Trihonda's point is worth considering, and jibes with my experience.
For the longest time, I hosted a $1 game with this set of Paulsons:
Then I started hosting a 25c game, so I bought these:
Sixteen cents a piece. Set of 650 cost me about $100.
I got 650 of them, and a 600-piece case:
200 quarters
200 dollars
200 fives
50 halves (I love orange chips.)
We play the halves as 50c in a $1 game, but we play them as half-quarters (12.5c) in my 25c game. They're unused in my 50c game (playing tonight!)
Notice that 650 chips don't fit in my 600 case. I intially pulled out 50 fives, so the rack was:
50 halves
200 quarters
200 dollars
150 fives
However, over a couple of games, we realized we were getting too damn many quarters on the table. Whoever was winning would accumulate stacks and stacks of them, but it didn't amount to much. Betting them off as full stacks for a $5 bet wasn't convenient, because that makes a mess in the pot without amounting to much. In the end, I cut the quarters down to 150, and put 50 fives in their place. Rack is now:
50 halves
150 quarters
200 dollars
200 fives
And I still try not to buy in all the quarters, unless it's a 10-player game.
Here's a photo from a recent game, which is fairly typical:
Can you read the action, here? Dealer button is upper-right; SB is about to act. BB is sitting there with 25c in front. The plays were:
fold,call 25c, call 25c, call 25c, call 25c, raise to $2, fold, fold... SB next to act (will fold.)
Zoomed in, more:
Some of those quarters will now fold, some will call the $2 (and take back their quarter.) This hand will not need any more quarters; the rest of it will be played with singles and fives. This is typical, but sometimes you'll see a raise to 50c or 75c, and the white won't take over until the flop.
And this is a 25c game, not a 50c game. A 50c game never sees a raise to less than $1.
I'm retiring this set, now - because my Boardwalks have arrived. Meanwhile, this < $100 set? My players liked it just fine... I have buyers lined up for it.
My point? If constrained to 500 chips, I would not use as many as 120 quarters, not after learning a bit. If unconstrained - as I was with my Boardwalks purchase (I got 1200 39mm chips plus oversize at $20 and up), that's another story... but for a set for 500 or 600? No need for that many quarters, and plenty of need for other chips.
My personal opinion, of course, but it comes from my experience.
Want some other opinions? This forums will provide... I suggest the (current) thread,
Variety or playability? It's an interesting discussion on the merits of a big set versus smaller sets... and several people show their ideal breakdowns, and photos of some small sets (where small is 500, 600 pieces) - see how many quarters they're recommending for these stakes. Neither Trihonda nor I have weighed in there, so the opinions are strictly fresh.
Lastly... you can actually play poker just fine with any breakdown, really, and if you have no bank chips, cash plays! This is a standard rule in poker; cash is changed to chips for convenience, but if you ever run out of chips, a couple of hundos can sit on the table just fine at a micro game. No worries! Enjoy the game!
