Written by Tim Lavalli
 LAS VEGAS/Thursday, 20 September 2007

The Poker Wars continue to heat up in Las Vegas. The Palms has fired a new barrel by lowering their rake on cash games. The standard in Las Vegas for many years has been the $4 maximum rake, with or without an additional $1 jackpot rake depending on the house. Well the Palms has rolled back their house take to $3!

As of last week, the Palms reduced the maximum rake to $1 on $10, $1 on $20 and $1 on $30 (10%) in all limit games and $1-2 and $1-3 no limit. The larger no limit game is even better at $1 on $20, $1 on $40 and $1 on $60 in the $2-5 blind no limit. That amounts to only a 5% rake in the larger no limit game. This should get the tables hopping at the Palms.

This comes shortly after the Red Rock and Green Valley poker rooms briefly increased their max rake to $5 and then quickly brought it back to max $4. Some of the Harrah's properties have been at $5 for awhile now including the Rio, Harrah’s and Bally’s. The initial reaction has been a quick reduction in the number of cash game players among the locals but a slow realization among the tourists of the variation from room to room.