Highway Robbery Down Under? The Unbeatable Poker Rake in Melbourne

You know that feeling when you're just itching for a game? You walk into a massive, glittering casino—the kind of place that feels like a city in itself—and head for the poker room. You're not looking to get rich, just to play some $1/$3, have a good time, and maybe walk away with a little extra cash. You sit down, the cards are in the air, and then you see it. The little sign explaining the rake. And your heart just sinks.

That's the story coming out of Melbourne, Australia, home to the biggest casino in the Southern Hemisphere. A player recently laid out the structure for their lowest stakes game, and honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s real.

The Numbers Don't Lie

So, here’s the deal. They run a $1/$3 No-Limit Hold'em game. Sounds standard, right? But the max buy-in is only $200, which is less than 70 big blinds. Already, that’s a red flag. Then, they give you a whopping 10 seconds to make every single decision, no matter if you're calling a pre-flop raise or facing an all-in on the river. The pressure is on.

But the rake... man, the rake is the real killer. Here’s how it breaks down:

• Pots up to $40: $5 rake
• Pots from $41 to $80: $10 rake
• Pots from $81 to $120: $15 rake
• Pots $121 and over: $20 rake

Let’s put that in perspective. You win a small $50 pot. The dealer takes $10. That's 20% of the pot, gone. You battle it out and drag a respectable $100 pot. The house takes $15. If you're just stealing blinds and get a couple of callers for a tiny $10 pot, the rake is $5—a mind-boggling 50%. It's absolutely insane.

Is This Game Even Beatable?

The immediate reaction from pretty much everyone in the poker community is a resounding 'no.' One player put it perfectly: even with a table full of absolute whales donating money, it’s hard to see how anyone could overcome that kind of house edge long-term. With a short buy-in, you can't even maximize value when you do get a premium hand. The structure basically ensures that all the money just churns and funnels straight into the casino's pockets.

Poker is supposed to be a game of skill, but when the rake is this high, it removes the skill edge and just turns it into a house-banked game where the only guaranteed winner is the casino. It’s shameful.

It’s so bad that some players joked you’d have better odds playing roulette or baccarat. It’s no wonder so many people say that anyone who regularly plays in that game deserves to go broke.

Why Would a Casino Do This?

This is the big question. Is it just pure, unadulterated greed, or is there some kind of strategy behind it? A few theories are floating around.

One popular idea is that the casino simply doesn't want to run low-stakes poker. They see it as a hassle that doesn't make enough money compared to the floor space it occupies. So, they institute a sort of