Flexible Chip Denoms (1 Viewer)

[PLOdonk]

Hey all,

On my path to creating my first home cash set, I've decided to go with custom Cards Molds chips. While this is great for many reasons, it also sparks many more questions.

Before, I heard that for my standard .25/.50 game I should have a 600 chip set with the following breakdown:

100 x 25c
200 x $1
200 x $5
100 x $25

However, now that I'm going full custom, I figure that I should step up to 1000 chip set in an attempt to future proof my games.

In my wildest dreams, we could eventually work our way up to 1/2. In which case, I'm trying to find a breakdown that could accommodate both something as low as .25/.50, while as high as 1/2.

Currently, I've been thinking of this breakdown:

200 x .25
300 x 1
300 x 5
100 x 20
100 x 50

The list of questions then begins with:

1) Is it even possible to have a set comfortably accommodate both .25/.50 and 1/2?
2) Do I have too many fracs?
3) Should I get 2.50's?
4) What are your thoughts on 20's vs 25's?
5) What are your thoughts on 50's vs 100's?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[Josh Kifer]

You really only need 1 rack of Fracs per table, generally.

You can make sets accommodate really any stakes with a good breakdown. My breakdowns are generally 100/200/300 on fracs to 5s.

You don't really need 2.50 chips.

20s vs 25s is purely personal opinion. I find 20s are easier to use for cashing in/out and making stacks, but people prefer 25s when betting.

50s arnt very useful. Hundos are a better option and need less chips. 5 20s to hundos is a bit easier to use then doing 20s and needing to add fives to cash in a 50 chip.

 

[upNdown]

1) yes
2) yes
3) no
4) doesn’t matter
5) I’m sorry, what?

Personally I think 300 x $5 is the right number for a .25/.50 game, but with a 1,000 chip set with an eye toward $1/2, I’d definitely bump that up to 400.

I don’t think you’d ever need a third rack of $1s, and I can see wanting an extra barrel or two of quarters, but a full second rack just isn’t needed in my opinion.

 

[Santa123]

1) yes
2) 100 would be enough 200 is plenty
3) no
4) i heard that 20s are good if your players are buying in with 20 dollar bills. If not, take 25s.
5) 100

Think also about buy ins and not only about blinds regarding your total bank.

 

[Santa123]

I love PCF and I love threads about breakdown etc.
Look you get 3 answers/ opinions within 5 minutes!

 

[allforcharity]

If you insist on 1000 chips:

100 fracs
200 dollars
400 fives
200 twenties (or 25)
100 hundos

Take away one barrel of hundos for a special barrel of $500 if you want to go baller. This might just future proof you well into the next generation with a $24000+ bank.

 

[PLOdonk]

I love PCF and I love threads about breakdown etc.
Look you get 3 answers/ opinions within 5 minutes!

Always impressed with PCF!

 

[PLOdonk]

You really only need 1 rack of Fracs per table, generally.

You can make sets accommodate really any stakes with a good breakdown. My breakdowns are generally 100/200/300 on fracs to 5s.

You don't really need 2.50 chips.

20s vs 25s is purely personal opinion. I find 20s are easier to use for cashing in/out and making stacks, but people prefer 25s when betting.

50s arnt very useful. Hundos are a better option and need less chips. 5 20s to hundos is a bit easier to use then doing 20s and needing to add fives to cash in a 50 chip.

I keep hearing 1 rack of fracs per table, but I just feel that 10 x .25 per player isn't many chips. The players I have aren't the best and do a lot of limping and small ball. Plus, constantly having to make change for each other seems a bit annoying. Am I envisioning something wrong?

 

[PLOdonk]

1) yes
2) yes
3) no
4) doesn’t matter
5) I’m sorry, what?

Personally I think 300 x $5 is the right number for a .25/.50 game, but with a 1,000 chip set with an eye toward $1/2, I’d definitely bump that up to 400.

I don’t think you’d ever need a third rack of $1s, and I can see wanting an extra barrel or two of quarters, but a full second rack just isn’t needed in my opinion.

