Tourney How Handicapped is the 8/8/6/6 Starting Stack? (1 Viewer)

[justsomedude]

I was playing with my chip spreadsheets and trying to figure out how far I could stretch some of my tourney sets. Switching it up to 8/8/6/6 breakdowns for T10000 tournies allows me to expand to an extra table or two. The question is... is it worth it?

How much change making goes on with 8/8/6/6 starting stacks? Do players get frustrated with the limited chips in play (in the early rounds)? Does it end up balancing out in later rounds when the T1k chips are brought out?

Any other advice/input?

 

[ChipTalker]

IMO perfectly fine. Wasnt WSOP 8828 at one point?

Also do u mean when 5k comes out because 1k is the last num for 10k correct?

 

[justsomedude]

IMO perfectly fine. Wasnt WSOP 8828 at one point?

Interesting. I was not aware of that! (y) :thumbsup:

Also do u mean when 5k comes out because 1k is the last num for 10k correct?

I meant when more T1ks come out as the the T25s and T100s get colored up in the early breaks. Sorry for the confusion!

 

[ChipTalker]

BTW im not just guessing i have run both 8866 and 8828 with 40 people and no complaints.

 

[andy699669]

The 1000s would become the boss chip at late levels, they're always available during the tournament.

 

[BGinGA]

For most sets, 8 chips each of the lowest two denominations is the minimum; and 10-16 chips each is optimum. 8/8/6/6 or 8/8/4/7 (preferable of those two, imo) works fine, and typically works better for multiple table events than for single-table tournaments. But more change-making will definitely occur with fewer low-denomination chips.

I still prefer 12/12/5/6 for T25-base sets (or 10/10/7/x for T5-base sets), regardless of event size, and there's nothing wrong with larger 16/16/4/6 or 12/17/4/6 stacks, either. I even occasionally run 20/20/15/x stacks for single-table events where antes are in use.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

I prefer 8/13/3/7 or 8/8/4/7 for non-ante tourneys. You don't need many T25s or T500s IMO.

 

[justsomedude]

8/8/4/7 > 8/8/6/6 ?

 

[CraigT78]

8/8/4/7 > 8/8/6/6 ?

YES!

 

[fieldsy]

8/8/4/7 > 8/8/6/6 ?

I say yes, definitely. I switched from 8/8/6/6 to 8/8/4/7 because when the tournament was getting short handed people would have piles of 500 chips and be betting almost exclusively in 1000 increments. Most structures you need to have some 500s in play but you just don’t need that many.

I’m a fan of the 8/8 over 12/12 breakdown, too. Making change has never been a problem in my experience. And I don’t think I’ve ever played a no-limit tournament in a casino that had more than 8 starting chips of 25 or 100. Obviously if you and your players like more physical chips then go bigger. But it’s quite workable to use a 8/8/x/x starting stack. And even more so if you are using either a no-ante or big blind ante structure.

 

[RainmanTrail]

I think deeper stacks are most helpful when you have inexperienced players or dealers who don't know how to make change efficiently or how to deal with all-in players and side pots. I've run hundreds of tourneys with 8866 and 8847 stacks with anywhere from 10 to 80 players, and most around 40 to 50. Never once had anyone complain about not having enough chips. Most of those tourneys had experienced and well trained dealers running the tables however. So they knew how to make change quickly. If no one knows how to deal or make change, you might run into issues with a slower game, but that's about it.

 

[DoubleEagle]

8/8/4/7 has worked best for us for many years. The $500 chips don't get that much play and are just a PITA that must colored up rather soon.

I have played in more than one WSOP event with T5 starting stacks were 4/4/5/2 or 4/4/3/3, I cant remember for sure. Only four $100's and four $25's, really? They do this for the large events with that use the entire 500 tables in the convention center with around 5,0000 players. Perhaps their set just doesn't have enough $25's and $100's in it for the massive fields. All we did is make change the whole tournament, AND antes were involved so we had to the low denoms for a very long time. Really slowed things down, especially when you get the inevitable crappy inexperienced dealer.

 

[fieldsy]

I have played in more than one WSOP event with T5 starting stacks were 4/4/5/2 or 4/4/3/3, I cant remember for sure. Only four $100's and four $25's, really? They do this for the large events with that use the entire 500 tables in the convention center with around 5,0000 players. Perhaps their set just doesn't have enough $25's and $100's in it for the massive fields. All we did is make change the whole tournament, AND antes were involved so we had to the low denoms for a very long time. Really slowed things down, especially when you get the inevitable crappy inexperienced dealer.

Yes, I remember specifically getting 4/4/x/x stacks in the $365 Giant crazy super turbo tourney with multiple days of starting flights a year or two ago. It’s unworkable. That’s where I draw the line. 4/4 no, 8/8 yes, 12/12 if you like and your set can accommodate it, and above that seems like overkill to me.

 

[justsomedude]

4/4/x/x??

How the hell does that even work?

 

[fieldsy]

4/4/x/x??

How the hell does that even work?

Not well. There’s a fair amount of change making early. I think the Giant was something like T20k starting stacks, probably started at 50/100, with only 20-minute levels. I think it probably helps if the tournament is a crazy accelerated structure where it’s almost intentionally a shove-fest, because after an hour if everyone is pretty much just ripping their stacks in you don’t have to make a lot of change.