Rake and Blind Structure

I wrote a bit about the impact of the high rake in small stakes fixed limit hold’em as a factor in being a long-term winner in the game.  The rake, as well as blind structure, can also have an impact on betting decisions at the table.

Miller, Sklansky and Malmuth in Small Stakes Hold’em suggest that the proportionately higher rake in low stakes games should have an impact on your hand selection.  Let’s say in a $15-$30 game the action folds around to you on the button and you have 5-7 of spades.  The rake is 10% in most card rooms but caps at $4.  If you raise there’s already $70 in the pot and the rake is capped.

If you are playing $3-$6 and you raise the pot is now only $10.  The rake is nowhere near the $4 cap and the pot will be raked the full 10% and probably more if there is a jackpot drop.  This makes for proportionately smaller pots and does not give you the odds you need to play more speculative hands like 5-7 of spades.

Blind structure has a similar effect.  In a $4-$8 game in the small blind if there is no raise in front of you, it’s only $2 to complete or 1/2 of a bet.  This affords pretty decent odds (with the usual 2 or 3 limpers in front of you) to play a wide variety of hands.  However, in a $3-$6 game the small blind is $1 and costs the same $2 to complete but now is 2/3 of a bet.  So, it not only costs more, proportionately, to complete the blind, but the pot is smaller too.  The odds are not as favorable so hand selection should tighten up with this blind structure.  

I’ve also found, psychologically, it’s a little easier to play with more patience in $3-$6.  It is much easier to get away from $1 small blind.  I don’t feel as much invested in a hand and am looking for reasons to fold.  In a $4-$8 game I’m more likely to play trashier hands because I feel like I’ve already got more invested in the hand and am looking for reasons to call.