Set Up a TournamentExplanation
Understanding tournament rake
Percentage vs. flat fees, and how they affect the prize pool.
Poker Hawk separates two fees that eat into what players get back: the house fee and the rake. Understanding the split keeps your payouts honest and your players happy.
The two knobs
- •House fee: a flat amount added on top of each paid entry. Not part of the prize pool.
- •Rake: a percentage taken out of the prize pool before payouts are calculated.
Most casual home games skip rake entirely and use a small house fee to cover chips, coffee, and cards. Larger clubs often use both.
Picking a rate
A 5–10% rake is typical for professionally-run tournaments. Anything above 15% is aggressive and tends to push recreational players away over time.
Keep learning
Buy-ins, bounties, and where the money goes
How the buy-in splits into prize pool, bounty, and fees when you enable bounties.
Rebuy vs. re-entry — what's the difference?
They sound similar but behave differently. Pick the right one for your event.
Late registration strategies
By level, by break, or by minutes — and what each means for your blind structure.
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