Cash Game Help with cash game set breakdown (1 Viewer)

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I'm looking for help with an ideal breakdown for a cash set that could handle two 1/2 (300 max) and one (possibly two) 5/5 (500 max) cash games.

The breakdown should consider the possibility of dealer tips and rake.

$1 x 300
$5 x 600
$25 x 300
$100 x 200
$500 x 100

Does this seem decent?

Any feedback is welcome.

Thanks.
 
You can calculate it.
2 table 1/2 300:
MIN - 300 max, 10 players, 0 rebuys = 3000 x 2 tables = 6000 + just in case 10% = 6600
MAX - 300 max, 10 players, 3 rebuys = 9000 x 2 tables = 18000 + just in case 10% = 19800

You could average it by saying 6600 + 19800 = 26400 / 2 = 13,200
or
You could play out say 1 buyin and 1 rebuy with 9 players:
5,400 x 2 tables = 10800

$1 x 300
$5 x 600 - 3000
$25 x 300 - 7500
$100 x 200 - 20000
$500 x 100 - 50000

bank: 80800 so .. YEP that would cover 2 tables

MAX - 500, 10 players, 3 rebuys = 20k + the other 20k = 40, the 80 will still cover.

You might consider the denoms.

300 x 1 is good if you have 3 tables running at once
People like lots of chips and most would rather have 200 in 'red' over 200 in 'green', so I would beef up your 5s based on this.
You're going to be dropping 5s so you need to beef up your 5s for this reason.
Dealers will color up the tips typically, so white will turn into red, will turn into green, black or the highest denom you have on the table, personally I request the houseman to take tips once I've colored up to black and have a few in my box.

we'll say you have 1 lively game, and say you're raking 10 per hand, call it 1 on 20.
if you don't pull 10, say its a short hand and there is 60 in the pot, the dealer should 'store' the 3 white chips that are raked in the 'box' (dealer chip tray), then as it grows to 5, drop the 5, yeah? meaning no white in the rake box

So lets say holdem and lets say 10 players and lets say 30 hands an hour, because if you're raking you want to put out as many hands as possible and you've invested in a shuffler and all of the players act when its on them.

so 30 hands @ 2 red chips per, every hour. that's 60 chips (300USD)
say you have a marathon session, and it goes 12 hours, so 720 chips total rake for 1 table.

Most of the underground games and charity game around me have about 2000 5s to run the game, regardless of plo or holdem, and that's just for 1 table. If you are seriously considering being able to run 3 tables, you'll likely want to grow a little more organically.

you're also going to want a drop box that you can pull and replace, there are several aspects to doing this, first know how many chips you're rake box can hold, the approximate amount of time it takes to fill up, and some sort of top and or process to obfuscate the contents from the players. So you don't want to dump it at the table, you'll want a replacement rake box.
 
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Figure out your potential max bank needed: 5/5 at 500 max per buy-in, say 10 players per table, average 3 buy-ins per player. $500*10*3 is $15K * 2 tables is $30K.

For the 1/2 game, $5 is your work horse, you probably don't need more than 1 rack of $1s per table. Do you need a full rack of $500s?

Since it sounds like you wouldn't be running two tables of 5/5 consistently, if cost of chips is a concern, if it were me, I'd go with this "minimal" 1,000-chip set:

$1 x 200
$5 x 400
$25 x 300
$100 x 80
$500 x 20

That's $200+$2,000+$7,500+$8,000+$10,000=$27,700 in bank. Slightly short if you expect to run two 5/5 tables and lots of buy-ins, but probably enough (27 @ 500 per buy-in, 2.7 buy-ins per player).

If you think you'll need more bank in case you run 5/5 at both tables consistently, here's a 1,200-chip breakdown:

$1 x 200
$5 x 400
$25 x 300
$100 x 200
$500 x 100

$79,700 in bank gives you more than twice as much as you need for two full 5/5 tables with everyone buying in 3x. Every player at both tables would be able to buy in almost 8x at the $500 max

If your players do like a lot of lower denom chips on the table, then this might work:

$1 x 300
$5 x 600
$25 x 200
$100 x 80
$500 x 20

$26,300 bank, like my first recommendation it's slightly short if you expect to run two 5/5 tables and lots of buy-ins, but definitely doable especially if you run 5/5 on the second table only occasionally.

If cost of chips is not a big concern, then your original 1,500-chip breakdown is more than enough.
 
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I agree, 1 barrel of 500s should be enough.

@TheOffalo you didn't mention the cookie monster, how you would adjust for the chips eaten by the rake. ;)
That's a great point, I did not factor that. I guess depending on how professional this is, if rakes go into a locked box, then more smaller denoms might be needed. If it's more casual, then could the dealer(s) just make change to reintroduce the smaller denom chips?

Never played in raked games (outside casinos).
 
The buyin limits are kinda shallow. The rake (if any) would just be $5 for pots over $50, so no $1 chips in the drop.

I may go this route like @TheOffalo mentioned

$1 x 200
$5 x 400
$25 x 300
$100 x 200
$500 x 100

... and add another rack of $5 or two.

