The increase in rake comes just a couple of months after PokerStars overhauled its rewards program, bolstering rewards for the majority of players while also offering generous incentives to high-volume players.
Dramatic Increase at Low-Stakes Tables
The biggest rake increase will be seen at low-stakes NLHE and PLO cash games. Specifically, at stakes of $0.01/$0.02, $0.02/$0.05, and $0.05/$0.10, the rake percentages increase to 5%. At NL2, that’s a jump from just 3.5% — an increase of 42%.
At 5nl stakes, the rake was previously set at 4.15%; at 10nl it was 4.5%.
Furthermore, the operator is also increasing the rake cap at these stakes for all hands when two or more players are dealt in. Rake caps limit the total amount of rake that is collected on any individual hand. Previously, at 2NL it was capped at 30 cents; it will now be set at $1.
The changes do not impact Omaha and Zoom tables.
PokerStars’ Old No Limit Holdem Rake
| Stake | Current Rake % | 2 Player Cap | 3-4 Player Cap | 5+ Player Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2NL | 3.50% | $0.30 | $0.30 | $0.30 |
| 5NL | 4.15% | $0.50 | $0.50 | $1.00 |
| 10NL | 4.50% | $0.50 | $1.00 | $1.50 |
PokerStars’ New No Limit Holdem Rake
| Stake | Current Rake % | 2 Player Cap | 3-4 Player Cap | 5+ Player Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2NL | 5.00% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| 5NL | 5.00% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
| 10NL | 5.00% | $1.00 | $1.00 | $1.00 |
The rake for Kick Off tournaments will see a bump from 10% to 12%. This increase also takes place in the Southern European markets in France and Spain — sharing the same player pool. However, Multi-Table Sit & Go’s and Heads-Up Sit & Go’s will remain unaffected by these changes, providing some respite to players favoring these formats.
PokerStars will also implement rake increase in single-table sit & gos across various game types — again affecting micro to medium stakes. 9-handed regular micro SNG sees the biggest rake increase going up from 14% to 17%.
Rake tables on the site will be updated on Tuesday, April 2, to reflect the new rates.
| Max Players | Game Type/Speed | Game Size | Old Rake % | New Rake % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Regular/Regular | Micro | 11-14 | 16-17 |
| 9 | Regular/Regular | Low | 9 | 14-16 |
| 9 | Regular/Regular | Medium | 8.64 | 8.64-10 |
| 9 | Regular/Turbo | Micro | 9-12 | 12-17 |
| 9 | Regular/Turbo | Low | 8 | 10-12 |
| 9 | Regular/Turbo | Medium | 7.4 | 7.4-9 |
| 9 | Knockout | Micro | 9.2-12 | 11-15 |
| 9 | Knockout | Low | 7.8 | 9-11 |
| 9 | Knockout | Medium | 7.44 | 7.44-9 |
| 8 | Fifty50 | Micro | 5-7.5 | 8-10 |
| 8 | Fifty50 | Low | 4.6 | 7-9 |
| 8 | Fifty50 | Medium | 3.92 | 3.92-6 |
| 6 | Regular/Turbo | Micro | 8.8-12 | 15-17 |
| 6 | Regular/Turbo | Low | 7.4 | 12-14 |
| 6 | Regular/Turbo | Medium | 7.2 | 7.2-10 |
| 6 | Regular/Hyper | Micro | 5-6.5 | 9-11 |
| 6 | Regular/Hyper | Low | 4.1 | 8-10 |
| 6 | Regular/Hyper | Medium | 3.92 | 3.92-6 |
| 6 | Knockout | Micro | 4.8-8 | 9-11 |
| 6 | Knockout | Low | 4.2 | 8-10 |
| 6 | Knockout | Medium | 3.92 | 3.92-6 |
We understand that rake increases — however small — are never welcomed
Rake changes are fairly common; PokerStars last tweaked the rake in August of last year. However, these were minor changes.
The last major change was in 2018, when the operator increased the rake in low stakes tournaments. The last major changes to spin and gos was in 2016.
Historically, rake increases of this nature have typically elicited a strong negative response from players. In the past, there have been boycotts and “sit out” protests. Occasionally, these have been effective in compelling operators to reconsider their pricing, as evidenced by past instances with PokerStars and GGPoker.
It remains to be seen how players will react to these changes.
“We understand that rake increases — however small — are never welcomed,” the operator stated in the blog post. “The decision was not made lightly, but will help us continue to improve our offering, attract new players and bring former players back into the world of PokerStars.”
Players will not welcome the changes, though PokerStars deserves credit for its transparency handling the rake increase. Many operators discreetly alter their rake structures; only a select few openly communicate such adjustments and provide players with advanced notice.
The changes to the rake will come into effect on Tuesday, April 2.
