Cash Game Dilemma. Need Advice. (1 Viewer)

[digirati]

Buying my first set of CPC for cash games. Though I'd like to have buy-ins of $40-$100, the reality is I have a amazing group of retired friends that enjoy $20 buy-ins/rebuys for a .25/.50 NLHE. They currently play with only .25 chips (yep, 80 chips per buy-in/rebuy). I'm NOT going to do that when I host games.

This is the group I'll play with the most of the time. Friendly, casual players who like to socialize and drink while playing NLHE. Max 10 players.

The dilemma is I want to future proof my cash set so I can play my group's normal game (without using all .25 fracs), BUT also have enough chips to handle the bigger games I hope to host with others (including for rebuys in both cases). I'm not constrained by a budget; it's more about getting the right set. Damn the cost!

Here are two important wants (knowing my "normal" crew):

• Starting stacks at buy-in should look identical in chip denom distribution.
• Initital buy-in to include at least 35 chips (otherwise stacks seem small).

I want my set to include .25/$1/$5/$25/$100 denoms. I'd appreciate starting stack recommendations for the $20 buy-in and total chip breakdown for this set.

Thank you!!

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

200/200/120/60/20?

Usually not that many fracs but if they love using them and all buyins/rebuys need to look the same I think youre forced to get extras.

Starting would be a barrel of quarters to make $5, then $15 in ones, then 5s for the rest? Thats 36 chips lol, not easy. Otherwise I dont know how to math it.

 

[digirati]

200/200/120/40/20?

Usually not that many fracs but if they love using them and all buyins/rebuys need to look the same I think youre forced to get extras.

Starting would be a barrel of quarters to make $5, then $15 in ones, then 5s for the rest? Thats 36 chips lol, not easy. Otherwise I dont know how to math it.

Rebuys would NOT include the .25 fracs. Already too many in play in my opinion.

 

[doublebooyah85]

You can always add on later…

 

[RocAFella1]

160/200/400/100/40 with starting stacks of 16/16 using the $5s on up for rebuys

 

[springbox]

$20 should definitely be 20x25c + 15x$1 if aiming for 35 chips. Maybe suggest .25c/.25c for a game with a buy in that low?

Don't hand out any more .25c past the initial buy in. If it's 10-max and 35 chips is a hard must then you need 200 quarters. If it's 8 max or you can do 16 quarters, get 160. We'll assume a high end for your $100 buy in game, 4 per player, and 10 players, so min bank of $4k. If people like big stacks you should probably have lots of $1s, maybe more than I'm suggesting.

160/200/180/40/20 gets you to $4140 with just 600 chips.
200/180/160/40/20 gets you to $4030 with more quarters.
120/200/200/60/20 or 80/200/240/60/20 would be good for a more normal amount of fracs. You could shift some $1s or $5s into $25s to beef up the bank.

If you just want a shit ton of chips:
200/200/400/160/40 - $10k bank, tons of $5s if you ever play $1/$2 100bb buy ins. Could go 300x$1 300x$5 to make your .25/.50 games have bigger stacks.

 

[digirati]

You can always add on later…

True, but I like the idea of getting them all at once incase color lots change or I'd have to wait too long for the next pressing on whatever mold I chose.

 

[doublebooyah85]

True, but I like the idea of getting them all at once incase color lots change or I'd have to wait too long for the next pressing on whatever mold I chose.

Yeah colors could change but you would add the high denoms later

 

[Irish]

I built my custom CPC set for a very similar situation, it covers single table beer night 25¢/25¢ games up to $1/$2:

200 / 300 / 400 / 100 / 100 - bank of nearly $15k for future proof

Starting stack for the beer game of 20/15 or 20/10/1 - my group like to have the fiver for "serious" bets

 

[digirati]

Very helpful comments. Still reading posts and thinking. I think for the $20 buy-in, it's definitely best to go 20/15 (.25/$1) to get a minimum 35 chips as @springbox and @Irish suggested. I'm going to try to encourage everyone to do a $40 buy-in at either 20/20/3 (.25/$1/$5) for 43 chips or 20/35 (.25/$1) for 55 chips as I saw in another post (deep stack baby, LOL!).