Thanks for the replies.
 
If we are talking four simultaneous games, and you are going to be benefitting from a rake, you should not be trying to go minimalist here. I don't think a 3000 chip buy would be out of line.

600 x $1, 1400 x $5, 800 x $25, 200 x $100

Your fives and twenty-fives will be your workhorses for the 1-2 and 5-5 games, respectively. (though could get by with fewer twenty-fives in a 5-5 game versus a 5-10 game) In a 1-2 game, you could surely get by on 100 singles per table in a no drop game. But if there are rakes and tips, you need much more, hence I tripled that.

Once chips are tipped or raked they shouldn't be coming back into play. To go along with the other comments, it would be tacky as hell in a rake game to make change from the drop in view of the players. Not only does this slow your game down (less rake) it reminds the players how much is going down the hole. They less they think about that, the better for the operation. Suck it up and buy the extra chips now, it will pay for itself in terms of the couple extra drops you get in a night.
 
The buyin limits are kinda shallow. The rake (if any) would just be $5 for pots over $50, so no $1 chips in the drop.

I may go this route like @TheOffalo mentioned

$1 x 200
$5 x 400
$25 x 300
$100 x 200
$500 x 100

... and add another rack of $5 or two.

Thanks for the replies.

So you are only billing the people who win pots over $50? Everyone else plays for free? I'd suggest just adding a rack of 1's to allow for $1min 10% or max $5 rake or not bother as you will lose money. Min $60 Max $200 buy

I have run 2 tables 1/2 cash with the above conditions avg 8-9 players per table, sometimes 10
600-1
1000-5
250-20 or 400-25
I didnt play at 100s.

For chips put in use as an example using the above rack system. A couple hours before winding down of an approx 10hr-2 table event I had less than a rack of 1's left. All 5's were in play and the 3rd rack of $25's were in action. Instead of a 4th rack of $25's I would have gone to $100's at that point.

I did not open the cash box on either table uuntil the night was over and the vast majority of chips I there were $1's. I gave each player 1 barrel of 1's with their first buy in. Each dealer had a rack of 1's,5's'25's at the beginning of the event and the dealers had me restock 25s.

I even replayed some of the 5's that were cashed at the cage (me, and my lockbox) back into the game for new players entering.

If I were to do the same again I'd want at least 800-1's and 12-1400 $5 chips..... it's amazing how fast the 1's just disappear, I understand why casinos have so many it's not just because of PCF'ers taking them.

In the past I ran a single table game with of 1/2 cash and they played in both but never on the same day.
200-1 and only 560-5 (& more high value)
I would have to open and restock with $1's after 2-4 hours of play or change making became a hastle.
 
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So you are only billing the people who win pots over $50? Everyone else plays for free? I'd suggest just adding a rack of 1's to allow for $1min 10% or max $5 rake or not bother as you will lose money. Min $69 Max $200 buy

These are friendly cash games. No penny pinching. Knowing that there won't need to be $1 chips used if raked, it should reduce the amount of $1s needed. Penny saved... ;)
 
These are friendly cash games. No penny pinching. Knowing that there won't need to be $1 chips used if raked, it should reduce the amount of $1s needed. Penny saved... ;)
1) You are still going to lose singles to tips.
2) You could probably make the money several times over if you took a rake to the dollar. Saves money on chips, but not on what your operation could earn. This is classic penny-wise and pound-foolish. Get the extra singles, it's a small cost of doing business that will pay for itself over and over.
 
1) You are still going to lose singles to tips.
2) You could probably make the money several times over if you took a rake to the dollar. Saves money on chips, but not on what your operation could earn. This is classic penny-wise and pound-foolish. Get the extra singles, it's a small cost of doing business that will pay for itself over and over.
If it was my game, I'd totally consider this but it's not my game and it's a game that happens maybe 3-4 time/year. I was being
facetious
with my comment on saving money by buying less chips. Imagine finding a reason to buy LESS chips. Having said that, it's probably not a bad call to have more 1s than one might think.
 
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Thinking about it again, ya I definitely do need more $1s. 400 is making more sense. 300 may even be cutting it close.

I feel this is getting pretty close. I'd still need more 5s 25s and 100s. If I went 2000 chips.

$1 x 300
$5 x 750
$25 x 575
$100 x 275
$500 x 100

I think this is the breakdown.
Covers 30x $1/$2 players buying in on average 4 times. $1x10, $5x18, $25x12. $100x4.

Covers 10x $5/$5 players buying in on average 4 times. $5x20, $25x20, $100x14.

Any rebuys above that would come out of the $500 chips. I'm certain 1 rack would be overkill tbh.
 
If it was my game, I'd totally consider this but it's not my game and it's a game that happens maybe 3-4 time/year. I was being
facetious
with my comment on saving money by buying less chips. Imagine finding a reason to buy LESS chips. Having said that, it's probably not a bad call to have more 1s than one might think.
Ah I see, but still if one is going to cross the line to raking pots, it's doesn't always come of as being a "friendly" game anymore.
But yes, I'm glad the point about going for extra singles regardless of rake is well taken.
 

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