Playing 'Bank' - Tips & What I've Already Learned... The Hard Way (1 Viewer)

WOW. I just realized social games in NC aren't legal. What the fuck?!

  • General gambling laws: Article 37. 14-292
  • Official source? Yes - the state of North Carolina web site.
  • Social games legal? No.
  • Social game reference: §14 292 defines illegal gambling, "Except as provided in Chapter 18C of the General Statutes or in Part 2 of this Article, any person or organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. This section shall not apply to a person who plays at or bets on any lottery game being lawfully conducted in any state. (1891, c. 29; Rev., s. 3715; C.S., s. 4430; 1979, c. 893, s. 1; 1983, c. 896, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 204; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 2005 344, s. 3(e).)"
 
Taxi500 said:
WOW. I just realized social games in NC aren't legal. What the fuck?!

  • General gambling laws: Article 37. 14-292
  • Official source? Yes - the state of North Carolina web site.
  • Social games legal? No.
  • Social game reference: §14 292 defines illegal gambling, "Except as provided in Chapter 18C of the General Statutes or in Part 2 of this Article, any person or organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. This section shall not apply to a person who plays at or bets on any lottery game being lawfully conducted in any state. (1891, c. 29; Rev., s. 3715; C.S., s. 4430; 1979, c. 893, s. 1; 1983, c. 896, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, s. 204; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 2005 344, s. 3(e).)"
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Our appellate courts have also made the determination that poker is a “game of chance” rather than one of skill. They recognized the role that skill plays in the game, but that was not enough to convince them otherwise.
 
Cash is king, but I do have players that need to use Venmo. I also have about 8-10 female players each night and they don't tend to bring their purse to the table. So I started to use "markers" for quick rebuys.

The markers are plaques. I write the name of the player directly on the plaque (with a dry erase marker) and drop it in the cash box. I also put a plaque in front of the player to remind them that they still owe the bank. Once I get the payment, I remove the plaque, and they hand back their reminder.

I'm not a fan of the loan and the assumed risk, but it does make things a little faster. Given that one of our guidelines is "don't invite anyone you wouldn't trust to watch your kids", a $20 loan is a very low risk.
 
aggie said:
OP: Hey guys how do you ensure your bank balances out at the end of the night?

PCF: Be careful because you're probably going to get robbed and then thrown into prison.
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Yeah I do feel that we ran to some extremes for a home micro stakes game.. but then again I did get some great advice. No complaints!
 
TLDR
There is no substitute for paper bills
Edit: They were invented for a fuckin reason.
Respect the wisdom of past generations.
 
aggie said:
OP: Hey guys how do you ensure your bank balances out at the end of the night?

PCF: Be careful because you're probably going to get robbed and then thrown into prison.
Click to expand...
I think you need to re-read the posts.
 
Coyote said:
TLDR
There is no substitute for paper bills
Edit: They were invented for a fuckin reason.
Respect the wisdom of past generations.
Click to expand...
Well they couldn't conceive a telephone back then let alone an internet with banking involved, so lets move past some of that reverence, eh? They were invented to track movement of capital.
 
At a press conference on August 12th, 1986, US President Ronald Reagan said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
 
At my games, I do venmo because I run 0.05/0.10 $5-10 buyin's, and I'm not going through the trouble of getting nickels and dimes. Possible to round up or down by the quarter, but my friends are piss broke and every nickel counts to them.

That said, I always prefer cash only at 0.25/0.50 and above. I'm also okay with a credit bank if the person running it is someone I trust.

If you have issues with bank (and you play high enough stakes), you can sell players cash before the game starts. Example, you play 0.25/0.50, you can sell a player $300 or whatever they plan to lose that night. Wait for venmo to clear and move on. If someone busts their roll that night but wants to keep playing, have them buy cash off someone else. This reduces your own exposure to risk of loss, and spreads it somewhat evenly to the whole table.
 
I use a whiteboard to help visually track all the ins and outs. The cash gets given to me. The buy in amount gets updated, then they get their chips.
I also think it adds a layer of transparency, so everyone can see what everyone else is in for - and helps me see how much I’m in the hole for (yep, I’m Aaron).

