Poker News
PokerStars Switches to Contributed Rake Method
In one of the more controversial moves by an online poker room so far this year, PokerStars has changed their policy regarding how they calculate the rake each player pays. While that might seem like a fairly arcane issue, the rake calculation method a room uses actually has substantial impacts on players at the room.
Contributed vs Dealt Rake
There are two basic methods for determining how much credit a player gets for paying rake: Contributed and Dealt. Contributed measures how much rake a personal actually contributes to the total rake, while Dealt simply awards each player who was dealt in to the hand an equal share of the total rake collected. PokerStars used to operate on the Dealt method, but has decided to change to the contributed method.
Which is Better?
There are several schools of thought on the matter. Our opinion is that contributed rake is a fairer method for determining rake; further, we would argue that using contributed rake would loosen up the games substantially by forcing very tight players who were subsisting on VIP rewards to play more hands or leave the games.
Can I Choose One or the Other?
No – all players at PokerStars will be on the contributed model moving forward. Note that this change will impact the rate at which you clear bonuses at PokerStars or earn other rewards; if you signed up via a PokerStars marketing code free money offer, make sure that any additional rewards the site lists reflect the new rake policy at PokerStars.
Should I Play at Another Room?
PokerStars is not alone in choosing the contributed method – it has become more or less the standard at major online poker rooms. To be honest, the majority of players will not notice a difference with the new model, as the change will primarily impact high volume players shooting for the higher tiers of the PokerStars VIP program.
