There are a few other topics we’ll need to cover to get you fully up to speed for the online poker environment, and here they are!
The Rake
As we’ve mentioned previously, a card room makes its money by taking a percentage of each pot for itself. Remember, unlike traditional casino games such as slot machines and blackjack, a player is not competing against the house for the money. In poker, we’re playing against the other folks at our table. The house has no interest whatsoever in who wins and loses, so it uses the rake as its source of income. Rake schedules vary, so search around your favorite card room’s lobby to find how much they take and at what intervals. As a general rule, online rakes are less than those in brick-and-mortar rooms.
The Dealer’s Rack
We’ve addressed requesting hand histories elsewhere, so simply use this as reinforcement. Get those hand histories! You can usually do it by clicking on the rack of chips where the “dealer” sits. You can also select the Rebuy option on the rare occasion when you have lost to the point where you need to reload. You will be required to put yourself back up to at least the table minimum and, for pot- and no-limit games, not more than the maximum buy-in.
Note Boxes
This is another powerful tool we’ll talk about in our discussions on the “data” part of online poker in Chapters 12 through 14. If you do a certain “click trick” (right-clicking or perhaps double-clicking) on the player’s icon/circle/oval, you’ll be able to enter comments such as “plays any two suited cards” or “tight, aggressive player.” You’ll be able to combine these notes with the hand histories to develop a profile of your adversaries, and then be able to seek out the weaklings as you prowl for the best hunting!