Then at the end of the night, cash out happens the same way. Since I’ve implemented this, I’ve never been short.

6A176B85-E34D-4A60-91C7-F4C04B04105B.jpeg
 
Taxi500 said:
3) Host (me) only sits with $100 set in chips so I can more easily count my winnings/losses (Currently I just grab chips because I'm the bank and it doesn't really matter)
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I wanted to talk about this part of your statement. It doesn’t appear that anyone has addressed it.

It sounds like you are combining your stack with the bank… and not buying in yourself when you need a rebuy.. effectively purposely putting the bank in error.

You should definitely keep the bank separate from your stack. Keep them on a table behind you or something.

I understand not wanting (or being able to) Venmo yourself. But you should be putting an IOU in the bank… or a note in your phone when you rebuy. It is essential to know how much went out as you bring it back in.
 
Silver_Fiend said:
Thats not legal in many states, including mine.
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Maybe not, but it removes robbery and/or prosecution from the equation. Easy to set up an online game for you and your friends.

If you want to maintain the in-person social aspect as well, just host at home (or anywhere, really) and tell everybody to bring their phone. Games will run faster and smoother, too.

Crooks or cops rush in, see no cards, chips, or money -- just a group of people looking at their phones.....
 
I own the game. I invite, host, full-time deal and set the room and equipment.

Get a trusted banker. Mine is my son-in-law. He handles initial buyins, rebuys, and cash out. He a drawer right at his seat which is directly across from the boss. Perfection.
14ACEED4-653F-411E-9DA0-D31B3DC5A5DB.jpeg
 
Azalenko said:
I use a whiteboard to help visually track all the ins and outs. The cash gets given to me. The buy in amount gets updated, then they get their chips.
I also think it adds a layer of transparency, so everyone can see what everyone else is in for - and helps me see how much I’m in the hole for (yep, I’m Aaron).

Then at the end of the night, cash out happens the same way. Since I’ve implemented this, I’ve never been short.

View attachment 1059886
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don’t need how I’m running posted. Our banker simply notes in the drawer money that comes in. No names.

Everyone cashed out before the host. Son-I’m-law banks. He has skin in the game if it’s off.

It never is.

Also, we don’t “pay the change.” If a player wants to give another player say .50 so he hits a round dollar at cash out that’s alright. Otherwise most just toss the “change into the house bucket. At then end of cash out what’s in the bucket equals what we’re over which is usually about $3-4.
 
We handle cash at my games. They hand me cash. I hand them chips. They hand me chips. I hand them cash.

Only one person managing the bank.

With your style of banking. The transactions would have to go through before giving them chips. If someone is having a problem transferring funds, maybe write it down?
 
Still using venmo. I've never had a problem since changing one crucial variable: I'm an asshole about the money now.

Money shows on my end then you get chips, pause play until we're settled.
 
Micro buy ins and rebuys are nearly impossible to keep track of while you are hosting (and drinking), even if you are writing it down. Even if u get the bank right, u need to deal with rebuys every other hand. So annoying as a host. The bag system cures all of that!

At the beginning of the night give every player a bag of chips with a pre- determined amount but enough for multiple rebuys - in your case say $250 (or whatever amount you want). Either collect cash or write it down. Let everyone do their own banking over the course of the night. If a player blows through the bag give them a rebuy in the same amount as the initial bag. The amount of rebuys over the course of the night goes way way down. At the end of the night each player tells you how much they are up or down. Everyone puts their chips in the bag. Add up the ups and downs to make sure the bank is right. if the bank doesn’t add up you can check each persons bag to find the error. This system is so much more accurate accounting wise and enjoyable for the host (not dealing with rebuys all night). Trust me, it works and works well.

Additionally, as a back stop, the initial bag should contain all the lower denominations necessary for the night. If someone does rebuy, introduce a new higher denomination chip. That way you can keep track of the rebuys based upon how many hi denomination chips are in circulation.
 
