Rake & rakeback

All the Fees in Poker Apps: Rake, Jackpot Drops, Diamonds and Deposit Commissions

The app is free, joining a club is free — so where does the money go? Into a handful of costs that are easy to miss: rake from every pot, jackpot drops, in-app currencies, agent commissions and network fees on crypto transfers. Here’s the full list, what’s optional, what’s negotiable and what is simply a scam dressed up as a fee.

Updated: 16 October 2026

Key takeaways

Your main cost is rake — set by the club, offset by rakeback from your agent.
Bad Beat Jackpot contributions also come out of pots, but in ClubGG the fund isn’t raked and is paid out to players in full.
Diamonds, Gold and subscriptions are optional for players; they matter mostly to club owners.
Deposit and withdrawal fees depend on the agent and the payment method — ask before the first transfer.

Depositagent fee, bank or network fee

Chipsat the club’s chip rate

At the tablerake and jackpot drop

Rakebackpart of the rake comes back

Withdrawalagent fee, bank or network fee

Where your money goes in a club app

0 $cost of the app and of joining a club

5–7%typical rake in ClubGG clubs in our catalog

0%rake taken from ClubGG Bad Beat Jackpot contributions

5,000diamonds for a nickname change in ClubGG

The full list: what you pay and to whom

Cost	Who takes it	Optional?	Negotiable?
Rake	The club (or union on shared tables)	No	Table rake — no; rakeback — yes
Bad Beat Jackpot drop	The jackpot fund, paid back to players	No, on eligible tables	No
Diamonds, Gold, subscriptions	The app	Yes, for players	No — fixed in-app prices
Deposit and withdrawal fees	The agent	Depends on the agent	Often yes
Bank, card and network fees	Your bank or the blockchain	No, once you use the method	Choose a cheaper method
Chip rate and currency conversion	Built into the club’s rate	No	Compare clubs

Notice what’s missing: there’s no fee for downloading the app, registering or joining a club. Anyone asking you to pay for those is running a scam — more on that below.

Rake: the cost you pay every hand

Rake is the club’s commission from each pot: a percentage plus a cap, the maximum per hand. It’s set by the club owner, or by the union on shared tables, so it varies from club to club. On micro stakes the percentage decides your cost; on bigger stakes it’s mostly the cap.

ClubGG discounts short-handed tables automatically: a 3–7 seat table with 2 players takes 50% of the normal commission, an 8–9 seat table takes 50% with 3 players or fewer; heads-up tables always take 100%. Other apps leave this to the club.

Rake is usually your single biggest cost — far bigger than everything else in this article combined if you play regularly. Full breakdown: rake in poker apps.

Bad Beat Jackpot contributions

ClubGG table: the current Bad Beat Jackpot fund is shown in the top-left corner, in big blinds

On tables with a Bad Beat Jackpot a small part of qualifying pots goes into the jackpot fund. It isn’t rake: in ClubGG the fund is not raked and 100% is paid out to players — the one who loses a very strong hand, the winner of that hand and the others at the table. You can’t opt out while playing an eligible table, and once a club joins a union, the club jackpot is replaced by the union’s.

ClubGG jackpot conditions
The hand reaches showdown.
The pot is at least 10 big blinds.
At least 4 players were dealt in preflop.
Both winner and loser use both hole cards (two of the hole cards in PLO/PLO5).

The size of the drop and the qualifying hands depend on the club or union — ask the agent. Details: Bad Beat Jackpot in ClubGG.

In-app currencies: diamonds, Gold and subscriptions

The apps don’t set the rake in clubs — what they sell you directly is service currencies and premium features. For a regular player these are almost always optional.

