Rake Increase at Harrahs

Harrahs has been increasing the rake from $4 to $5 at a few of its Las Vegas properties. There is some speculation that they will eventually raise it at ALL properties - St Louis, Tunica, etc.

Station Casinos in Las Vegas tried to raise the rake to $5 a couple months ago at their Green Valley and Red Rock properties. The players voted with their feet and mostly quit playing at those locations. Station moved the rake back to $4 and apologized etc, but they still don't have all their traffic back yet.

About a month ago, Harrahs started increasing their rake in a very sneaky way. First the rake was increased at Ballys and Paris. Then it was started at the Harrahs, Falmingo, and some others on the Strip. Not clear what they have done at the Rio yet --- or what the rake will be at the WSOP sidegames this spring. Caesars Palace is the lone holdout so far. This is the Harrahs "flagship" poker room and the one that they have been trying to be taken seriously as one of the big 5 in LV.

Harrahs thinks the rake increase will not be noticed or matter to their main customers -- ie drunken tourists and college kids playing in a small poker room on the strip. Thats why all of their poker rooms have an additional $1 bad beat jackpot drop -- they think you are stupid. Even Caesars Palace has a bbj drop now -- unlike the real poker rooms; Bellagio, Mirage, Wynn, and Venetian.

I suppose the intelligent poker players approach to this is to visit a Harrahs room or two in LV, play a few hands and then ask about the rake. Ask the shift supervisor, not a dealer. Ask them why their room has a higher rake than the one across the street. Ask for a "comment card" for their management. Fill it out - then leave.

The real danger in this is not the Harrahs LV rooms (no big loss) but the Harrahs rooms all over the country.

Its probable that some rooms will have to increase the rake for NL games. They are so much slower and --well -- you know, they have to put up with the rude immature NL players.