Cash Game How to Build a Home Cash Game (1 Viewer)

UnicornFlash

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I would be curious to know how everyone got their home cash games started. I just posted a thread asking what the ideal denomination breakdown would be for a small-stakes NLHE cash-game, but at present I don't have a home cash game established and I am kind of at a loss where to start. I live in an area where I have decent access to live poker, but I would prefer to have the option to stay home from time to time and enjoy the game from the comfort of my own home with friends, where I can set the rules, atmosphere, etc.

For those of you who started your own home games, how successful were you in getting it going? How long did it take you to build up a regular, routine home cash game? I anticipate starting with my co-workers, but I don't know if that is a successful approach. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who runs a home cash game in my area. I have played in a casino a few times, but I never really have attended any home cash games, so my experience with the home-game set up is rather limited.

I'd appreciate any insight or wisdom experienced (or non-experienced--I am sure they have good information too!) forum members have had with setting up and maintaining a routine and successful home cash game.
 
Lets get you some help. What is your buy in going to be?
Thanks, toynoob. To start, around $10 or so, because that's around the comfort level those that I think would be interested in joining would be willing to buy in for. Realistically, I'd like to get a home game set up at some point that gets to the $100-$200 buy-in level, but I just don't see that with my co-workers. I am open to ideas as well to setting up a home cash game with non-co-workers/non-friends. I just don't have any experience setting up a home cash game and I wouldn't even know where to begin to recruit players, how to "advertise" the game, etc.
 
Yeah, start with how much your group of friends will want to put at risk for a night of social poker as entertainment. Then divide the max by about 200 to get your big blind.

For my group, most of them will only want to play for $20 max, so we play 5¢/10¢, with initial buy-in of $10. There are a few who would be willing to do $20-$50, so if I can get a group together for that, we'd do .25/.25, and buy in for $20-40.

After this is figured out, you can start planning your breakdown.
 
Also part of the formula is whether your group will be nitty or splashy. A splashy group playing 5¢/10¢ might end up with $400-500 on the table. A nitty group at .25/.25 may only play with only $200 total for the night.
 
Lots of variables need to go into setting up a home game. The first question that should be asked is what's the max amount your players will be comfortable with losing? Then go from there.
 
Yeah, start with how much your group of friends will want to put at risk for a night of social poker as entertainment. Then divide the max by about 200 to get your big blind.

For my group, most of them will only want to play for $20 max, so we play 5¢/10¢, with initial buy-in of $10. There are a few who would be willing to do $20-$50, so if I can get a group together for that, we'd do .25/.25, and buy in for $20-40.

After this is figured out, you can start planning your breakdown.
Also part of the formula is whether your group will be nitty or splashy. A splashy group playing 5¢/10¢ might end up with $400-500 on the table. A nitty group at .25/.25 may only play with only $200 total for the night.
Lots of variables need to go into setting up a home game. The first question that should be asked is what's the max amount your players will be comfortable with losing? Then go from there.
Thanks, Beakertwang and SixSpeedFury. Beakertwang's group sounds a lot like the one I would likely have. It is good to know others have been in the same situation I am in and made it work. I had another PCF member, Darson, tell me basically the same thing, which is to determine what I need and not what I want. I had considered a $0.25/$0.25 blind structure, but soon realized from Darson's advice that $0.05/$0.10 is the way to go (just as Beakertwang describes his set up to be).

I am really just looking for a way to have a night of live poker with a group of friends, with I hope a nice home cash-game set of poker chips. This thread and your advice has helped tremendously in helping me to figure out how to set this up.
 
instead of getting a 5 cent chip id do a solid NCV. so you can start with it representing a nickel and if u move up make it a quarter. then get your ones and 5s. with a game that small you really only need 1 rack of 5s and a few 1s and a rack of solids is what i would do.
 
instead of getting a 5 cent chip id do a solid NCV. so you can start with it representing a nickel and if u move up make it a quarter. then get your ones and 5s. with a game that small you really only need 1 rack of 5s and a few 1s and a rack of solids is what i would do.
But then he'd also need a quarter.
 
