Cash Game What are your Rebuy Rules (for cash games)? (1 Viewer)

Trihonda

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I've done a variety of rebuy structures for my home games. These have evolved, as my stakes and game evolves.

Currently, I'm playing mostly $.25/.50 blinds. I vary the stakes depending on the group, but mostly I'm starting out with $40 max to start, then I've implemented a rule where after the average stack = $60, I up the max to $60. I typically don't allow more than $60 max (similar to Jeff's structure from the last WCB).

It's easy to figure the avg stack based on the number of people and number of buy ins. Let's say 10 people, once 5 rebuys have occurred, the average stack should be $60. My players have seemed to like this structure.

However, that's in a controlled home environment, where the players tend to remain static, come/leave similar times.

A few local bar tourneys I've played in have a group of decent regulars that play $.25/.50 or $1/2 afterwards. The tables are padded, and I've started bringing a traveling set of chips to handle the cash games (have I mentioned I hate dice chips). So it seems to have fallen to me to run the cash games (well, I bring the chips and bank). Being in a public place (bar), I don't want big money attracting robbers or authorities, so lets use the smaller $.25/50 game as an example...

The last such game I helped run, I had a few extra (newer) guys who were used to using their large bankrolls to push people around, and gin up the stakes. Most of the field was buying in for $50, and this one vocal guy wanted to buy in for $200... I objected (along with the rest of the table). This particular game is fairly friendly. This player acquiesced to the table's wishes, but when it came to rebuys, he wanted to buy in for equal to the big stack (a guy who had fairly quickly tripled up to $150). The rest of the field was still at around $50. Since I never really dealt with this (other than in my home game where it's established), this guy insisted it's standard to allow rebuy = to the big stack. I've heard of this, but I've also heard of equal to 1/2 the big stack.

I am trying to limit the money on the table somewhat, for reasons already stated.

I am wondering what is standard? equal to full big stack? half? what?

I'd personally like to do something like this:

Buy-in is $40 to start. Subsequent buy ins can be at $60 or half the big stack (*rounded up to the nearest $20), whichever is greater.
* Stack rule example: If the big stack is $150, half that = $75, rounded up = $80 max buyin. The rounded to the nearest $20 is purely for selfish reasons as a banker (and all my chips are arranged in barrels - easy to dispense).

Is this 1/2 big stack rule whacked? What's the norm?
 
The 1/2 big stack is not whacked, but to me it doesn't seem consistent with initial buy-ins that are less than 100bb. I would expect to see it when starting stacks are deeper, say 200bb ($100 for a .25/.50 game). In fact, I generally avoid games where everybody starts out short-stacked.

My .25/.50 game has a buy-in range of either $40-80 or $40-100 depending on the games. We use standard straddles starting with UTG at 2x the bb, not Mississippi straddles. The max buy-in doesn't increase during the game. In my opinion, if buy-ins are high enough, rebuys don't have to increase during the game.

Keep in mind that my comments address lower-stakes home games, not higher-stakes home, club, or casino games.
 
Like Marsha, I'm a lower stakes host, so take this for what it's worth. In the announcement that goes out before a game (and in a detailed message to new players), "unlimited rebuys or add-ons up to the max buy-in, or half the big stack, which ever is larger...".


Other than meet-ups, I have only been in one game that I haven't hosted, and that was tourney only, so I can't say much beyond that limited bubble of experience.


Erik, hopefully you get a few more suggestions here in the coming days but no matter what, my best advice for you, especially "hosting" at a place that isn't yours, is to make the whatever your policy is early. State it from the get-go and enforce it 100%, no exceptions. Backup from the proper 'host' helps here a bunch.

It sucks when it isn't your game and you have to enforce a rule, but being the squeaky wheel from the start will help matters in the long run. A few players may bail, but those are probably not the ones you want in the game anyway.
 
We do .25/.50 with a 60.00 max buy in (most guys buy in with three 20's, just makes it a tad easier).

You can add on anytime you want when you drop below 60 or rebuy as many times as you want.

I never increase the max buy in. It stays at 60 throughout the course of the evening. Some guys want to be able to re buy up to the amount of the big stack on the table but I don't allow it.
 
I host several games, each a little different.

$0.25/$0.50 $5 min / $20 max buy in. Rebuys if under $10, still limited to $20 max
$1/$1 $20 min / $100 max. Rebuys if under $50, still limited to $100 max. Even so I have seen $4,000+ in play on a single table.
The limits on these games are structured to protect the weaker players and keep things more placid.