That said, to cover the scenarios above, and buying extras per denom rounded to a barrel, I'm already looking at:

(220) x .25 = $55
(380) x $1 = $380

Now just I just need to determine the other denoms while keeping the total chip count under 1,000 pieces.

 

[Bluegrass Poker]

Very helpful comments. Still reading posts and thinking. I think for the $20 buy-in, it's definitely best to go 20/15 (.25/$1) to get a minimum 35 chips as @springbox and @Irish suggested. I'm going to try to encourage everyone to do a $40 buy-in at either 20/20/3 (.25/$1/$5) for 43 chips or 20/35 (.25/$1) for 55 chips as I saw in another post (deep stack baby, LOL!).

That said, to cover the scenarios above, and buying extras per denom rounded to a barrel, I'm already looking at:

(220) x .25 = $55
(380) x $1 = $380

Now just I just need to determine the other denoms while keeping the total chip count under 1,000 pieces.

Just do $25. 20 quarters and 20 ones. Makes it easy to distribute too, one barrel of each for each player.

 

[Machine]

For a $20 buyin your blind structure should be .05/.10

 

[digirati]

For a $20 buyin your blind structure should be .05/.10

I know, but I refuse to play anything below a .25/.50 or I'm simply not interested.

 

[LeLe]

I know, but I refuse to play anything below a .25/.50 or I'm simply not interested.

$20 buyin at 25/50c is an entirely different game called Flip & Go rather than NLH IMHO.

People are a creature of habit but give 25/25c a try or increase the min buyin to $40, at least one can play some sort of poker at 80bb deep.

 

[digirati]

$20 buyin at 25/50c is an entirely different game called Flip & Go rather than NLH IMHO.

People are a creature of habit but give 25/25c a try pr increase the min buyin to $40, at least one can play some sort of poker at 80bb deep.

I hear ya! I really want to do $40 buy-ins, but I think it might be hard to fill a table with my normal guys. I'll consider the .25/.25.

 

[warma]

Here’s the thing with future proofing… 25¢/50¢ with a $50 buy-in and two re-buys is a $150 game. 50¢/$100 is double that - $300. That’s a huge leap. It took ~30 years for inflation to halve the value of $1 ($100 in 1995 = $208 today).

How old are you now? How much longer will you be playing? Don’t need to answer that publicly.

But we need to be realistic. I made the same future proofing move then realized it was a waste, because I’m a social player, not a pro gambler. I don’t plan on hosting a poker night where folks lose more than the cost of a good night out. I am unlikely to ever host a 50¢/$1 game and will never host a $1/$2 game. I’m on the north side of 50, though.

 

[springbox]

Here’s the thing with future proofing… 25¢/50¢ with a $50 buy-in and two re-buys is a $150 game. 50¢/$100 is double that - $300. That’s a huge leap. It took ~30 years for inflation to halve the value of $1 ($100 in 1995 = $208 today).

How old are you now? How much longer will you be playing? Don’t need to answer that publicly.

But we need to be realistic. I made the same future proofing move then realized it was a waste, because I’m a social player, not a pro gambler. I don’t plan on hosting a poker night where folks lose more than the cost of a good night out. I am unlikely to ever host a 50¢/$1 game and will never host a $1/$2 game. I’m on the north side of 50, though.

To add to this, it's much easier to raise the stakes of a game by finding new players who actually want to play high stakes. Don't expect players who are used to losing $20 or $40 bucks to suddenly be okay with losing $300 or $400. The former feels like good fun, the latter starts to really feel like gambling to them.

 

[digirati]

Here’s the thing with future proofing… 25¢/50¢ with a $50 buy-in and two re-buys is a $150 game. 50¢/$100 is double that - $300. That’s a huge leap. It took ~30 years for inflation to halve the value of $1 ($100 in 1995 = $208 today).

How old are you now? How much longer will you be playing? Don’t need to answer that publicly.

But we need to be realistic. I made the same future proofing move then realized it was a waste, because I’m a social player, not a pro gambler. I don’t plan on hosting a poker night where folks lose more than the cost of a good night out. I am unlikely to ever host a 50¢/$1 game and will never host a $1/$2 game. I’m on the north side of 50, though.

Excellent points. Maybe I should just build the cash set for the normal low states crew and then get a tournament set where the buy-in can be anything I want.