My worry with the hundo's is that they will never see any use south of 1/2. I figured with 50's I could start using them earlier and they would still serve purpose for higher stakes.

 

[PLOdonk]

If you insist on 1000 chips:

100 fracs
200 dollars
400 fives
200 twenties (or 25)
100 hundos

Take away one barrel of hundos for a special barrel of $500 if you want to go baller. This might just future proof you well into the next generation with a $24000+ bank.

A single special barrel does sound interesting...

 

[Josh Kifer]

I keep hearing 1 rack of fracs per table, but I just feel that 10 x .25 per player isn't many chips. The players I have aren't the best and do a lot of limping and small ball. Plus, constantly having to make change for each other seems a bit annoying. Am I envisioning something wrong?

So, we play mostly .50/1 or 1/2. In the frac game, fracs are transactional. Your workhorse chip is generally going to be in the middle of the set, and that's the one the people want stacks of. You kinda just want enough that everyone has a few, and can cycle them out when needed.

If you have piles of quarters, it gets kinda annoying to manage and takes up table space. Also, as a game grows, the stakes will do the same alot of the time. You guys naturally move to a dollar BB, and you now have multiple racks of chips you won't really use.

In the end, this hobby does allow you to do whatever you want. We adore chips. Just post pics when ya do it. Hahaha

 

[PLOdonk]

Also, as a game grows, the stakes will do the same alot of the time. You guys naturally move to a dollar BB, and you now have multiple racks of chips you won't really use.

Hmmm, that's the issue. In a .25/.50 game the quarters are necessary, but past that they're not even used. I'll probably end up swapping some quarters for fives, you guys know better.

Hopefully pics will be coming soon!

 

[natumes]

I like 120 quarters for a single table. First 6 people get a full barrel, everyone after that will get change, which is simple and not a burden. I actually find about half my players seem to try and get rid of their quarters, calling $2 in quarters instead of using $1s, which is weird to me. The common pre flop open is $2-$3. Quarters are almost never used in betting post flop. Get more $5s. I also find 200 $1s is plenty. I usually do 800 chip sets that fit nicely into the harbor freight Apache cases. Total bank is $7730, which is 38 buy-ins of 100 BB at $1/2.

120 - 25c
200 - $1
300 - $5
160 - $25
20 - $100

Going to 1000 chips I would do another rack of $5, then 40/60 on $25/$100. But that would be future proofing for $2/5.

 

[Eriks]

My worry with the hundo's is that they will never see any use south of 1/2. I figured with 50's I could start using them earlier and they would still serve purpose for higher stakes.

Probably true, but a 50-chip doesn’t really serve any purpose when you have a 25. Wasn’t the point of the hundo future proofing?

 

[Pinball]

1) yes
2) yes
3) no
4) doesn’t matter
5) I’m sorry, what?

Personally I think 300 x $5 is the right number for a .25/.50 game, but with a 1,000 chip set with an eye toward $1/2, I’d definitely bump that up to 400.

I don’t think you’d ever need a third rack of $1s, and I can see wanting an extra barrel or two of quarters, but a full second rack just isn’t needed in my opinion.

@PLOdonk
This 100%

 

[doakwolf]

Surprises me the amount of people who believe 100 fracs is enough. If 50c then yes, but for me, 100 is a strange amount of 25c chips because it doesn't divide evenly for 10 players in $ increments for sensible starting stacks. To give each player 10 chips will be $2.50, or to give them 8 would be $2, leaving 20 chips unused (until rebuys).

I think 120 quarters is required per table of 10. Being pedantic.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I keep hearing 1 rack of fracs per table, but I just feel that 10 x .25 per player isn't many chips. The players I have aren't the best and do a lot of limping and small ball. Plus, constantly having to make change for each other seems a bit annoying. Am I envisioning something wrong?

You're fine. To be efficient everyone else is correct, the one rack is enough, but its whatever works best for your table we're the only ones obsessed with chips lol. I picked up 200 5cents cause I know my players want the barrel/now I can stretch to two full tables if I need to. It all works out.