Goldfish said:
Micro buy ins and rebuys are nearly impossible to keep track of while you are hosting (and drinking), even if you are writing it down. Even if u get the bank right, u need to deal with rebuys every other hand. So annoying as a host. The bag system cures all of that!

At the beginning of the night give every player a bag of chips with a pre- determined amount but enough for multiple rebuys - in your case say $250 (or whatever amount you want). Either collect cash or write it down. Let everyone do their own banking over the course of the night. If a player blows through the bag give them a rebuy in the same amount as the initial bag. The amount of rebuys over the course of the night goes way way down. At the end of the night each player tells you how much they are up or down. Everyone puts their chips in the bag. Add up the ups and downs to make sure the bank is right. if the bank doesn’t add up you can check each persons bag to find the error. This system is so much more accurate accounting wise and enjoyable for the host (not dealing with rebuys all night). Trust me, it works and works well.

Additionally, as a back stop, the initial bag should contain all the lower denominations necessary for the night. If someone does rebuy, introduce a new higher denomination chip. That way you can keep track of the rebuys based upon how many hi denomination chips are in circulation.
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Yeah, it makes it easier on the host during the game. But it seems like a lot more work for the host before the game and a lot more work for the host and the players after the game.
Also if everybody starts ordering customized bags off Etsy, my head might explode.
 
upNdown said:
Yeah, it makes it easier on the host during the game. But it seems like a lot more work for the host before the game and a lot more work for the host and the players after the game.
Also if everybody starts ordering customized bags off Etsy, my head might explode.
Click to expand...
It’s no different that creating player starting stacks for a tourney. It takes 5 minutes. At the end of the night it’s actually easier. Just go around the table asking for up/down numbers. If the bank adds up you don’t even need to count chips. I will say that after everyone leaves the first thing I do is an inventory of all the chips to make sure every chip is present and accounted for.

As for the type of bags, sandwich bags (the heavy duty freezer kind) work very well and are awesome.
 
Coyote said:
TLDR
There is no substitute for paper bills
Edit: They were invented for a fuckin reason.
Respect the wisdom of past generations.
Click to expand...

I believe Genghis Khan said and I quote ' You motherfu*k37s will take this paper note as payment or I'll kill you!.. And when I say I'll kill you, I mean I'll have an arm of soldiers come and wipe out your family and neighbors, because you're less than peasants to me and not worth my actual time to show up'

on another note, I have started using an app by @edwardstarcraft called poker tools; There are a few things in there but I really like the game aspect, I don't have anyone else using an account where we sync up, but I do like it because of the ease of use to add a player name and then track the buy ins and rebuys. It makes it very easy to manage the bank, and when you're done it deletes after like 2 weeks.

I like it. Here is his OP for the app
 
Machine said:
I believe Genghis Khan said and I quote ' You motherfu*k37s will take this paper note as payment or I'll kill you!.. And when I say I'll kill you, I mean I'll have an arm of soldiers come and wipe out your family and neighbors, because you're less than peasants to me and not worth my actual time to show up'

on another note, I have started using an app by @edwardstarcraft called poker tools; There are a few things in there but I really like the game aspect, I don't have anyone else using an account where we sync up, but I do like it because of the ease of use to add a player name and then track the buy ins and rebuys. It makes it very easy to manage the bank, and when you're done it deletes after like 2 weeks.

I like it. Here is his OP for the app
Click to expand...
Nomadic looters didn't need any currency.
 
Machine said:
I believe Genghis Khan said and I quote ' You motherfu*k37s will take this paper note as payment or I'll kill you!.. And when I say I'll kill you, I mean I'll have an arm of soldiers come and wipe out your family and neighbors, because you're less than peasants to me and not worth my actual time to show up'
Click to expand...
If you're interested in the topic of money, the first half of this book is a great read: https://www.amazon.com/Debt-First-5-000-Years/dp/1612191290

Basically his viewpoint is that money is an "IOU" and who best to trust than an IOU issued from the King himself? The three steps to getting your currency adopted:

1. Issue your IOUs as payment to your army
2. Collect taxes with your army, only accepting your IOUs as payment
3. Suddenly everyone will be motivated to get your paper money in their possession!
 

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