Hosts who run a sheet (2 Viewers)

[chippitydoodah]

This.

In today’s day and age there should be no reason for you to have to loan money to anyone. Pull out your phone, transfer some funds electronically and I will give you some more chips.

Unless they need to hide their losses (and possibly their winnings )

 

[Mojo1312]

Wow. Why lend at all, though?

Good question. There is a greater amount of camaraderie present in home games than there is in casinos. Over the course of time, relationships of a friendly nature are built, which results in a level of trust being extended to players who you see and interact with every week.

However, friendships in home games - as in life - can be abused. IMO, that occurs when players look at you as their bank. I feel that is where I am right now. It is important to realize that there are no winners when one person (in this case, the house) is bankrolling another's losses unchecked.

 

[Madmizike]

I can understand the one off loan when someone forgets money but if you’re constantly asking for a loan you shouldn’t be playing. Period.

 

[Taghkanic]

I can understand the one off loan when someone forgets money but if you’re constantly asking for a loan you shouldn’t be playing. Period.

I did speak with the host about this.

I was glad to learn that he’s not actually taking any interest on the money that he extends to players short of cash. So least it’s not a loansharking situation.

He seems to think that it’s good for the game that people splash around, even beyond their immediate needs. He is confident that he’ll get paid back, albeit slowly. And of course, since he is taking a rake, as long as he does get paid back, that’s probably good for his own bottom line.

All that said, he did agree that when people get in so deep that they avoid the game, that creates a different problem (attendance). And he said on his own volition that anyone who can’t pay him back within a month or so probably shouldn’t be playing these stakes.

He said he is likely going to institute a much lower limit on how much anyone can borrow in the future, more like $500. (I got the sense that multiple players are into him for more like $1,500, which seems like too much for a 1/3 game, 500BB.)

 

[Lord_Foldemort]

This.

In today’s day and age there should be no reason for you to have to loan money to anyone. Pull out your phone, transfer some funds electronically and I will give you some more chips.

Second this. I fully think if you do not have access to electronically pay someone on the spot, then you likely do not have the funds to be playing poker. But I exclusively play with either friends, or friends of friends. I think playing with randos and strangers can make someone significantly more apathetic toward whether or not they lose money, but without posting collateral of some sort, I feel like someone could be setting themselves up for not seeing that money ever again.

 

[Seven2Wizard]

I play regularly in a weekly private game whose host runs a sheet… i.e., he lets players borrow from him when they are short of cash.

I absolutely won’t do this as a host, as I think it easily leads to problems. Problems are exactly what I’m seeing develop in this other private game. (It’s a 1/3 which plays bigger, almost like a 2/5.)

For the first year I played there, it went off quite regularly. But two out of the last three weeks, and three out of the last five, the host has had to call his game off for lack of players.

I’m pretty friendly with the host, who runs a really nice game. In chatting with him, it has become apparent that the cancellations are happening because at least 3-4 regs now owe him too much to keep playing.

I don’t know how much interest he charges, if any. I don’t really care. I care that a good game is falling apart, seemingly because of the sheet.

Sports betting is probably exacerbating the problem, as I know these same regs are constantly talking about their parlays etc.

Some regs have disappeared before for 1-3 months. But this time they are all M.I.A. at the same time. The host is scrambling to replace the regs while they try to pay him back slowly or at least enough to resume borrowing.

So now I am tempted to talk with the host to discourage him from extending credit, or at least not extending them so much that they start missing multiple games. I’d rather they attend regularly leave down only 1-2 buyins in a night, rather than getting in so deep that they disappear for months.

My question is, are there any hosts here who run a sheet? How do you do it in a way that is sustainable, and does not lead to these problems?

I agree with you. Absolutely no way I’m giving markers. It will inevitably cause friction and discontent.

 

[russdawg1]

Even with smaller buy-ins either you supply the cash or we don't play in my group. Owing money just has so many drawbacks and I can't think of a single benefit.

Sorry that your local game fell apart!

 

[Sparkynutz]

Sounds to me they need to all start playing limit games for quarters and no more iou's

 

[ekricket]

The sheep are getting sheared too close. Sounds like your game is dependent on 3-4 people constantly losing. If you are clipping them so much that they have to rebuild to repay - one of these times they just won’t repay, they will find a different game. Sheep wander off pretty easy.