 

[digirati]

To add to this, it's much easier to raise the stakes of a game by finding new players who actually want to play high stakes. Don't expect players who are used to losing $20 or $40 bucks to suddenly be okay with losing $300 or $400. The former feels like good fun, the latter starts to really feel like gambling to them.

Excellent points. Thank you!

 

[RocAFella1]

Excellent points. Maybe I should just build the cash set for the normal low states crew and then get a tournament set where the buy-in can be anything I want.

Or build a cash set that could handle both?

 

[digirati]

Or build a cash set that could handle both?

I thought about that, but many posts advise against it. My crew is made up of nice honest guys, but there's always a risk someone could bring a low denomination tournament chip (say $25) into a future cash game and all of a sudden the bank is short at the end of the night. Impossible if I use no higher than a $5 chip in cash games, but what if I get bigger cash games that DO include those $25 chips?

 

[RocAFella1]

I wouldn’t use the same set for cash and tournaments. But have a cash set that works for low and higher stakes. And a separate tournament set.

 

[digirati]

I wouldn’t use the same set for cash and tournaments. But have a cash set that works for low and higher stakes. And a separate tournament set.

Yep that works too, and is in line with my original comment that "I'm not constrained by a budget...".

 

[digirati]

Me joining PCF last month: "Why the hell do these guys have so many sets?"

Me today: "Three sets would be a whole lot easier."

 

[Mangatang]

Just curious, why must all the starting stacks be identical for a cash game?

 

[digirati]

Just curious, why must all the starting stacks be identical for a cash game?

Just a hunch my normal crew would like it that way considering they're currently used to 80x.25 on both buy-in and rebuys.

 

[Machine]

I hear ya! I really want to do $40 buy-ins, but I think it might be hard to fill a table with my normal guys. I'll consider the .25/.25.

you could play Pot Limit Holdem, its a better game, with a touch of deep stack play. At least you'll get a little post flop play with it over NLH

 

[allforcharity]

For most cash sets, you can get away with 200 (or 300 max) of typical workhorse denoms. In a limp- and minraise-heavy 0.25/0.25 game I can see having 200 quarters, but no more (I usually argue 100 max).

 

[MeridianFC]

FWIW my game has been .25/.50 for flop games and .25 ante/.25 bring in/.50/$1 for Stud games. $50 min buy in, $100 max.

Bank 200/300/300/160/40 ($9,850.00) - I can not envision playing a game where I'd need nearly $1K/player. With a full table, max buy ins and a few rebuys a $1.5K bank total suffices. So this more than covers me.

Starting stacks 20/20/5 min or 20/20/10/1 max. I like having a lot of chips in play, efficiency be damned.

 

[PARADOX]

Buying my first set of CPC for cash games. Though I'd like to have buy-ins of $40-$100, the reality is I have a amazing group of retired friends that enjoy $20 buy-ins/rebuys for a .25/.50 NLHE. They currently play with only .25 chips (yep, 80 chips per buy-in/rebuy). I'm NOT going to do that when I host games.

This is the group I'll play with the most of the time. Friendly, casual players who like to socialize and drink while playing NLHE. Max 10 players.

The dilemma is I want to future proof my cash set so I can play my group's normal game (without using all .25 fracs), BUT also have enough chips to handle the bigger games I hope to host with others (including for rebuys in both cases). I'm not constrained by a budget; it's more about getting the right set. Damn the cost!

Here are two important wants (knowing my "normal" crew):

• Starting stacks at buy-in should look identical in chip denom distribution.
• Initital buy-in to include at least 35 chips (otherwise stacks seem small).

I want my set to include .25/$1/$5/$25/$100 denoms. I'd appreciate starting stack recommendations for the $20 buy-in and total chip breakdown for this set.

Thank you!!

I do a 25c/50c game with $20min/$50max. I'm thinking of increasing max buy in to $100 as even $50 later in the night doesn't seem like much when a couple guys have $200.

8x25c
18x$1
6x$5

Rebuys are $5 chips until those are gone. Later in the night I will chip up about $10 worth of 25c. It seems like one player gets all the 25c after an orbit, so I would caution against using too many.

As far as future proofing my 25c chips are NCV.

100xNCV
200x$1
300x$5
10x$25
5x$100