Since online poker was established in 1989 the rake has consistently stayed at 5% (usually with a cap per pot). However, the concept of rake free poker has been discussed for years. Dutch Boyd has been trying to get "RakeFree.com" up and running but after his fiasco with Poker Spot it is doubtful that will ever get off the ground. Other people have been trying to establish poker sites where you you pay a monthly fee (ie: $29.95) and then get to play as much poker as you want. I'm just tired of the free t-shirts (frequent player points, etc.) and would prefer to find a poker room that instead of handing out trinkets gave players the option of paying less rake.

If you're interested in reading about the history of online poker here is a good article to check out:

http://www.pokertips.org/history/online-poker.php