Cash set input (1 Viewer)

[IaHawk]

I've been on PCF for 2 weeks now and I'm definitley hooked! I got my samples as instructed, decided on Majestic's for my tournament set (which should be here Friday) and now I'm looking to put together a cash set of Milanos. Easing my way into this...

The cash game is typically .25/.25 or .25/.50 with 7-10 players and buy ins from $20-$60 with only a few people getting in over $100 total for the night. Thoughts on chip break down for a 400-500 piece set?

My crack at it, I know I don't really need the $100 but just like different chips.

.25 - 150
$1- 150
$5 - 100
$25 -75
$100 - 25

 

[SWEATER]

Personal opinion, but I like to acquire chips by the "barrel" or twenty each. So, for instance, You'd want eighty 25s and twenty 100s. That said, why are you getting so many high denom chips if they'll never get used? Take a look at some 20s in lieu of the 25s and 100s.

 

[Jambine]

That said, why are you getting so many high denom chips if they'll never get used?

That's really the question. Playing .25/.25 or .25/.50 your workhorse chips will be $1 and $5, depending on how fast your group plays. $20 chips for rebuys makes more sense than $25.
and of course a few $100 cuz you like different chips, but I doubt they would see play in a .25/.25 or .25/.50 game

 

[BeesKnees]

You’ll definitely want a lot more 5s. A breakdown that has worked great for our 0.25/0.50 game is:

0.25 x 120
1 x 120
5 x 200
25 x 60

We’ve played 0.50/1 numerous times and have never broke the bank. If you absolutely have to have some hundos, I suppose you could swap out 20 of the fives or 20 of the 25s

 

[BeesKnees]

$20 chips for rebuys makes more sense than $25

I also agree with this but I don’t believe Milano’s offers a $20

 

[IaHawk]

That was quick, I’ve been talked out of the 100s.

And the reason I was doing 25 increments was due to the site I was pricing them out on (pokerchipmania) was in 25 increments.

Thanks for the comments so far and keep the suggestions coming!

 

[v1pe]

100 x .25
200 x $1
100 x $5
75 x $25
25 x $100 (alternatively, 25 more $25's)

$4725 bank with ~7 rebuys per player (up to 10 players @ $60 each)

First 5 players get 20/20/7 starting stacks and additional players get 0/20/8 and make change for quarters as needed.

I would say the $1 is going to be your workhorse for .25/.25 and .25/.50

I would personally prefer more 100 more 5's and 100 more quarters, but that breaks the 500 chip cap rule. I'd probably round up to +200 $5's to make it an even 800 :

 

[sharpcr]

Great choice with the Milanos for a decent starter cash set. I’ve played with those for years in our home cash game(.25c-50c blinds mostly) with a setup of:

.25-150
$1-150
$5-200

That’s a bank of $1,187.50. We have 7 to 10 players all buying in from $40 to $100 with multiple rebuys and have never run out of chips. With your players only buying in from $20-$60 you’d probably be ok with that same setup as well. If you’re worried at all you’d run out of chips you could always replace 25-$5’s with 25-$25’s and your bank would be $1,687.50 which would be more than enough for those stakes IMHO.

 

[v1pe]

Great choice with the Milanos for a decent starter cash set. I’ve played with those for years in our home cash game(.25c-50c blinds mostly) with a setup of:

.25-150
$1-150
$5-200

That’s a bank of $1,187.50. We have 7 to 10 players all buying in from $40 to $100 with multiple rebuys and have never run out of chips. With your players only buying in from $20-$60 you’d probably be ok with that same setup as well. If you’re worried at all you’d run out of chips you could always replace 25-$5’s with 25-$25’s and your bank would be $1,687.50 which would be more than enough for those stakes IMHO.

Not to say you don't know how your own game plays, but if 10 players buy in for $100 each that only leaves $187.50 for rebuys. I realize that is probably a fringe case, but I personally like to plan for the worst (probably to a fault).

 

[sharpcr]

Not to say you don't know how your own game plays, but if 10 players buy in for $100 each that only leaves $187.50 for rebuys. I realize that is probably a fringe case, but I personally like to plan for the worst (probably to a fault).

That would be the case if everybody bought in for $100 and everybody rebought but it’s just not realistic. Most buy in from $40 to $60 with a few buying in for $100 so it works extremely well for us. Trust me I’ve been running the game for many years. The OP said his players only buy in from $20 to $60 with “only a few getting in over a $100 for the night”. That being said I’m pretty sure a $1687.50 bank would be just fine for his game with lots of room to spare. So like I said. IMHO this setup would be pefectly fine:

.25 - 150
$1 - 150
$5 - 175
$25- 25

 

[v1pe]

That would be the case if everybody bought in for $100 and everybody rebought but it’s just not realistic. Most buy in from $40 to $60 with a few buying in for $100 so it works extremely well for us. Trust me I’ve been running the game for many years. The OP said his players only buy in from $20 to $60 with a “only a few getting in over a $100 for the night”. That being said I’m pretty sure a $1687.50 bank would be just fine for his game with lots of room to spare. So like I said. IMHO this setup would be pefectly fine:

.25 - 150
$1 - 150
$5 - 175
$25- 25

You're probably right. Like I said, I'm the guy who hosts a 5c/10c game, yet I built my main set to support a 1/1 or tight 1/2 game.

