House

The house is a common term for the company or person which hosts poker games, usually a casino. The house makes money by raking the pots, or by charging a time charge for the use of their poker tables and personnel, and does not directly have an interest in any individual player winning or losing (though, in some cases, the house may have an interest in building a bigger pot, if they use a percentage rake).

The house usually provides all equipment and personnel necessary to run a poker game, up to and including opponent players (known as proposition players, or props). They then charge a fee, either time-based or on a per-pot basis, for this service.