Poker guide
How do you count a poker pot, take the rake and cut change?
To count a pot, multiply the last bet by the number of players who put it in and add any dead money, such as a folded blind. The rake is a percentage of that pot up to a cap, rounded down to the chip step you rake in, and change is cut back in the fewest chips, largest first.
By Jeff Quizon. Built by a dealer who’s dealt poker and table games in casinos and card rooms. Published October 29, 2026. Last reviewed October 29, 2026.
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| Pot | 5% of the pot | Rake |
|---|---|---|
| $9 | $0.45 | $0 |
| $26 | $1.30 | $1.00 |
| $46 | $2.30 | $2.00 |
| $66 | $3.30 | $3.00 |
| $80 | $4.00 | $4.00 |
| $150 | $7.50 | $4.00 |
Practice it
Start free in the poker app →Counting without counting chips
In a $1/$3 game the cutoff raises to $15, the button and the big blind call, and the small blind folds. Don’t count the stacks. Three players put in $15: $45. Add the small blind’s dead $1. The pot is $46 going to the flop.
Rake, drop and toke
Rake is a percentage of the pot, up to a cap. Drop is a flat fee per hand, set by how many players were dealt in; California cardrooms take a drop. Both are the house’s. The toke is the players’ tip to you, and it is neither.
On the schedule above, the $46 pot takes $2.00, because 5% of $46 is $2.30 and rake rounds down to the $0.50 step. At $80 the percentage reaches the $4 cap, and every bigger pot takes $4.
When you can start taking it
Once the flop is out, you can start taking the rake or the full drop. You don’t wait for a bet on the flop or for showdown. If the hand ends before the flop, some cardrooms take nothing, which is “no flop, no drop”, and a drop casino may take a small drop, often $1. Learn your cardroom’s preflop rule.
Cutting change
A player calls a $65 bet with a $100 black chip. The change is $35. Cut it in the fewest chips, largest first: one $25 green and two $5 reds, three chips. Seven reds is the same $35 but it never colors up.
Another example: a $500 purple chip calling $455 is $45 back, one green and four reds. Always check the total of the change before you push it out.
House rules vary
- The schedule. The percentage, the cap, the chip step and the pot size where rake starts are the cardroom’s. The table uses one example, not a standard.
- Rake or drop. A percentage rake is common; California cardrooms take a flat drop by the number of players dealt in.
- Before the flop. “No flop, no drop” is one cardroom’s rule, and a small drop before the flop is another’s.
- Chips in play. A $1,000 chip usually only plays at the higher stakes, and small games often keep even $100 chips out of play.
Practice it
Rake and drop, and cutting change
Rake and drop and cutting change are part of the Break-In Track. The first two levels of the Hold’em pot drill are free in the poker app. It’s a one-time purchase with a 5-day refund.
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