 

[upNdown]

Surprises me the amount of people who believe 100 fracs is enough. If 50c then yes, but for me, 100 is a strange amount of 25c chips because it doesn't divide evenly for 10 players in $ increments for sensible starting stacks. To give each player 10 chips will be $2.50, or to give them 8 would be $2, leaving 20 chips unused (until rebuys).

I think 120 quarters is required per table of 10. Being pedantic.

A lot of us subscribe to the "just give a barrel to each of the first five players and let everybody else make change as necessary" method.

 

[allforcharity]

A lot of us subscribe to the "just give a barrel to each of the first five players and let everybody else make change as necessary" method.

Or give 8 to each player if you must have even starting stacks and have a few left over in case of loss/damage. OCDers like nice even racks.

 

[quintooo]

I'm part of the camp that believes 100 quarters is not enough for a 0.25/0.50, but my players are limp heavy and play bingo more than poker.

And shit, if you're going card's molds, what's another rack of chips? $40? no need to be efficient with your breakdown

 

[dmoney]

A lot of us subscribe to the "just give a barrel to each of the first five players and let everybody else make change as necessary" method.

I did exactly this when I hosted on Saturday. First five stacks got a barrel of 25c and a barrel of $1 - I spread them around the table some so most players would have someone nearby to make change easily.

Once players were seated I gave them additional chips to match their buy ins and people just changed a dollar or two for quarters from a neighbor. I thought it worked well but @Rbonus012 played in the game and might have a different perspective.

 

[upNdown]

Or give 8 to each player if you must have even starting stacks and have a few left over in case of loss/damage. OCDers like nice even racks.

Okay. I think even starting stacks for a cash game is nonsense. But for those who must have it, just hold out your leftover fracs, and switch them in for bigger chips out of the first pot.

 

[upNdown]

I did exactly this when I hosted on Saturday. First five stacks got a barrel of 25c and a barrel of $1 - I spread them around the table some so most players would have someone nearby to make change easily.

Once players were seated I gave them additional chips to match their buy ins and people just changed a dollar or two for quarters from a neighbor. I thought it worked well but @Rbonus012 played in the game and might have a different perspective.

View attachment 1030731

I love your hideous gassers more than words.

 

[dmoney]

I love your hideous gassers more than words.

When the seat’s full you never see the chair…although in some cases that might be worse!

 

[TheOffalo]

Surprises me the amount of people who believe 100 fracs is enough. If 50c then yes, but for me, 100 is a strange amount of 25c chips because it doesn't divide evenly for 10 players in $ increments for sensible starting stacks. To give each player 10 chips will be $2.50, or to give them 8 would be $2, leaving 20 chips unused (until rebuys).

I think 120 quarters is required per table of 10. Being pedantic.

I have 100 quarters, and my regular game rarely gets above 8 players, playing 25¢/50¢. So I do 12/12/7 of .25/1/5 for a $50 buy-in for the 8 players. I sometimes give myself 16/11/7 to get all the fracs on the table to start.

Our games aren't huge, average of $100 per player on the table (some people fire twice, a few rebuy 2-3 times, the rest on a single bullet).

Last time we had 8 players, and I brought only one rack each of 25¢, $1s, and $5s (and a barrel of $25s), to get more $25 chips on the table sooner, and it worked out great. Eight 12/12/7 buy-ins and one 4/4/9 first rebuy got all the fracs and $1s on the table, w/35 $5s left in the rack, which is 7 more rebuys at 5x$5/1x$25.

We happened to hit $1000 in chips on the table that night (I was in for $400, rallied at the end, out for $366, whew!) but never felt like we were too short on quarters, $1s, or $5s the whole session.

 

[doakwolf]

Yeah ok maybe I'm being silly thinking everyone has to start with even stacks. Come to think of it, my guys will buy in anywhere from $20 to $50 at the 25/50c game so stacks are all over the place anyway.

Ok I'm in the 1 rack or fracs camp now. Thanks.

 

[valvina]

I've ran a 9 player 25c/50c using

100 .25
100 1
200 5
100 25

average stack $100 and have encountered no need for additional chips, fwif