Cash Game What do you think about this set-up? (2 Viewers)

Daddy N

Two Pair
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Mostly casual players with small bankrolls. I only have a tournament set of chips so T-25 is my lowest denomination. I have 180-T25, 200-T100, 220-T-500. I have T-1000s and T-5,000 but I don't know if I would even use the T-500s unless all the T100s are out. Maybe only break out the T500s for the no limit part?

Poker for Pennies Cash Game
Doors Open at 5:00
Pizza will be ordered at 7:00 $5/person
Invite Friends and Wives

Poker for Pennies
CA$H GAME
1¢ = $1
  • 25/25 Blinds
  • $20 Initial Buy In (20-T25s, 15-T100s)
  • Unlimited Rebuys
    • Can not rebuy for more than $25 at a time
    • Can only Rebuy when Stack is less than 500
  • Limit Game until 8:00 - 500 max bet/raise

  • No Limit after 8:00!!
 
Yes, 25 cents gets you a $25 chip. I was looking for more feedback on the regulations
  • 25/25 Blinds (are equal blinds strange?)
  • Unlimited Rebuys
    • Can not rebuy for more than $25 at a time (Does this seem fair?)
    • Can only Rebuy when Stack is less than 500 (Should this be higher?)
  • Limit Game until 8:00 - 500 max bet/raise (Is 500 a good size here)

  • No Limit after 8:00!! (Do the same rebuy rules apply here?)
What do you think?
 
Yes, 25 cents gets you a $25 chip. I was looking for more feedback on the regulations

Gotcha, I was thrown by the use of 1c = $1 and poker for "pennies." But I guess other posters caught on.

So really 1c = T1. But the minimum chip to buy is T25. So to avoid confusion, when you are doing conversion I would suggest you only use the dollar sign when referring to cash, and not chips. I found the second post far clearer.

So while some of your rules are non-standard, they are fine so long as they are understood by all.

Okay so first. The 1:2 SB:BB ratio is not written in stone. Nothing wrong with two equal blinds.

Not sure what the purpose of the 500 bet limit would be. If it's to protect players from going all in too easily it may not make much difference. A bet and 2 or 3 raises will get someone all in.

If the concern is this is too much money you could lower the buy in, or since you are doing conversions anyway make $1 = 200 chips and just use standard rules instead with this structure. (Or if you have T5 chips, keep the $1 = 100 structure and play with 5-5 or 5-10 blinds.)

As for rebuys, of course the standard is to allow rebuys and add-ons any time up to a limit regardless of stack size.

It's good for the game to try and offer low stakes learning nights but it's best to keep the rules simple and standard where possible if the hope is to introduce players to a regular game.

Good luck!
 
It's good for the game to try and offer low stakes learning nights but it's best to keep the rules simple and standard where possible if the hope is to introduce players to a regular game.

This is who it is going to be for. So how do I provide a little protection for them? Should the bet/raise limit be more like 300?

As for rebuys, of course the standard is to allow rebuys and add-ons any time up to a limit regardless of stack size.

What do you think about this to simplify? Can not rebuy/addon for a stack more than 4,500?
 
What do you think about this to simplify? Can not rebuy/addon for a stack more than 4,500?

4500? Before we were discussing 2500 or 2000. A few numbers have been thrown around.

I think the standard rule is simplest. If you have a Max of 2000 to start players can rebuy that much or add on in smaller quantities to reach that much. A player with 1000 can add 1000, a player with 1500 can add 500. A player with more that 2000 cannot add on.

But again, you can do anything your players will understand, but I would suggest using as many standard rules as possible.


This is who it is going to be for. So how do I provide a little protection for them? Should the bet/raise limit be more like 300?

There are unintended consequences with putting in low bet limits. If it is just a raise limit then as I said before players can reraise each other. If the limits are low then players are learning is a different way that standard.

Again I understand you can do whatever your players will understand, and it's a nice thought to protect the players somewhat, but the actual protection this rule gains is probably out weighed by the consequence of learning the wrong way.

If the concern is that losing $20 in a hand on a mistake is too much it's more effective "protection" just lower the stakes. Either by changing the conversion or introducing lower chips as I said above.