MOAR chips and all that jazz :

 

[Old State]

For cash game chips I also like to consider the easiest way to count out buy ins and bank the game while playing.

For example, when I bought my first (and only customs) we were playing $2/4 Limit (before cash NL was popular). The typical buyin was $60 which was super easy- 10 $1s and 10 $5s for barrels of 20 that I could keep in racks. I bought whites and reds accordingly

For $1/2NL I recently set the max buyin at $220 knowing most of my guys will buy in for that it’s two barrels of red and a barrel of white. I like to have enough for ten people. When people reload I tend to use bigger chips like $25s for that game. Makes it fast and easy when I’m trying to bank the game and play. People make change on the table.

My $1/2NL crew doesn’t like a lot of excess chips on the table.

 

[BSteck]

I think the big question is ‘What’s your view on quarters?’ #quarterwars

A) 1 table should max out at 100 quarters. That’s enough fracs in play to efficiently run a game. Players can make change as needed. More quarters than that just gets in the way.

Or

B) MOAR quarters means MOAR chips! And I like chips and my group likes big stacks of chips so bring on the chips!

Make your decision - base your buyin and rebuy stacks on it - and the math flows from there.

 

[sharpcr]

I think the big question is ‘What’s your view on quarters?’ #quarterwars

A) 1 table should max out at 100 quarters. That’s enough fracs in play to efficiently run a game. Players can make change as needed. More quarters than that just gets in the way.

Or

B) MOAR quarters means MOAR chips! And I like chips and my group likes big stacks of chips so bring on the chips!

Make your decision - base your buyin and rebuy stacks on it - and the math flows from there.

Oh lawd! Let’s not start the #quarterwar debate again lol! Personally I would think you would need more than 100 quarters for the OP’s .25-.25 game and less than 200 for more room for $1’s, $5’s, and $25’s. So therefor 150 would be more ideal. But like you said it’s whatever “his” view on quarters is. I like his original quarter and dollar amounts.

 

[BSteck]

For my .25/.50 game we do:

12/12/x for the initial 10 buy-in’s
0/10/x for first 8 rebuys
0/0/x for subsequent rebuys

So that leads to something like:
120 (or 125) x .25
200 x $1
Remaining (150 for a 500 set) x $5
Plus one sleeve of 25 for some extra bank x $25
1 just-for-show from-the-sample-set x $100

 

[sharpcr]

For my .25/.50 game we do:

12/12/x for the initial 10 buy-in’s
0/10/x for first 8 rebuys
0/0/x for subsequent rebuys

So that leads to something like:
120 (or 125) x .25
200 x $1
Remaining (150 for a 500 set) x $5
Plus one sleeve of 25 for some extra bank x $25
1 just-for-show from-the-sample-set x $100

Nice! That’s one way to do it. We used to do 16//16/1=$20 + however many more 5’s are needed for 9 people. Now we do a barrel of .25c’s and $1’s and however many $5’s are needed for the first 7 people then just $5’s after that and everybody makes change. Works better and less counting since chips are in racks and already in 20 stacks.

 

[BSteck]

Nice! That’s one way to do it. We used to do 16//16/1=$20 + however many more 5’s are needed for 9 people. Now we do a barrel of .25c’s and $1’s and however many $5’s are needed for the first 7 people then just $5’s after that and everybody makes change. Works better and less counting since chips are in racks and already in 20 stacks.

And for me, since my chips are in a case with columns of 50 instead of racks with barrels of 20... the 12/12/1 for a $20 buy-in means exactly two buy-in stacks per column. And the 10 initial buy-ins exactly fill the left 5 columns of the 10-column case. Makes me purr just thinking about it.

So many different perspectives and so many right answers for so many different situations.

 

[Trihonda]

Great choice with the Milanos for a decent starter cash set. I’ve played with those for years in our home cash game(.25c-50c blinds mostly) with a setup of:

.25-150
$1-150
$5-200

That’s a bank of $1,187.50. We have 7 to 10 players all buying in from $40 to $100 with multiple rebuys and have never run out of chips. With your players only buying in from $20-$60 you’d probably be ok with that same setup as well. If you’re worried at all you’d run out of chips you could always replace 25-$5’s with 25-$25’s and your bank would be $1,687.50 which would be more than enough for those stakes IMHO.

I actually like this break down a lot. Yes, people will tell you ya don’t need quite as many quarters, and you want to be able to expand the set for bigger games, but the Milano’s aren’t going anywhere, and for your RIGHT NOW game, this breakdown will play great. At these stakes, ppl like more quarters. Pokerchipmania is great, and the owner has been to work with in the past (in my experience).

