Rake is the fee a poker room charges for running a game in which players compete against each other rather than the house. Because the casino has no stake in the outcome, it earns its money by taking a small share of each pot, usually a percentage up to a fixed cap. Some rooms only take a fee when a hand reaches the flop, a policy known as no flop, no drop, while others charge seat rental by time instead, known as a time cut or time collection.
Tournaments collect the equivalent through an entry fee added to the buy-in. Related terms include drop, juice and vigorish, though the last two are more common in sports betting. For online poker operators, the rake structure is the core of the business model, and it also funds player rewards such as rakeback and loyalty points, which should be set out transparently.