I really think it's better to learn standard rules playing for very little than adding rules.
 
This is who it is going to be for. So how do I provide a little protection for them? Should the bet/raise limit be more like 300?
When talking spread limit (which is what I'm gathering the early night will be, I'd suggest 25/25 blinds, $0.25-$2.00 spread (no bets/raises over $2.00) and cap at 3-4 raises per betting round. This is a bit wide of a spread for spread limit, but would work nice imo if you are planning to transition to NL.
 
Good point @Alex Lundstrum , capping the number of bets and raises does effectively limit the loss in a hand, addressing my concern that player can just get it all in even with an amount limit almost as easily as in no limit.

That could be seen as acceptable protection. It's not really no limit, but that may not be what we are trying to design either.
 
Good point @Alex Lundstrum , capping the number of bets and raises does effectively limit the loss in a hand, addressing my concern that player can just get it all in even with an amount limit almost as easily as in no limit.

That could be seen as acceptable protection. It's not really no limit, but that may not be what we are trying to design either.
I should point out that at $0.25-$2.00 spread, a stack of $20 could still get all in by river. If more protection is desired, go with a $0.25-$1.00 spread. This makes $20/person in a hand highly unlikely.
 
All the numbers and conversions are confusing me. If this tourney set has denominations on them, and you're considering using the set for cash, I'd honestly rather play with dice chips with no denominations and not have to factor converting 2500 to .25 or whatever. Get a second "cash" set. Please. :) There's plenty of cheap options that don't involve conversion math.

OK, onto game play.

When I was starting to introduce more serious poker into our "gang" of childhood buddies, we did a spread limit. We played .25/.50 blinds with $20 buyins (which we soon realized left the players short stacked to start). That said, we limited the risk to stacks by playing a spread limit (.25 min bet to $2 max bet). We eventually started allowing buyins to $40, and that was better, but honestly, I prefer $60 buyins for most of my home games ($100 for meetups). And I found that spread limit is great to learn, but it's a costly lesson. You wind up playing more hands that you shouldn't... When you're risking more money, you play better IMHO. Your starting range will improve (hopefully).

My poker game (and knowledge) has grown, and has mostly outgrown my old buddies. They rarely play my game anymore, but once you start down the path of learning proper etiquette and rules, and how they make the game better, you won't be able to play with the old "I'll see your bet.... and raise you..." kind of crap that my old buddies would do (and not understand why it's not proper).

Oh, and consider getting a dedicated cash chip set... ;)
 
I should point out that at $0.25-$2.00 spread, a stack of $20 could still get all in by river. If more protection is desired, go with a $0.25-$1.00 spread. This makes $20/person in a hand highly unlikely.

True, imo, if the spread is that narrow, you almost might as well play fixed limit.
 
This is who it is going to be for. So how do I provide a little protection for them? Should the bet/raise limit be more like 300?



What do you think about this to simplify? Can not rebuy/addon for a stack more than 4,500?
If wanting to protect player stacks, then just play Limit Hold'em. Much better game than attempting to play No-Limit Hold'em with some type of artificial limitation on bets/raises.
 
If wanting to protect player stacks, then just play Limit Hold'em. Much better game than attempting to play No-Limit Hold'em with some type of artificial limitation on bets/raises.
I'd agree that fixed limit might be the better route, but also will point out that spread limit is a very real, established form of poker, not artificial.
 
Maybe time to propose some definitions.

No limit: Entire stack may play in any hand.

Spread limit: only bets in a certain range are permissible (25-200 as @Alex Lundstrum proposed)

Fixed Limit: All bets and raises are in the same interval. (For example 50 on the first two streets and 100 on the last two.)

Spread limit and fixed limits may also have a restriction on the number of bets and raises as well.

I really like @Trihonda 's thoughts on this as well, though if this game is for super super-newebies, I wouldn't worry a ton about teaching strategy just yet.

But yeah decide which format is best to play and advertise the game accordingly. But if there is enough concern about losing $20 stacks, then no limit with modifications is inferior to the other options, unless you want to lower the stakes.
 
Thank you for all your advice!! I've read everything so far and am refining the rules. What do you think about this?

