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Lowest Rake Award Winners

By Taylor Cuccia, Rakeback.com Contributor

After comparing the poker rake from all games types of nearly every network, we have determined our lowest rake award winners.  Below find the overall winners for your preferred games and game types, along with detailed explanations.

Though over 30 networks were compared, it was a two-horse race for the lowest rake awards, with OnGame or PokerStars (or their subsidiary PokerStars.es) taking the top spot at every category.  With big wins in the major cash game categories, Chico gets the overall nod for US facing sites.  

Full Ring NLHE

PokerStars showed the lowest rakes for all but 3 stakes up to 600nl, losing by slight margins in 10nl to OnGame.it and in 25nl and 100nl to Everest.fr.  OnGame took down 1Knl, 2Knl and 5Knl to round out the category.  Since they either won or came up just short at all the most commonly played stakes, PokerStars takes the crown for Full Ring NLHE.

Chico dominates this category for US facing sites, taking every stake from 10nl and up.

6-Max NLHE

PokerStars started off strong again here, taking 3 of the first 4 stakes.  OnGame takes over at 50nl and sweeps every stake from there up to 2knl.  With their dominance in this window, OnGame wins the 6-Max NLHE category.  It is important to note that OnGame’s rake at the lowest 3 stakes is nearly double that of PokerStars, so those playing only micro stakes should take this into account.  

Chico continues to dominate among US facing sites, winning 10nl+ once again.  

Heads Up NLHE

The sitaution at Heads-UP NLHE is nearly identical to 6-Max.  PokerStars takes the micros once again, with OnGame continuting to show relatively large rakes at these stakes.  OnGame takes over from 50nl through 2Knl, only losing one stake in that window: 400nl to PokerStars.  However, this isn’t enough to overtake OnGame, who takes the Heads Up NLHE category as well.  

As winners at higher stakes and very close 2nds in the lower stakes, Merge wins this category for the US facing sites.  

6-Max PLO

In 6-Max PLO, OnGame continues to dominate the most relevant stakes, showing the lowest rake for 50plo through 2Kplo.  Though they continue to show absurdly high micro stakes rakes compared to PokerStars, OnGame takes this category.

Repeating their NLHE dominance, Chico takes every stake from 10plo and up to take the US facing 6-max PLO category.

Full Ring PLO

PokerStars gets back in the game with Full Ring PLO, winning 8 of the 13 stakes compared.  4 of the 5 other stakes went to Everest.fr.  There wasn’t a real pattern as to the stakes PokerStars lost, as they were spread out and seemingly random.  Considering they remained competetive even in the stakes they lost, PokerStars wins Full Ring PLO.

Same story as 6-Max as Chico wins every stake from 10plo and up to take down US facing full ring PLO.

Heads Up PLO

OnGame gets back on track, taking 50plo through 2Kplo for the heads up games.  Despite still showing a large disadvantage in micro stakes, OnGame takes down this category.  

For US facing sites this category was all over the place.  It came down to a tie between Merge and Bovada, both of which competed across all stakes and kept things reasonable at the micros.  

Full Ring LHE

PokerStars subsidiary PokerStars.es shows up for Full Ring LHE.  Winning 6 consecutive stakes from 5lhe to 100lhe they take down the category overall.  PokerStars and OnGame split wins in the bigger stakes for honerable mention in the category.  

Showing the lowest rakes at low/mid stakes and staying very close at higher stakes, Winning takes this category for US facing sites.

6-Max LHE

PokerStars.es continues their LHE dominance, winning the same 6 consecutive stakes for 6-max.  PokerStars and OnGame once again split wins at the stakes above, but PokerStars.es wins 6-Max LHE nonetheless.

Winning shares 6-max LHE with Merge, both showing nearly identical rakes throughout stakes.

Heads Up LHE

Showing the lowest rake for the 6 stakes from 20lhe to 400lhe, OnGame puts a stop to the PokerStars.es LHE trend.  PokerStars.es still won 5 stakes, but with wins in these key stakes, OnGame takes the Heads UP LHE category.  

Winning gets the outright win with heads up LHE, once again keeping it low in the low/mid stakes and staying competitive at higher stakes.  

Tournaments

With wins or ties at every buy-in level except the <7 level, PokerStars wins the tournament category.  Honorable mention goes to OnGame and 888, both having one percentage point advantages at the <7 level (12% vs 11%), one percentage point disadvantages at the <500 level (8% vs 7%) and being the same as PokerStars in the other levels.  

Chico, Everleaf, Instadeal and B3W all tie for the lowest rake at the <7 level at 10%, but maintain the same percentage thorughout all levels and thus do not make the cut for our award winners.  

US facing sites came up with 2 winners, though not exactly a tie.  Chico has the lowest rake, at 10%, for the <7 and <60 buy in levels.  For the <500 and 500+ levels, Merge comes in at 8% and 6% respectively to overtake Chico.  For low stakes, we give the nod to Chico, but for the bigger events, the tournament category goes to Merge.