Americas Cardroom, skin on the Winning Poker Network, announced a drop in rake for all limit games Wednesday.
That reduction mirrors that of Merge Gaming Network’s effort last month, which brings the rake inline with PokerStars.
The change includes a drop to 1 percent rake from 5 percent at the high stakes tables, which ACR considers $20/$40 to $100/$200. The cap at the smallest stakes, .02/.04, is a penny where the site previously collected up to 4 cents. Overall, the maximum rake is 4.5 percent at any level.
The changes could be an attempt by one of the few remaining US-facing sites to woo fixed limit game players. A cursory scan of the lobby showed no action in limit hold’em, 7 Stud and Omaha tables on the day of the announcement.
The ACR structure is now identical to Merge Network and PokerStars.
ACR is part of the six-site Winning Poker Network, formerly the Yatahay Network. It ranks 5th on PokerScout among US-facing sites and currently has a 24-hour peak of approximately 500 cash players.
In early 2011, ACR acquired fellow skin Doyles Room. Winning is ranked 27th for international cash-game traffic on PokerScout.
“Our goal isn’t to just be competitive, it’s to be the top destination in the US for online poker players,” ACR spokesman Michael Harris said in a news release. “The realignment of our rake structure coupled with the fact that we’re the #1 site for reliable payment processing now makes us a clear favorite.”
For the past five months, Poker Affiliate Solutions has ranked ACR the highest in its monthly payment processing report. The site offers debit card withdrawals that take 1-3 days, and checks that arrive in 1-2 weeks.
