Cash Game The Absolute Bare Minimum Number of Chips (1 Viewer)

Going for a different direction to ask for a poker chip breakdown: assuming 10 players to a table, what's the bare minimum number of chips in a single table cash set that is playable, but not depressing?

I played a 2/5 game recently where the $500 starting stack was: 10 $1, 8 $5, 6 $25, and 3 $100. There were some $100s left in the host's chipset for reloads, but reloads were mostly in $500s. Change was required for almost every single hand. It was disgusting :vomit:
2/5
I would give out this
15x1's, 22x5's, 15x25 (62chips) optional more chip
15x1's, 32x5's, 13x25 (65chips) all reloads in 100's either way

Minimum to me would be
10x1's, 13x5's, 9x25, 2x100 =500

I don't like players being forced to make change amongst themselves. So a dedicated dealer to do the math for everyone helps also in player dealt games it's just easier to have more chips so if ever there is an odd amount change can be made from the pot in plain view rather than players beside you. O have seen games where players "make change" and are actually fronting chips to another player. This happened mid hand once when I was the player against, I drew out and won more money but still had a fight about it and called it s night after.
 
I played a 25c/50c cash game once with a tournament-like breakdown for starting stacks. $50 was something like 8/8/6/1 25c/1/5/10. It was awful for change making and game flow, but it was playable by definition. So I think 300 total chips would be the absolute bare minimum - tourney like starting stacks, with the rest of the chips going towards the upper workhorse and bigger denoms for rebuys and bigger bank.
 
I think one point off the rip is that if you’re using the absolute minimum number of chips, you don’t play $2/5. Play $5/5.
And I think if you eliminated the useless $1 chips, you could play comfortably with 500 chips.
If it HAS to be $2/5, I guess I’d say 600, but I’ll still take the under on that. 550?
 
I played a 25c/50c cash game once with a tournament-like breakdown for starting stacks. $50 was something like 8/8/6/1 25c/1/5/10. It was awful for change making and game flow, but it was playable by definition. So I think 300 total chips would be the absolute bare minimum - tourney like starting stacks, with the rest of the chips going towards the upper workhorse and bigger denoms for rebuys and bigger bank.
Thanks for the data point! Sounds like an enjoyable minimum is something between 300 and 400.
 
My 1/2 set is 620 chips, and that's plenty enough for 10 players. I would guess you can get by with 400 pretty easily, maybe even 300. If you play 2/5 and want minimum number of chips, then do as @upNdown suggested and make it a 5/5 game. Doesn't up the stakes too much, but makes you loose all the $1s.

Something like this should work.
140x $5 ($700)
112x $25 ($2800)
40x $100 ($4000)
10x $500 ($5000)

$12500 bank (25 buyins á $500)

$500 Start stacks/rebuys of:

(7) 20x $5/ 16x$25
(8) 5x $100
(10) 1x $500

Edit to add:
I would add a couple barrels of $25s and some more $100s and/or $500s if the game plays a bigger and needs starting stacks of $1k for example. Still should be just fine with well under 400 chips.

Obviously a bit more chips is better, but the OP was asking for the bare minimum needed, and I think a breakdown like this would work just fine with 300 chips. Smaller sets will need more fine turning to how your specific game plays, and will not have flexibilty in spreading different limits.

Average chips pr player (if 10 players) would be 15x $5s, 11x $25s and the rest in $100s/$500s, which are functional stacks for sure. Hopefully you arent playing 10handed too often, so stacks would have more chips if playing 6-8 handed which is ideal IMO.
 
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Is this a legal question on PCF?

Minimum chips?

Is this upside down land???

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Going for a different direction to ask for a poker chip breakdown: assuming 10 players to a table, what's the bare minimum number of chips in a single table cash set that is playable, but not depressing?
This is like asking "what's the absolute maximum amount of heat in hot wings that are still edible" ? It's a matter of personal preference and tolerance, there's no bright line.

The question is: how much change-making does there have to be before you'd rather stop playing poker and go do something else? Personally, if I'm in the mood to play poker, the prospect of having to make change every hand isn't going to put me out; it's an annoyance but it's not that hard to deal with, and if you have to do it every hand it's just a routine administrative chore like shuffling the deck and reminding the blinds to post their chips.
 
400 chips is very playable with something like a 100/200/80/15/5 breakdown depending on stakes.