App	Currency / product	What it pays for	Needed to play?
ClubGG	Diamonds	Admin data reports, memberships and rewards for players; nickname change for 5,000 diamonds (active membership only)	No
ClubGG	WSOP+ Premium subscription	Up to 12 tables on PC, Rabbit Hunting, 90-day hand history download, branded tournaments	No — cash games are free
PPPoker	Diamonds	Creating and renewing a club; nickname and avatar changes, animated emoji, rabbit hunt, time bank	No
Pokerrrr 2	Gold	Hosting games: cash games per hour, tournaments per game	Only for hosts
X-Poker	Diamonds	In-app shop items	No

Нужен скриншотClubGG diamond shop: available diamond packages with their prices

In ClubGG diamonds and the subscription are paid through Google Play on Android, the App Store on iPhone and a bank card on PC and Mac; crypto isn’t accepted for them. Diamonds can’t be exchanged for club chips — chips only come from the agent.

PPPoker diamonds are also sold by agents, sometimes 10–30% below the shop price. Buy only from sellers with a reputation, ideally through escrow: “pay first and I’ll send them” is a common scam. In ClubGG, diamonds are sold only in the app — offers in messengers are a red flag.

Agent fees on deposits and withdrawals

There’s no cashier in club apps: real money goes through the club’s agent. Some agents charge a commission on deposits, withdrawals or both; many don’t. The fee itself isn’t a red flag — a fee you learn about only when you try to cash out is.

Ask the agent	A good answer
Is there a fee on deposits?	Yes or no, with a number
Is there a fee on withdrawals?	Stated up front, not “depends”
Who pays the crypto network fee?	Agreed in advance, no surprises
Is there a minimum withdrawal?	A concrete, usually small amount
Is there a weekly withdrawal limit?	None, or a clear one written in the rules

Methods, timings and safe practice — deposits and withdrawals in poker apps.

Crypto network fees and bank charges

Crypto (most often USDT)Usually TRC-20 or BEP-20. Every transfer pays a network fee in the network’s native coin; it depends on the network and its load. Check the address and network — transfers can’t be reversed.

Bank transfer and cardsYour bank may charge for transfers and currency conversion; some banks block such payments. Ask which banks the agent accepts.

E-walletsSkrill, Neteller or local wallets — fees depend on the wallet and country.

Exchange spreadsIf you buy crypto just to deposit and sell it after withdrawing, the exchange’s spread and fees are part of your cost too.

Sending USDT on the wrong network is the most expensive “fee” of all — the money can be lost. Always confirm the network with the agent before the transfer.

Chip rate and currency: the hidden multiplier

Chips have no value by themselves — the club sets the rate. In most clubs 1 chip = $1, so a 1/2 table means $1/$2 blinds. Some clubs use 1:5 or a different currency. A rate you didn’t check isn’t a fee, but it can put you at stakes several times higher than you think — and every conversion between currencies adds a bank or exchange cost.

How to calculate what you really pay

Rake paidfrom your weekly statement

Minus rakebackwhat the agent returned

Plus feesdeposit, withdrawal, network

Plus extrasdiamonds, subscription, if any

Totalyour real cost of play

Real cost = (rake − rakeback) + transfer fees + optional purchases

Do this once a month. For most regular players the first line dominates, which is why a better rakeback deal saves more than any trick with payment methods — see rakeback in poker clubs.

“Fees” that are actually scams

An “entry fee” for the club or payment for a club ID.
A “commission” to receive free chips or a bonus.
An “unlock”, “verification” or “tax” payment before a withdrawal is released.
Diamonds or “chips for diamonds” offered by strangers in messengers.
Someone from “ClubGG administration” asking for your password or email code.

None of these exist in legitimate clubs. If you’ve already paid one — what to do if you got scammed on a poker app.

How to pay less

Compare clubs by effective rake — table rake × (1 − rakeback) — and check the cap at your stakes.
Agree rakeback before joining and get the formula in writing.
Ask about every transfer fee before the first deposit.
Use the network or method the agent recommends and confirm it every time.
Deposit and withdraw less often, in larger amounts, if each transfer has a fixed cost.
Skip diamonds and subscriptions unless you need a specific feature.