Cash Game Using 3 blinds in a micro stakes cash game (1 Viewer)

Blind Joe

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Just wondered what people thought of this? I'm trying to build interest in cash games amongst my tournament group, none of whom have ever played a cash game.

I've tried a few micro stakes cash games with family during lock down and they've been great. £5 buy-in with 5p/5p blinds. It's been a fun and casual introduction to cash games for us.

Would it be worth adding a third blind of 5p just to add to the pot and encourage a little more action? With the exception of two or three players they are limpers so maybe it would be a wasted effort.

Does anyone else do this?
 
Just wondered what people thought of this? I'm trying to build interest in cash games amongst my tournament group, none of whom have ever played a cash game.

I've tried a few micro stakes cash games with family during lock down and they've been great. £5 buy-in with 5p/5p blinds. It's been a fun and casual introduction to cash games for us.

Would it be worth adding a third blind of 5p just to add to the pot and encourage a little more action? With the exception of two or three players they are limpers so maybe it would be a wasted effort.

Does anyone else do this?
If all three blinds are the same 5p and everyone usually limps, I would just do an ante at that point.
 
Big blind / small blind / dealer only ante (equal to small blind)?
(This could be a discussion wider than micro-stakes).
 
Big blind / small blind / dealer only ante (equal to small blind)?
(This could be a discussion wider than micro-stakes).

Another fun version is the dealer puts a small blind, but if dealer folds, small blind travels with button, each time adding a blind, until dealer wins.

Never tried it myself though, just heard of it, or similar.
 
Another fun version is the dealer puts a small blind, but if dealer folds, small blind travels with button, each time adding a blind, until dealer wins.

Never tried it myself though, just heard of it, or similar.

Wait! You can fold on the button in a cash game?? Haven't tried that myself.
 
Raising the stake a bit would be better in both cases
Yeah I kind of guessed that was the obvious answer, and tbh it's something I'd be happy to do myself, but my concern is that my group are only used to spending a maximum of £20—30 on a night of (tournament) poker, knowing in advance that they will only need 2 buy ins of £10—15 at the most depending on the tournament.

So, with that in mind, I'm wary of going with 5p/10p and putting people off by having a minimum buy in of £10 (100bb) for a version of the game they aren't used to. Maybe I'm over thinking it, it's not like £10 will break the bank, but it's the bare minimum you could really buy in with and 100bb is on the short stack side so with rebuys factored in (or bigger initial buy ins for those who realise 100bb might not last long) I don't want them to be put off by the potentially high expense.

Since I'm trying to generate interest maybe I should just stick with 5p/5p with a view to raising the blinds once people are comfortable with the format.

Thanks for the other suggestions like antes and straddles, I think once all of us have a decent grip of cash games those are things I'd be up for trying. I do like to keep things fresh even in tournaments so that we aren't always playing the exact same game over and over so it's good to have options to keep people on their toes.
 
What's a bomb pot?
Basically - you can choose the triggering event, I first saw it on LATB, and they do it when the dealer changes. We do it on a timer that is set approx for 30 min.

Everyone antes a larger amount preflop with closed action on that round. It immediately goes to the flop where the hand continues normally. We play 25c/50c and usually do a $1 ante, but sometimes a $2 or $5 instead.

It guarantees a large amount of dead money and disguises all hand ranges. It’s basically a circus.
 
I played in a game that had 2 mandatory straddles 1/2/4/8 ... honestly I really did not like it and eventually the host changed it to 2/5 which was much better.
So my experience is just pick appropriate blinds and skip the mandatory straddles. I have never been in an ante game but I am guessing I would feel the same and just prefer better blinds.
 
I'm wary of going with 5p/10p and putting people off by having a minimum buy in of £10 (100bb) for a version of the game they aren't used to
It's a cash game, so the buy in amount really does not matter.
Maybe I missed something, but you said "version of the game they aren't used to". Are you also introducing a new game?
 
It's a cash game, so the buy in amount really does not matter.
Maybe I missed something, but you said "version of the game they aren't used to". Are you also introducing a new game?
No, the game will be NLHE as usual, I was simply meaning cash games are different to tournaments in a couple of ways and require different strategies.

As for the buy in amount, well I'd say it definitely does matter. If players have to spend a lot just to get a mid sized stack I think it may put them off, so if the blinds are too high and someone's usual or expected spend only gets them 50bb I wouldn't think it's going to be very appealing to them, and my main aim here is to generate interest. But all of that can be tweaked in the future, I just want to try and get them playing cash so that we can play cash as well as tournament.
 
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And there's usually somebody who objects because that's not the way they do it on TV, the presumptive gold standard of live poker. ;)
 
I have always wanted to play with a rock. Maybe try that to get some raising happening.
 
Adding a BB Ante or Dealer Ante 5c for a 5/5c game = Yes
This is the way, there is a local game that is on fire, its larger stakes but it plays.

Dealer Ante 25c, SB 5c, BB 10c (The local game plays 5, 10 with a dealer ante of $50)

You can make the SB 5c, BB 10c and the bring in 25c, but this typically has the opposite affect on the game than you are looking for, it should tighten up the game.

My players didn't like the rock but basically you get an airtite and toss your 10c chip in it, the host puts it into play, you toss it in the first pot, players can't cash it out. SB 5c, BB 10c, Winner of the last pot posts it in front of them, action starts to the left of the rock (straddle)

You could play 'The Standup game' - everyone stands (or gets a special chip / gets to sit once they've won), the last person that doesn't have a chip has to pay everyone else at the table a set amount.
 
I have always wanted to play with a rock. Maybe try that to get some raising happening.
@moose uses The Rock in cash games literally (it's mini-figurine of The Rock). It's $0.50-$0.50 blinds and if you have The Rock UTG it's a mandatory $2 straddle. Winner of the pot wins The Rock as well.
 

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