[Onaflag]

The rake at 2/4 might be impossible to beat. 3/6 is questionable depending on the competition, but can be beat in the right games. 4/8 is really where the game starts to become beatable from a rake standpoint.

Think of it this way: most places take $4 out of the pot on average. $3 where there is no jackpot drop, but those places are few and far between. Assume a 10BB pot:

2/4 10BB $4 rake = 10%
3/6 10BB $4 rake = 6.6%
4/8 10BB $4 rake = 5%

You would much rather have 5% taken out of a pot as opposed to 10%. If the pots aren't averaging 10BB when the table is abnormally tight, then the % taken out of the pot increases dramatically. Let's say you're on a table where, on average, 4 players call preflop, 3 call the flop, someone fires on the turn, gets one caller, and they both put in one more bet on the river for a showdown. The pot is 7.5BB.

2/4 7.5BB $4 rake = 13.3%
3/6 7.5BB $4 rake = 8.8%
4/8 7.5BB $4 rake = 6.6%

The moral to the story is this: If you're going to play 2/4, do it to learn the game, but don't expect to build much of a bankroll and never play in a tight game. If you're going to play 3/6, go ahead and try to build a bankroll, but choose the right games to do so. If 4/8 is an option, play that instead. The competition is easy if you're a winning player and you can build a bankroll for 6/12 where the rake is now much easier to beat and the competition is still just as silly most times.

That's my 2 cents.

Onaflag...........

p.s. for those who are laughing at a 7.5BB pot in a 2/4 no fold'em hold'em game, sure the pots are a lot bigger, but if it gets even slightly shorthanded, look out rake! And who of us hasn't taken a seat at a tight 3/6 table now and then?