Cash Game Excel cheat sheets for chip denominations and quantities (1 Viewer)

[icypanda44]

As I stated in my earlier introduction post I am looking to determine chip values for a chip set purchase. I am sure that a ton of people go through this same process. I found various calculators online, none of which quite did it for me so I put together some simple “cards” in Excel - but I can't attach Excel files (or pdf's) to a forum post. So instead I attach some screen prints instead - if anyone can help me upload the .xlsx files(maybe an Admin?) please PM me

The spreadsheets shown in the png files I have built are pretty straightforward : :

• “Cashgame.xlsx” shows chip denominations and number of chips in the starting hand and number of stacks of each denomination needed for everything from a $10, 5c/10c game up to a $100 $1/$2 game. For some buy in amounts I show multiple options (eg: the $10 game has 5c/10c, 10c/20c and 25c/50c options) and I also show the BB multiple of the starting stack.

• “Tournament.xlsx” (what we call tournament is when the chip value is a multiple of actual cash paid to join the game – we keep it simple with 5x and 10x multiples so people can do the math in their head). Interestingly with only 2 exceptions (both in the 1000x multiplier) the buy-in is always 100x the BB.

I’d appreciate feedback on these, anyone see anything fundamentally “wrong”? Could these be useful to anyone else?

 

[RedDirtBo]

They look good from what I can tell from the screen shots. Only thing would be your denominations. You have .05 and .10, plus .50 and $1. Generally, you want each denom to be 4X or 5X the previous value, so .05, .25, $1, $5, then $20 or $25. Some people prefer the $20 for cash games, as people will use a $20 bill for buy ins, or re-buys.

In a .05/.10 game, if you have both chips, the nickels would really only be used when the SB folds pre-flop.

From your other thread in Poker General, this is the main issue with pre-built sets from Amazon, they have inefficient denominations and numbers of chips. Why buy a 500 chip set that has 50 $500, and 50 $1000 chips, if you will never use them in a cash game.

Also, you will normally want a separate set for cash games and tournaments, it would be too easy for someone to palm a $25 tournament chip, and then bring it to the next cash game, where it is actually worth something.

 

[icypanda44]

From your other thread in Poker General, this is the main issue with pre-built sets from Amazon, they have inefficient denominations and numbers of chips. Why buy a 500 chip set that has 50 $500, and 50 $1000 chips, if you will never use them in a cash game.

Right - That was something that was perplexing me a little. With those 400ct and 500ct sets on Amazon I would be unlikely to use 30% of the chips (100x $100, 25x $500, 25x $1000 in one set I looked at). So If I were using one of those sets for a cash game, why not buy 300 or 360 usable, better quality chips individually?

 

[exodus]

Here is a Beginner's Guide for mapping out cash games.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...ut-a-cash-game-chip-set-5c-10c-to-5-10.30897/

If you tweak your numbers based on this it would be more usable. It could be useful if whoever has access to the excel doc can tweak the chip numbers as much as they want. I think the one thing missing here is how much of the higher denoms to get if you are trying to build out a full set. Most rebuys will be in big chips. If the goal of this is to get an idea of starting stacks chips requirements only, then this is a great start. I definitely agree with RedDirtBo that denoms need to be 4X to 5X which is also stated in the thread I posted.

 

[icypanda44]

thanks, they are my Excel sheets I scratched them out quickly the other evening on the laptop whilst watching TV. I hadn't realized the 4x, 5x chip increment guideline, I had assumed that would involve making change a lot, or maybe that's just the way we play IDK.

When our group re-buys its usually because they are out of chips in which case they most often need a set with a range of values - we don't do that thing like in tournament play where the blinds increase every xx minutes.

you all have a lot of good feedback - thank you

 

[springbox]

Repeating what others said, avoid mixing 5c with 10c, and 10c with 25c, and 25c with 50c. You can either go 5c/25c/$1 or 10c/50c/$1 or $2. 5c/10c/25c/50c is redundant and causes making change to be more of a hassle than it should. If you like 10c/50c more than 5c/25c you can easily play 10c/10c blinds instead of 5c/10c.

 

[Natskule]

Agreed with the others. Don't use chips that are simply double another. Doesn't mean don't own them, I've got one bit, quarters, 50 cent, dollars, $2, $5, $10, $20, $25, $50, $100, but they are used in different size games.

Second thing as someone else said is you need to account for rebuys in cash games and they shouldn't be the same as additional starting stacks, they are mostly workhorse chips or larger.