Bryan badbeatninja Devonshire (pictured) is a great poker player and someone I consider a close friend. He is also a player and a person who I believe generally gets it and is great for the game. He is interesting, personable, and fun to be around. But, I want to pick on him a little bit today. I noticed a Tweet from him a few days back complaining about a floorman not reducing the rake to get a shorthanded game going.

As I understand the situation, there were a handful of players waiting to play, but they wanted the rake reduced to $2 per half-hour instead of the standard $3 for shorthanded games at this location. After some back in forth, the game ended up not going, with the floorman not willing to come down to the requested $2 rake and the players not acquiescing to the $3 rate.

This is lose-lose for everyone. The casino didn’t get a game going and the players didn’t get to play. Was it a bad decision by the casino? Maybe. It was a worse decision by the players though, specifically Devo and anyone else in the group who is a winning poker player and derives some portion of their income from playing poker.

The casinos and any other host of games provide an environment in which winning players are able to make significant amounts of money. The winning player and the casino are on the same team. If the casino cannot and does not make money hosting the games, they will stop. Then, the opportunities to make money from playing poker will become more and more limited.

The biggest issue here comes in the other players hanging around wanting to play who were there just for the fun of it. By Devo being vocal about the rake, he is teaching and training other players to do the same. Out of the five people hanging around wanting to play, maybe only one or two even considered the rake and the other three were just there to have some fun and play cards with no real expectation of winning. This time, they didn’t get to play and found their way to something else. That’s not good for poker.

The real problem comes up the next time they are around a shorthanded game. Then, they may be the one complaining about the rake and begging for reduced rake. And who knows who might be at the table with them. The players who really make the poker economy work are the recreational, solid, and regular net losing players. They are there for the entertainment value, not to hear or participate in haggling with the casino to what ends up being a whopping $2 per hour.

The rake is less important than you think. If a higher rake allows a casino to bring in more of the right kind of players by making the room more comfortable, expanding their advertising budget into the right venues, or finding other creative ways to cater to the kind of clientele poker needs, then the winning player comes out way ahead in the long-run. And so does the casino. And so does the game of poker.

Again, Devo is usually a guy who gets this kind of stuff and I haven’t talked to him about this instance. But, I have seen it happen many times before. Going back to when I first started playing, I’m sure I’ve been guilty a time or two of beating the drums trying to get the rake lowered.

Making the game enjoyable for other players is just as much a part of the job description of being a professional poker player as is breaking down strategies from hand to hand. But, many pros don’t get it. Rule and rake nitpicking, berating other players, and making novices feel out of place are all much too common, while the genuinely fun, spend-a-couple-hours-non-stop-laughing-type games seem to be harder and harder to find.

Court Harrington has worked on the business side of the poker industry in roles including tournament reporting for PocketFives, radio hosting for PokerRoad Radio, coaching for the WSOP Academy and privately, and a variety of behind-the-scenes responsibilities for poker media businesses. He also plays in cash games and tournaments. Harrington is currently doing consulting work and exploring business opportunities outside of the poker industry. You can contact him at Court@CourtHarrington.com.

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