You should be ready to field questions from your players about how rake is calculated, what it means, and which sites use which methods. These numbers are obviously important because they ultimately play a role in determining MGR.
Calculating rake is done via two major methods – dealt and contributed. However, the two types of contributed rake are different enough that they need to be explained as two different categories: average contributed and weighted contributed.
Dealt Cards:Under the dealt method you are allocated an equal share of the total hand rake assuming you are dealt cards. You are deemed to have contributed to the pot by being present, even if you fold pre-flop. If a six-handed game produces $3 in rake each player is allocated $.50 of it for purposes of determining MGR. Sites using this method include Full Tilt Poker and InterPoker.Average Contributed:Even though it is contributed, it is actually similar to Dealt in that the rake is split evenly – amongst players who contribute to the pot. Therefore, it doesn’t matter how much you contribute. It just matters that you contribute. Folding pre-flop without contributing to the pot (no BB or SB) means your rake consideration is zero. If you contribute $3 to a $600 pot, 3 people contributed something and the total rake is $3, your allocation is $1 or a third. Weighted Contributed:The weighted proportion of the pot is the proportion of rake you will receive. If you put in 0% of the pot, you get 0% of the rake. 50% contribution gets 50% of the total rake. Absolute Poker uses this method.