1/1:
100x$1
200x$5
80x$25
15x$100
5x$500
=$7,100

For a 400 chip CPC set where the number of denoms are limited to the quantity (although you could get past this by doing sample sets):

1/1:
100x$1
200x$5
60x$25
40x$100
=$6,600
 
400 chips is very playable with something like a 100/200/80/15/5 breakdown depending on stakes.

1/1:
100x$1
200x$5
80x$25
15x$100
5x$500
=$7,100

For a 400 chip CPC set where the number of denoms are limited to the quantity (although you could get past this by doing sample sets):

1/1:
100x$1
200x$5
60x$25
40x$100
=$6,600
This is so good it makes me want a 400-chip CPC set. :love:
 
This is like asking "what's the absolute maximum amount of heat in hot wings that are still edible" ? It's a matter of personal preference and tolerance, there's no bright line.
I agree there's no bright line, but after reading everyone's opinion here, there's a vague line around 300-400 (closer to 400 imo). The line is definitely under 500 due to the popularity of 500-chip sets.
 
I played a 2/5 game recently where the $500 starting stack was: 10 $1, 8 $5, 6 $25, and 3 $100.
For 2-5 blinds I don't actually have a problem with the setup on the singles and fives. But waaaaaay too short on twenty-fives if you ask me. The rest of the buy in should have been twenty-fives (or 10/8/18), but I think even just expanding to 10 per player would have saves issues. So 10 or 14 twenty-fives would be the answer to what I would consider the bare minimum.

Meaning you could construct a set of 300 around this. 100 x 1, 80 x 5, 100 x 25, 20 x 100, and then you would have to let c-notes play.
 
I think one point off the rip is that if you’re using the absolute minimum number of chips, you don’t play $2/5. Play $5/5.
Also a good point. Then something like 100/160/40 of 5/25/100 becomes a credible breakdown for 300 chips. 8100 bank covers first 16 buy-ins, and you can allow c-notes after that.
 
I dont like minimums. I would just make it a $5/$5 game. I would make starting stack a rack of $5's or 3 barrels of $5's and 8 $25's. Make rebuys a barrel of $25's and move to $100's if need be.
Minimum for me: 600
300 x $5
200 x 25
80 x 100
20 x 500
OR
300 X 5
300X 25
have cash play

What I would like: 1600
900 x 5
500x 25
200 x 100
 
You can also just make $100 cash playable, could make it more fun that way
 
assuming 10 players to a table, what's the bare minimum number of chips in a single table cash set that is playable, but not depressing?
This:
600-chip travel set that I suspect can be made smaller. My gut feeling is somewhere around 400 is the minimum.

But I personally find anything smaller than 600 chips to be depressing and/or a pita.
 
You can also just make $100 cash playable, could make it more fun that way
This can be done, the problem many have or have had with cash of any amount on the table is players tendency to take the same cash off the table mid game. Using a chip/plaque or other exchangeable item prevents this. This is the main reason I do not like playing cash on the table at least.
 
I played a 25c/50c cash game once with a tournament-like breakdown for starting stacks. $50 was something like 8/8/6/1 25c/1/5/10. It was awful for change making and game flow, but it was playable by definition. So I think 300 total chips would be the absolute bare minimum - tourney like starting stacks, with the rest of the chips going towards the upper workhorse and bigger denoms for rebuys and bigger bank.
I think in these types of games, where change making happens often, the tendency is to start making larger bets that don’t require change. They deal with the inconvenience by adjusting bet sizes to avoid it. So instead of betting $6 they will bet $10 because its easier. Instead of $18 they will throw out a $25. So reads from “bet sizing” become even more unpredictable, because their betting is being influenced by something other than odds.
 
This can be done, the problem many have or have had with cash of any amount on the table is players tendency to take the same cash off the table mid game. Using a chip/plaque or other exchangeable item prevents this. This is the main reason I do not like playing cash on the table at least.
Unwritten rule in cash games is to never take money off the table, this applies to both chips and cash. In most casinos taking chips off the tables is actually against their rules. Just tell them that once your cash hits the felt, you need to keep it on the table until the game is over.
 
Unwritten rule in cash games is to never take money off the table, this applies to both chips and cash. In most casinos taking chips off the tables is actually against their rules. Just tell them that once your cash hits the felt, you need to keep it on the table until the game is over.
There is a thread about going south that we've had, good read there
 

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