  • 25/25 Blinds
  • $20 Initial Buy In (20-25s, 15-100s)
  • Unlimited Rebuys/Addons
    • Can only rebuy/addon for a stack up to 2,000
    • Only available in between hands
  • Spread Limit Game until 8:00
    • Bets Between 25-200
    • Raise Bets Between 25-200
  • No Limit after 8:00!!
 
I personally would not switch between NL and Spread Limit in the same night. Not with your group.
 
Thank you for all your advice!! I've read everything so far and am refining the rules. What do you think about this?

  • 25/25 Blinds
  • $20 Initial Buy In (20-25s, 15-100s)
  • Unlimited Rebuys/Addons
    • Can only rebuy/addon for a stack up to 2,000
    • Only available in between hands
  • Spread Limit Game until 8:00
    • Bets Between 25-200
    • Raise Bets Between 25-200
  • No Limit after 8:00!!

This is much cleaner. I would add a note of only one bet and 3 raises per round during spread limit.

I think it's okay to play both spread and no limit in a night as a way to teach both. But if you play NL is should be true NL with full stacks in play (no caps) as @BGinGA mentioned above.
 
Thank you for all your advice!! I've read everything so far and am refining the rules. What do you think about this?

  • 25/25 Blinds
  • $20 Initial Buy In (20-25s, 15-100s)
  • Unlimited Rebuys/Addons
    • Can only rebuy/addon for a stack up to 2,000
    • Only available in between hands
  • Spread Limit Game until 8:00
    • Bets Between 25-200
    • Raise Bets Between 25-200
  • No Limit after 8:00!!
I like this format for your game. Also, the spread limit will help to teach betting rules that will still apply in NL (i.e. a bet of $1.00 cannot be followed by a raise to $1.25).
 
Thank you for all your advice!! I've read everything so far and am refining the rules. What do you think about this?

  • 25/25 Blinds
  • $20 Initial Buy In (20-25s, 15-100s)
  • Unlimited Rebuys/Addons
    • Can only rebuy/addon for a stack up to 2,000
    • Only available in between hands
  • Spread Limit Game until 8:00
    • Bets Between 25-200
    • Raise Bets Between 25-200
  • No Limit after 8:00!!

I have no issue with the 25/25 blinds.
I don't think you need to specify the starting stack denominations. If you get enough rebuys, you may need to use just 100s for stacks.
I think unlimited rebuys in a cash game is kind of understood, but understand you wanted to specify the details below that.
The 25/200 spread seems reasonable, but I've never played a spread-limit game. It's something I'd be interested in trying.
I wouldn't change to no limit. I'd keep it at spread limit.
 
Thank you for all your advice!! I've read everything so far and am refining the rules. What do you think about this?

  • 25/25 Blinds
  • $20 Initial Buy In (20-25s, 15-100s)
  • Unlimited Rebuys/Addons
    • Can only rebuy/addon for a stack up to 2,000
    • Only available in between hands
  • Spread Limit Game until 8:00
    • Bets Between 25-200
    • Raise Bets Between 25-200
  • No Limit after 8:00!!
Let me know how it goes, interested to see how the SL to NL game goes.
 
This will be the first time I have a cash game. I run a casual tournament once a month through the winter and get 5-8 regulars. I'm hoping this cash game will get some more players interested. That being said I am going to pitch it to the group next Friday and will only be having the cash game night at the end of the month. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Ok, so you use this set for tourneys as well? This brings up an entirely different discussion on the merits of using the same chips for tourney AND cash. Don’t do it. This brings me back to my earlier advice to get a new chip set.
 
Ok, so you use this set for tourneys as well? This brings up an entirely different discussion on the merits of using the same chips for tourney AND cash. Don’t do it. This brings me back to my earlier advice to get a new chip set.

I could not agree more!!! I know you think you can trust your players but I still wouldn’t risk it. What are you going to do when you have a tourney and a couple chips suddenly show up missing???
 
I do agree with @Trihonda and @Gobbs about getting separate sets. Plenty to search on PCF for the reasons why.

But it sounds like for the OP this is a one time experiment so the risk is minimal.

But yes, there is good reason to get a separate cash set if this catches on.
 

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