Fee paying club

[Jon Shoreman]

If a card room were to open that had ZERO rake, how much would you be willing to pay as a weekly/monthly/yearly fee to play at such a club?

[crockpot]

zero, because once you tell the fish that in order to play 20 hours a week he will have to shell out $10,000/year, they will disappear in a hurry.

for those that believe i have reached this number in error, $5/half hour * 40 half hours/week * 52 weeks/year...

[Jon Shoreman]

Intersting points, and I agree, if you were to charge $10,000 per year it would discourage a lot of players (even winning players.)

However, there MUST be a number you would pay?
What if the fee were only $200 per year?

[Acesover8s]

You're missing Crocks point. A player like he or I would much rather pay a lessened fee that get the pot raked. 200$ I'd jump at in a heartbeat, thousands would not be out of line.

However, I would not want to play at a site or club where people are making decisions due to rake. These are thinking players that I do not want in my game. The average fish can not fathom that the rake from a pot is actually his money.

While I can understand why you think you have a good idea, it is guaranteed not to work.

[Michael Davis]

I agree with these other guys. Unfortunately, the real unthinking players don't care about the rake.

If you're thinking of a business opportunity and think you can make money charging $200 per year, I would suggest going with a microrake and/or exorbitant deposit bonuses instead.

-Mike

[Jon Shoreman]

If the ONLY competion you have is from a club that charges by the hour, do you still think it wont work?

London, England has a population of 10 million, and is served by one card room (Victoria Casino).

If there was another card room, dedicated to poker (no casino) that provided better service (some games at the Victoria Casino don't have dealers AND you pay to pla), nicer atmosphere, better management etc. where you only paid $200 a year, do you still think it's doomed to failure?

[Ted Geisel]

Collecting time charges, in lieu of rake, is not a novel idea. The difficulty lies in setting the price for a longer period of time than an hour or so.

I agree that a monthly fee seems doable, EXCEPT that it would be self selective if everyone goes that route. A better alternative is to charge a fee OR allow a player to pay rake. A fee-payer would simply be pushed the entire pot upon a win, instead of the rake being dropped at the end.

This greatly simplifies the pricing issue.

Ted

[MRBAA]

Why not charge a nominal fee like $200/year if you need to for legal reasons. Then charge time every dealer change -- that's what the club I play at does.

[metaname]

MRBAA, would it be presumptuous to ask if your club is in the city. If so, I would be interested to know anything about any NYC poker clubs. I hate to ask, but I am new to NYC and noone I know yet plays any poker (AC is fun but a bit of a hike). I basically play low-limits (5-10 and below - mostly below). anyone know if these limits are spread in any local clubs (pref manhattan)? If you're willing to share the info PM me. Thanks.

[Ted Geisel]

That would not work online, but it should work in brick & mortar rooms, perhaps ... if you must post your first share when you sit down.
Anyone with California or Canadian "time /fee" experience ?

[nicky g]

How would such a club be profitable?

[cottonmather0]

Are you asking theoretically or because you're looking for an angle to try and open a club in a place where poker isn't already legal and not get arrested for it?

Theoretically, my answer would be to take my hourly rate, multiply that times the number of hours that your fee covers (is good for), and then pay less than whatever the average rake would be charged my club for the same time period.

Practically speaking, if you're looking for an angle don't bother. Plenty of other people have had the same idea and none have been successful. Just open your room and keep it quiet and don't try and somehow justify it under the law. The cops will ignore you so long as you don't do anything to draw attention to yourself - they have plenty of other more serious crimes to worry about.

[Ray Zee]

jon, i wish you would post more often, and in the strategy sections as you are a great player and many would like to here some of your ideas.

in places where it isnt legal to rake or charge, i have seen where the table pays for decks and changes the deck often. another ploy was forcing a dealer tip that the house was in on or having a donation bucket that was voluntary but unerstood it had to be used each hand won. a fee to get in the door chases away live ones as they like to drop in when in the mood. and they are the ones who ultimately support the game.

ray zee

[Phat Mack]

The weirdest thing I ever saw was in West Texas. Poker was free, but parking wasn't. Out in the middle of nowhere, parking was $5/hr. Very reasonable.

[RydenStoompala]

I've been in a nice club in Europe with no rake and an enormous fee, like $10 k/ year. It was like playimg in the nicest mansion in the world. I don't think that would fly here, which is too bad.