 

[MaxB]

.25 - 150
$1- 150
$5 - 100
$25 -75
$100 - 25

500 chips (25 chip increments):
25c - 125
$1 - 150
$5 - 200
$25- 25

400 chips (25 chip increments):
25c - 100
$1 - 125
$5 - 150
$25 - 25

600 chips ...gO cRaZY!
25c - 125
$1 - 175
$5 - 225
$25 - 50
$100 - 25


Having more $5's eliminates the need for a ton of $25's. It's nice to have bigger stacks of chips than a bunch of high denoms. Having a handful of $25's gives your bank some extra breathing room

 

[JustinInMN]

I think the big question is ‘What’s your view on quarters?’ #quarterwars

A) 1 table should max out at 100 quarters. That’s enough fracs in play to efficiently run a game. Players can make change as needed. More quarters than that just gets in the way.

Or

B) MOAR quarters means MOAR chips! And I like chips and my group likes big stacks of chips so bring on the chips!

Make your decision - base your buyin and rebuy stacks on it - and the math flows from there.

I like this way of thinking, but I am on team A.

Quarters will only see use on maybe two streets and if you have too many in a game cash outs get slow.

@v1pe is leading you the right way here, imo.

Focus on ones, and it's okay to have a few hundos if you like the chips, just understand they won't get used with the game structure you described.

 

[IaHawk]

Thank you for all the input everyone. I think I'm going to stick to a .25/$1/$5 set for now.

 

[AWenger]

I think I'm going to stick to a .25/$1/$5 set for now.

Good input by others above. Back when I started playing poker, I played and hosted in a 1 table game with .25/.50 blinds and buy-ins up to $40, but sometimes 12-15 people showed up, and we split to 2 tables with 6 or 7 at the second table -- a coffee table in the living room. We rarely got $20 or $25 chips into play, but it was fun for the table when it happened -- a couple nights where there were a lot of bad-beats, all-ins and a lot of buy ins. The higher denom chips can be exciting to get on the table. Like when announcing "black action" when $100 chips are introduced in a $1/2 cash game.

I'm in the camp of getting at least 1 barrel of the next higher denom chip ($25s) that you hope you might need to use on those crazy nights, or to support a larger bank for more players, even if you don't end up getting them into the game regularly.

 

[JustinInMN]

I'm in the camp of getting at least 1 barrel of the next higher denom chip ($25s) that you hope you might need to use on those crazy nights, or to support a larger bank for more players, even if you don't end up getting them into the game regularly.

I'd agree with this, it's a pretty cheap way to bulk the bank for just in case, but I wouldn't take it any further than 25 greens in your case for the quantity you are considering.

 

[MaxB]

Thank you for all the input everyone. I think I'm going to stick to a .25/$1/$5 set for now.

You need a single high denom chip .... I say this a lot, but its a necessity for fun. Something about having that one highest denom chip (in your case, its the $25) on the table in someone's stack is great for temporary bragging rights. Just adds a little extra fun factor to the game. I'm sure you can pick up a single on eBay or someone on here will part with one (y) :thumbsup:

 

[IaHawk]

Yeah, I might get 25 of $25. I could always use the two sample $25s and $100 I received.

 

[MaxB]

Yeah, I might get 25 of $25. I could always use the two sample $25s and $100 I received.

honestly, that's all you probably need. Getting a decent amount of $5's should cover your game without the need for more than a couple $25's

 

[Dodger]

Curious - what did you finally end up with? Looking to build a Milano cash set as well and would like to hear what you decided on and how it's working for you so far.

 

[jcooper911]

I wanted to add to this. I am just setting up a 50c/50c game for my lower rolled friends (buy ins from $60-$100, always 9 max, $1800 on table last time), as well as a 1/1 game with much better and higher rolled players that usually ends up with $2500 on the table). I ended up going with the following Milano breakdown...

100 x 50c
150 x $1
150 x $5
100 x $25

My thinking was for the 50c/50c game the initial buy ins will be:
10 x 50c
15 x $1
16 x $5
with rebuys using the $25 chips.

For the $1/1 game, would have buys ins (always $200) of
15 x $1
17 x $5
4 x $25
rebuys with $25.

I am considering if i need to add another 50 x $5 and maybe some more $25 to make life easier on the bigger game... thoughts?

Thanks!
JC

 

[JustinInMN]

I am considering if i need to add another 50 x $5 and maybe some more $25 to make life easier on the bigger game... thoughts?

If you are asking if your game needs more chips, the answer at PCF will always be yes .

I think at least 50 more fives would be good. 150 would probably be better. I don't know if you really need more twenty-fives. 50 more singles might be good for the .50-.50 game too.

So for your 1-1 game, if you just add 150 fives and 50 singles. Your bank is 1700 (excluding the .50s) using 500 chips before you put out any twenty-fives. And then you have 2500 worth of twenty-fives so you are covered up to 4200.

Going back to your .50-.50 game. If you do +50 singles and +150 fives you actually have 1750 in 600 chips, plus your twenty-fives for just in case.

 

[jcooper911]

If you are asking if your game needs more chips, the answer at PCF will always be yes .

I think at least 50 more fives would be good. 150 would probably be better. I don't know if you really need more twenty-fives. 50 more singles might be good for the .50-.50 game too.

Yeh i figured you would say that! Pretty sure that I'm going to actually just bolt another 100 $5s. That would give me flexibility on both games and probably improve the total playability....