But I'll concede that a NCV makes a good nickel or dime.
 
instead of getting a 5 cent chip id do a solid NCV. so you can start with it representing a nickel and if u move up make it a quarter. then get your ones and 5s. with a game that small you really only need 1 rack of 5s and a few 1s and a rack of solids is what i would do.
But then he'd also need a quarter.
valid point, i retract all statements
But I'll concede that a NCV makes a good nickel or dime.
Thanks. I just bought a set in the Classifieds that has a rack of $0.25 chips (relabeled Horseshoe Cleveland Tri-Moon Snappers). I will need to buy another rack of $0.25 chips eventually. The rest of the chips are traditional colors ($1 white, $5 red, $25 green, $100 black), so I was thinking a blue chip could work for the $0.05 chip. I want to avoid any confusion between chips. Is that a good color for that? Maybe a rack of blue No Cash Value chips?
 
Yeah, start with how much your group of friends will want to put at risk for a night of social poker as entertainment. Then divide the max by about 200 to get your big blind.

For my group, most of them will only want to play for $20 max, so we play 5¢/10¢, with initial buy-in of $10. There are a few who would be willing to do $20-$50, so if I can get a group together for that, we'd do .25/.25, and buy in for $20-40.

After this is figured out, you can start planning your breakdown.

Do your $20-$50 players and your $10-$20 players ever mix? If so and your playing $0.05/$0.10 have you found your higher bankroll players; playing 'too reckless' as the stakes are too low for them?

I am curious as I am planning on lowering my blinds down to $0.10/$0.20 Pot limit; to support $10-$20 buyins better; for some players they might appreciate it at the nickle and dime level (just wanted to type that out :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:) but then I am worried that the players with deeper pockets, wont take the game seriously.
 
Do your $20-$50 players and your $10-$20 players ever mix? If so and your playing $0.05/$0.10 have you found your higher bankroll players; playing 'too reckless' as the stakes are too low for them?

I am curious as I am planning on lowering my blinds down to $0.10/$0.20 Pot limit; to support $10-$20 buyins better; for some players they might appreciate it at the nickle and dime level (just wanted to type that out :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:) but then I am worried that the players with deeper pockets, wont take the game seriously.

I've never had a quarter game, actually--just a few guys who mentioned they'd be interested in a bigger game. I'm about the most aggressive player in my group. Most of our opens at 5¢/10¢ are 50¢ or more anyway, so I could possibly move up to .25/.25. I've had a couple guys who would qualify as reckless, but they're also not fond of rules, so they don't get invited much.

You could compromise with a single .25 blind.
 
Friends, decided we should play. As it grew we always kept it to people we trust. Also it is a side to our tourney.
 
My poker group started out as a bunch of friends who liked to drink together but I was the only one who knew anything about poker. I turned NLHE into a drinking game so they could learn poker and we could laugh and have fun with it. 15 years later we have all gotten married and have families now. Being completely inked on a regular basis is not possible anymore. So we started playing 5 cent / 10 cent.
 
Our cash game was a side effect of a regular two-table tournament. Players who busted from the tourney didn’t necessarily want to go home immediately, and would start a cash game on the side once the tourney tables combined.

FWIW, it’s never been more than about half of the regs who want to play cash. A few players are just underolled for our stakes (1/2 until the table fills, then it bumps to 2/5). The main group of holdouts just seem to be afraid of playing cash. The irony is that these are often the same fishy players who almost never win the tourney, even when they build a big stack in the middle stages, punting off their early winnings as the blinds escalate. These guys could do OK at cash if they had the discipline to get up before they go broke. I’m going to try hosting a few separate .50/$1 cash games just for the scaredy-cats, to try to get them more comfortable with it.

10 years and four hosts later, I’m now trying to transition the group away from tourneys to strictly cash. It’s a lot less of a hassle to host. Plan is first to go down to one tourney a month and 1-2 cash games per month, then to three cash games per month, with maybe just a seasonal higher-stakes tourney.

Anyway, as far as chip breakdowns go: Once you settle on stakes, figure out what the “slave” chip will be. That is, the chip you need the most of because it is the most commonly-used and also the one which fits the most frequent bet sizes. At both 1/2 and 2/5, the $5 chip seems by far the one most commonly used, so I bought a set with a ton of those. Also, people like the feeling of having MOAR chips and taller stacks.
 
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Blue would be perfect.

... I was thinking a blue chip could work for the $0.05 chip. I want to avoid any confusion between chips.

I've got one rack of these non-denominational Blues, if you are looking.
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