$1/$2 $60 buy in BUT rebuys any time outside of a hand up to the largest stack in play. The $60 buy-in may look feeble but 15 minutes into the game we'll have $200 stacks and generally $1000 average stacks by the end of the night. This gets ouchy expensive for the losers.


$1 - $5 spread limit or $2 / $4 limit unlimited buy ins ( I buy $600 to start just to have a mountain of chips in play - normally this is a white chip game (i.e. only $1 chips))


DrStrange
 
I host several games, each a little different.

$0.25/$0.50 $5 min / $20 max buy in. Rebuys if under $10, still limited to $20 max
$1/$1 $20 min / $100 max. Rebuys if under $50, still limited to $100 max. Even so I have seen $4,000+ in play on a single table.
The limits on these games are structured to protect the weaker players and keep things more placid.

$1/$2 $60 buy in BUT rebuys any time outside of a hand up to the largest stack in play. The $60 buy-in may look feeble but 15 minutes into the game we'll have $200 stacks and generally $1000 average stacks by the end of the night. This gets ouchy expensive for the losers.


$1 - $5 spread limit or $2 / $4 limit unlimited buy ins ( I buy $600 to start just to have a mountain of chips in play - normally this is a white chip game (i.e. only $1 chips))


DrStrange

The Doctor is in!;)

I host .25/.50 and .50/1 NLHE cash games where the minimum buy-in is 50BBs and max is 200BBs. Anyone short of the 200BB mark can reload up to that amount at any time. It can be expensive, but it also attracts some pretty big degenerates who are always good for action.
 
about 6 or 7 years ago, I started my .25/.50 NLHE game. It was for FRIENDS to play low stakes without leaving the mortgage payment on the table. So my structure is this:
$30 starting buys for everyone. Reloads if you get to $10 or less. Reloads are players choice of anything from $30 - $50 max. If someone reloads for less than $30, it's their last. That last rule was implemented after one guy busted, kept reloading for $10, going all in every hand, then reloading for $10 again and again. So if you've got less than $30 left in your pocket you can reload, but it's your last. It's worked fantastic for this group for 7 years running. By the way, I use BOTH .25 and .50 chips too. I get admonished every time I post this but it works well for me to use both. I tried using just quarters, but there were TONS of quarters on the table and constant asking for change. The use of both solved the issues.
 
I have usually done a rebuy up to what your in for. So say your down 200 you can rebuy for 200. No one yet has had a problem with that rule yet I dont think anyone has ever re-bought for more than 100 even if they are stuck like 300 in a $1/1 cash game. Im pretty relaxed when it comes to rebuys.. Min is always enforced. Usually its $30. But no one at my table will ever have issue with more money being brought in especially if they are on tilt and leaking badly.
 
Playing 0.50/1 max buy-in is 200. Max. Rebuy is 200 or 50% of chip leader. That's the simple rule. Reality is that people rebuy for 100 or 50. They do not care about how much money is on the felt.
 
I host at various levels. In all games, the minimum buy-in is 100 BB, and the maximum buy-in is 200 BB. Add-ons or rebuys are allowed at any time between hands, in increments of $20, such that the total stack doesn't exceed 200BB.

That's been working fine for over 45 years so far...

You can't protect against every unbalanced situation. There are times when I've been sent to a 1/2 table at the Borgata and found two players at the table with stacks well over $3k. You can give up the seat and wait, or learn how to play short-stacked (which you should do anyway).

-- Larry
 
I use rebuy 50% of big stack or the starting buyin ($20) whatever is greater

Also anything with $20 increments lower than this

Some players don't comeback because they get burned and are use to being protected by rebuy maximums that are to low

I wont normally play in a game that limits rebuys too much If I'm stuck for $100-200 I want a shot at getting it back and more

So I can see it both ways
 
$0.25/$0.50 game buy-in is usually $20-$40. No set maximum for re-buys or how many times.
 
.25/.50 initial buy-in $40-$100. rebuys up to table max at any time. Typically, people who buy-in for a hundred will rebuy for a hundred if they get stacked or down to around $20. I don't think I have ever had anyone rebuy for more than $100. They may have had $75 and added on $100 near the end of the night when they are stuck and stacks are deeper. No one has ever said give me two more.
 
25c/50c with $40 min/$100 max. I may be in the minority here but I only allow rebuys/addons up to the original max buy-in. I'm not a fan of the x% of the biggest stack for rebuys.
 
