In poker, the rake is the scaled commission fee taken by a cardroom operating a poker game). It is generally 2.5% to 10% of the pot in each poker hand, up to a predetermined maximum amount). The rake is how casinos generate revenue and offset the costs of facilitating games. There are also other non-percentage ways for a casino to take the rake). The rake is collected in tournaments as part of the buy-in cost and in cash games by the dealer dropping a percentage of each pot. The amount of rake can vary depending on the poker room and the stakes being played. Higher rake lowers a players expected value (EV) and forces them to play a tighter style of poker. In regulated poker games, it is possible to beat the rake, but in some "underground" poker games, the rake may be a lot higher, which may not be beatable.