- 5% rake at Strobe NL10, and 4% rake for NL30 and higher.
- Reduction should compensate for commonly observed rake/hand increases at fast-fold tables.
- 5-max tables and increase hands/hour will still increase rake for Amaya.
Soon after the launch of the new Strobe Poker on Ongame, network owner Amaya has announced a rake reduction of 20%.
Only two Strobe pools are currently running: NL10 and NL30. At NL10, the standard rake of 6.66% is reduced to 5% on Strobe; at NL30, 5% rake is reduced to 4%.
When higher level Strobe pools roll out, the 4% rake will also apply. Rake caps remain the same at $3.
Unusually, Strobe seats five players at each table, a throwback to 2011 when all short-handed Ongame tables were 5-max. The lower seats should keep players moving around tables with less wait at times when the player pool is lower.
Fast-fold games in general generate more rake than standard games: Average stack sizes tend to be higher, leading to higher average pot sizes. Ongame’s five handed tables should also mean more flops, as players play more hands, creating more post-flop situations and larger pots.
25%+ increases in rake/hand are commonly observed in fast-fold games. The rake reduction should compensate for this, bringing observed rake closer to that of normal tables.