... I only allow rebuys/addons up to the original max buy-in. I'm not a fan of the x% of the biggest stack for rebuys.

I agree, as I said above. But I forgot to say why: I feel that allowing larger rebuys as a % of the big stack discourages those players who can't afford to do that from playing. And so long as my home games draw from a small pool of players, I don't want to lose anyone.

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... I only allow rebuys/addons up to the original max buy-in. I'm not a fan of the x% of the biggest stack for rebuys.

I agree, as I said above. But I forgot to say why: I feel that allowing larger rebuys as a % of the big stack discourages those players who can't afford to do that from playing. And so long as my home games draw from a small pool of players, I don't want to lose anyone.

It pretty much forces the game to play bigger, which is not necessarily a good thing for a friendly home game.

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Apparently my browser and connection stutter -- sorry.
 
Our regular cash game has some structure that I don't particularly like. We play .25-.50 pot limit hold'em. $20 initial buy in, re-buys maximum of $40 or the small stack (whichever is greater.) I'm not a fan of starting a game with 40 BBs. I wish it were 80 - 100 BBs. Limiting re-buys is fine, but it is a bummer when some drunk guy is nursing a $9 stack late in the session, and leaves you with a max re-buy of $40 vs stacks of $300+.
 
1/2 NL then dealers choice from midnight: $100 min, no max (most has been $600 from memory). Average buy-in/re-buy $200-$300 range. Depending on the action, average $700-1k per player in bank.
 
We play a completely disfunctional $1/$2 game with avg $40 buyin and unlimited rebuys. I'm looking to switch it to $.25/.50 or $.50/$1 because 20 BB is pretty silly, as I've come to find out!
 
We play a completely disfunctional $1/$2 game with avg $40 buyin and unlimited rebuys. I'm looking to switch it to $.25/.50 or $.50/$1 because 20 BB is pretty silly, as I've come to find out!

You may find that your .25/.50 game plays exactly the same as your dysfunctional $1/$2 game because players are used to betting and raising a given amount. If that happens, your only option may be to raise the buy-in amount.
 
.25/.50 $20 min $60 max. I'd love to go $100 max or even run .50/1, but I'm nervous about losing the casual players.

The way things have been recently though, I might be better off just starting from scratch. It's been tough to get this group interested in cash play at all lately.
 
I run a .25/.50 dealer's choice game with uncapped buy-ins. My game is an action game!

I have a few players who buy in for $100-$200 to start but they are generally big donors to the game so nobody cares. There have a been a couple of players lost over the years but losing a couple of nitty players hasn't had a large impact.
 
.25/.50 $40 - $100 Buy-in, re-buy's are UP TO largest stack, no one has ever bought UP TO its always $60 very few do $100 or more re-buy (3 of us @ 100).

I have never had a problem with players not wanting to play because of re-buys size, most players buy-in for 60 and re-buy the same 2 maybe 3 times.
 
This what we usually play at my house:
.10/.20 = $30 max buy in, rebuys/add ons up to $30 or half of largest stack. we us $1,$5,$25 and $100 chips and divide by 10 when cashing out.
.25/.50 = $40 max buy in, rebuys/add ons up to $40
.50/.50 = $50 max buy in, rebuys/add ons up to $50
.50/$1 = $100 or $150 max buy in, rebuys/add ons up to max buy in
 
When I host cash, I do not like "buy into the biggest stack as we all start at the same time. If you want a big stack, earn it. I don't like a person coming in and being a big bully because they can buy the stack. Now if you earn that stack and then start pushing people around...that's just good poker if you can do it. :)
 
I play in several games with unlimited buy-in amount. $100 min-buy-in. Crazy enough, one of them, a 1/3 NLHE game, has a no-limit straddle. From any position.
Need i say more?

*Believe it or not, most of the folks are extremely competent players. I feel it just gets the action going. Donk players don't last long.
Although I do feel that this structure is only good for a small cross section of the poker community.



I also play in some more timid home games. A group of friends and I play the following:

.10/.25 NLHE and dealer's choice.
and
.25/.50 NLHM and dealer's choice.


Everyone always buys in for 100 BB. It has always seemed a little weird to me to get there early and see all the chip stacks looking like a tourney setup. lol

Every once and awhile someone at the .25/.50 will buy in for 50 BB.
But instead of a hard fast rule, it is loose. I am sure if anyone wanted to buy in for less or more we would allow it.

Re-buys tend to be a full 100BB or 25BB in either game.
 

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