In online poker, your raw profit does not tell the full story. The more useful performance metric is usually bb/100: big blinds won or lost per 100 hands. This lets you compare results across stakes and sample sizes.
Rake can heavily reduce that winrate. A player may beat the other players before rake but still show weak results after the room takes its share. Rakeback can offset part of that cost, but it rarely removes it completely.
This Poker Rake Analysis Tool converts your total rake paid into bb/100, calculates your rakeback boost, estimates the remaining net rake cost, and shows how your actual winrate changes before and after rakeback.
Important: poker results need large samples. A short sample can be distorted by variance, all-in equity swings, table selection, stake mix, and tracker settings. Use this calculator as an audit tool, not as proof of your true long-term winrate.
Poker Rake Analysis Tool
Convert rake paid into bb/100 and estimate the effect of rakeback.
How to Use the Poker Rake Calculator
- Select your stake: Choose the big blind value for the game, such as NL10, NL25, NL100, or NL200.
- Enter hands played: Use the sample size from your tracker.
- Enter total rake paid: Use the rake or fee total from PokerTracker, Holdem Manager, Hand2Note, or your room report.
- Enter rakeback percentage: Add your effective rakeback, including VIP rewards, cashback, leaderboards, or flat rakeback.
- Optional: enter net result: Add your actual profit or loss before rakeback to calculate tracker winrate and effective winrate after rakeback.
Key Formulas
Rake Load bb/100 = (Total Rake Paid ÷ Big Blind) ÷ (Hands Played ÷ 100)
Rakeback Boost bb/100 = Rake Load × Rakeback %
Net Rake Cost bb/100 = Rake Load – Rakeback Boost
Tracker Winrate bb/100 = (Net Result ÷ Big Blind) ÷ (Hands Played ÷ 100)
Effective Winrate After Rakeback = Tracker Winrate + Rakeback Boost
Worked Example: NL10 Rake Pressure
Suppose you play 50,000 hands of NL10, where the big blind is $0.10. Your tracker shows $450 in total rake paid.
- Rake in big blinds: $450 ÷ $0.10 = 4,500 bb
- Rake load: 4,500 ÷ 500 = 9.00 bb/100
- With 40% rakeback: rakeback adds 3.60 bb/100
- Net rake cost after rakeback: 5.40 bb/100
This means the game has to be beaten by more than 5.40 bb/100 before rakeback just to overcome the net rake drag.
Worked Example: NL200 Rake Cap Effect
Suppose you play 50,000 hands of NL200, where the big blind is $2.00. You paid $3,500 in rake.
- Rake in big blinds: $3,500 ÷ $2 = 1,750 bb
- Rake load: 1,750 ÷ 500 = 3.50 bb/100
In big-blind terms, this is much lower than the NL10 example. Rake caps often make higher stakes less expensive per 100 hands, although the games may also be tougher.
Why bb/100 Matters
Dollar results are tied to the stakes you play. Winning $100 at NL10 and winning $100 at NL200 are very different performances. bb/100 normalizes results by blind size, which makes poker performance easier to compare across limits.
| Metric | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Rake load | How many bb/100 the room removes from the game. |
| Rakeback boost | How many bb/100 your rewards add back. |
| Net rake cost | The remaining rake drag after rakeback. |
| Tracker winrate | Your observed result before rakeback, in bb/100. |
| Effective winrate | Your observed result after adding rakeback. |
How to Interpret Rake Load
There is no universal “good” rake load because it depends on stake, site, format, table size, cap structure, VPIP, and hands reaching the flop. Still, as a rough guide:
- Below 4 bb/100: relatively low rake drag.
- 4–8 bb/100: meaningful rake cost.
- 8+ bb/100: high rake pressure; common at some micro-stakes or loose environments.
If your rake load is unusually high, review table selection, stake level, site rake cap, preflop looseness, and whether rakeback meaningfully offsets the cost.
Calculator Limitations
This calculator assumes one main stake level. If your sample includes mixed stakes, use the weighted average big blind or run separate calculations by stake. It also does not adjust for all-in EV, bonuses not tied directly to rake, leaderboard variance, tournament fees, jackpot drops, or currency conversion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find total rake paid?
Most poker trackers and room reports include a rake or fee statistic. In PokerTracker, Holdem Manager, or Hand2Note, add the rake stat to your report or review the session summary.
What is rake load in bb/100?
Rake load is the amount of rake paid expressed as big blinds per 100 hands. It shows how much the poker room removes from your winrate.
How does rakeback affect winrate?
Rakeback returns part of the rake paid. In bb/100 terms, the rakeback boost is rake load multiplied by your rakeback percentage.
Why does rake hurt micro-stakes so much?
Micro-stakes games often have high rake relative to the blind size. Even small dollar caps can become large in bb/100 terms.
Can rakeback make a losing player profitable?
Sometimes, if the loss rate is smaller than the rakeback boost. But rakeback should be treated as part of total expected return, not as a substitute for beating the game.