Specifically, I'm wondering about 2/4 nlhe game.

The structure is weird and complicated by my very rough estimation is that average rake will probably be around 6%. Does that seem about right?

That seems high, but not insanely high. But certainly much harder to beat than 4%, which is what I think a competitive Vegas rake is?

I could be wrong though, maybe its actually higher than about 6%??

http://www.spielbank-berlin.de/poker...ab01042013.pdf

I didn't look at the website, but generally the cap is more important than the percentage when comparing rakes.

Cap varies depending on the size of the pot and is pretty annoying to figure out and keep track of.

Here is a photo. Should have just posted this originally.

The cap is 20€ which is unfortunately pretty standard in central europe. Also, maybe the steps are a bit different, but 5% cap 20 is quite standard, kings rozvadov has a very similar structure. Whether it's beatable depends ofc on hero and the table. I don't live in the area anymore, but I played that 2/4 in that casino and I played on tables that were def beatable and others that I'm not sure.

Ok so actually I'm thinking about it more. This rake is ABSURDLY high.

a $2/4 game on Poker Stars has a cap of $3

$2/5 games at The Aria in Vegas have a staggered cap up to $5!

Are there professional live cash game players playing in Central Europe?

Yes they exist, but as you have already realized it is pretty tough at that rake. Some people would say the successes of the German players at WSOP etc. have at least in part to do with them having learned to beat a very steep rake at home. But this level of rake is very common also in Austria, Netherlands etc. France and Switzerland often rake even more.
To be fair, it should be mentioned that the vast majority of the rake goes directly to tax, casino typically keeps << 50 % (depends on which state in Germany). Also note US and online typically rakes 10% so for small pots you are actually better off.

20 cap is outrageous

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+1, had the same experience when I was living in Berlin.

I know a couple of regulars in the 2/4 game you asked about and they are doing fine.

Maybe. But fortunately it's a casino game and not milk & bread and nobody has to play in it if they don't want to pay that much rake.

According to this vaguely worded essay, this casino pays something like 80% of profits to taxes.

http://www.exberliner.com/features/gamblng-in-berlin/

In a city that is -EV year after year that's a good thing, haha. And the tournament rakes here are not so bad. Still, I'd really like a place to play cash games, but I guess that won't be happening.

Its not like the casinos are very nice either. The food & drinks are absolutely TERRIBLE and overpriced. The seats at the tables are poor (even the dealers' seats look less comfortable than the seats players sit on in Vegas), there is no reward system, and there is an overall depressing atmosphere in all but the largest casino at Potsdamer Platz. Other than for people who deeply enjoy playing poker, I can't imagine the incentive for the average tourist to visit these places. At least in America, you can expect to lose money, but have a great meal and descent coffee/drinks, etc.

I suppose another thing to consider is the fact that the player pool must be hugely recreational, as not a lot of people who are actually paying attention to things like the cost of the rake will want to play here. So there are probably a handful of very very strong regulars beating the rake, and a massive pool of fish on holiday. Seems like the rake would strongly discourage middle-skilled players from becoming regulars.

I dont know a lot about it but from what I have heard dealing WSOP, but from my take the Europe rake is absurdly high, but in part its just the casino saying "well wadda you going to do about it" and also, if I hear correctly, the dealers already make decent money so a bunch of countries dont tip much, if at all (Germany is one I believe where no tipping at all). So you are paying through rake rather than through tips.

(again my knowledge is second hand, please correct if mistaken)

You are mistaken.

The best 400 rake I have seen at many places is 5% to 10e (2.5 bb), and if that is playable, depends on competition (it could also be 1/3, and if PLO, it better be with a reasonable cap, that in this case would be like 3.3 bb), but it sure is a slow game compared to online (where a full ring is twice as fast and it is still like looking a wet woman dry).

The 1k (5/10) game can have a 2.5% rake with a cap of 20e (2 bb), or it could have a 5% rake (generally, if so, the cap is lower on average, but I don't see it here). Many places have higher rakes than anything above here.

The 200 game is to be avoided with the usual 5% to 10e cap, but if it is 3% with no cap, then maybe it is playable when you consider what the cap is when two 100 bb stacks are allin (12e at that point) and how often that happens, but it isn't PLO playable then (that might have a 2% rake then, also with no cap, or a formal 10 bb cap), but those 200 games are rare, and don't exist in Western Europe.

The Vegas rake figures to be a 5 cap now, that as so is similar to the best rake in the rest of the world at 400, and it isn't exactly to be recommended, just playable.

Making poker also a sport, would lower the rake, with the price of taxes entering, but that's much less a cost, and one can often deduct expensives. But poker will remain gambling, possibly counting out some top teams.

Tourneys are on the world's juice level, but the problem is the lack of tourneys compared to Vegas (if it runs them high enough like daily), and one needs to have a huge roll as the tourneys include 1k buyins and even 5k (and bigger) buyins, there not being so many 200 to 400 buyin tourneys for mortals (there might be just 1 or 2 of them during some festival or so, and can last days, if you last that long, and then one is playing these cash games, or there can be 200 names on the waiting list then).

Live poker inside the EU overall might be tax free even when the country itself is segregated and taxes its players (winnings, not just the operator inside the country), but don't count on that. And that would also be a factor for tourists, like it is in Vegas and outside the EU, in countries that tax tourney winnings if not cash games; maybe only from over or 5k tourney winnings in Vegas, though there one can often get it back later if one knows what to do, and if not, one might be able to deduct it?

Some private places and non private ones for highest rollers.