1,000 chip breakdown for cash + tourney set (1 Viewer)

[salimoneus]

I've never said, "gee, i wish I'd bought fewer of these....".

Well sure, when has a man ever said the same thing about guns, knives, cigars, pipes, cars, motorcycles, or pretty much anything collectible for that matter. There is no such thing as too many, and if there are a few extras, they can just be rotated in to even out the wear!

I know, silly of me to try to put limitations on something and "make do" with an adequate setup. It seemed like a fun exercise at the time though

 

[BGinGA]

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely ways to consolidate and create efficient solutions to the various types of chip applications. But they should not be done in ways that reduce the playability of the set, imo. Sets that try to do a couple of things well quickly start to get big. Sets that try to do it all (and do it well) are usually huge.

One of the most innovative solutions I've seen uses 5, 25, 100, 500, and 2000 denominations. They double as tournament chips (T5 through T2000) and as cash chips (5c through $20.00). You can also do it with just 25 through 2000 denominations, or add a 10000 chip (T10000 or $100.00). Some four-denom versions add a no-denomination chip that can double as either a 5c or $100 for cash play, or a T5 or T10K when in tourney mode. But getting the proper quantities of each chip to ensure set playability is key.

 

[salimoneus]

Since its for a .25/.50 game, I'd suggest getting a full rack of quarters and two full racks of $1.00's before you start buying more $5.00's. (Unless your players are gonna be buying in for a hundred bucks at a time.)

I think I like this idea, and the few extra quarters might help in a 25/.25 game as well? So going with a 1200 total piece set, here's what I currently have for cash:

100 x 25c
200 x $1
200 x $5
50 x $20

550 chips, $2225 bankroll, $278 per player

The max game will be .25/.50 so likely no need for $100 chips? Would also be nice to completely prevent tourney chips from sneaking into a cash game, even if different sizes.


That would leave me 650 chips for the tourney set...

175 x T25
175 x T100
100 x T500
150 x T1000
50 x T5000

It seems like the tourney set could handle a rare 2 table game, more commonly a single table deep stack, and most often a regular single table. The cash game would always be limited to a single table.

Any obvious holes in these breakdowns or other suggestions?

 

[BSteck]

That's very, very similar to what my 'next set' spreadsheet has ended up at. The only additional idea I have to share is to add a sleeve of NCV to be used as either bounty chips or as a T10000 color up for the large 2 table game.

Edit: Whoops... I see the T10000 was already suggested in the previous comment. Sorry for the dup.

 

[Mental Nomad]

The max game will be .25/.50 so likely no need for $100 chips? Would also be nice to completely prevent tourney chips from sneaking into a cash game, even if different sizes.

It's unlikely to play big enough to require $100 chips unless your players are ALL loose and aggressive.

But if your game starts playing bigger, and it starts looking like a real possibility, you have options:

1. Cash plays. Everyone will respect a couple of hundred-dollar-bills on the table.
2. Get plaques. You can often find small numbers in the classified, or buy a couple from Apache. Players usually love them.
3. You can use a couple of 100 chips from your tourney set.

WHAT?!? HOW CAN I SAY TO USE THE TOURNEY CHIPS?!?

Because in a small micro game that happens to play big enough to need one or two or three hundos, all eyes will be on those hundos. There's no chance that anyone loses track of them. (And the rules for no-limit poker force players to keep their largest-value chips out front or on top, in full view of other players.)

But this only works for a very small number of chips which are an "attractive" value. I don't advise this for the 25 in game that plays big enough to needs even small stacks of 25s.

 

[BSteck]

Yah... I was going to say you could use that NCV for a cash game $100 but thought I'd get a HOW CAN YOU SAY TO USE THE TOURNEY CHIPS.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Yah... I was going to say you could use that NCV for a cash game $100 but thought I'd get a HOW CAN YOU SAY TO USE THE TOURNEY CHIPS.

I'm also a big fan of a non-demon chip in a set; they're really useful.

I usually use them as the lowest denom (half a bb, for the sb), but can also use them as a big chip in a pinch if I only need a small number and we can track them.

Actually, back when I only had one set and was hosting 50c/$1, I used to use the hundos as a 50c piece... the lowest denom I had was the $1, and I had enough $25 chips that the game never needed the hundos as hundos!

 

[salimoneus]

1. Cash plays. Everyone will respect a couple of hundred-dollar-bills on the table.

Yea nothing wrong with a couple hundos on the table!

The only additional idea I have to share is to add a sleeve of NCV to be used as either bounty chips or as a T10000 color up for the large 2 table game.

This sounds like a good idea as well. Really did not even think about that since I'm coming from a completely non-denom set and am happy to be moving away from that to something more "casino-like", but there definitely seems to be some utility in having a sleeve of NCV handy.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Yea nothing wrong with a couple hundos on the table!

Just make sure players know that table stakes still apply - the hundo is part of the stack, and rat-holing is forbidden with cash just as it is with checks.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Yea nothing wrong with a couple hundos on the table!

Provided you have hundos in your wallet to start. A stack of $20 bills becomes less attractive.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Provided you have hundos in your wallet to start. A stack of $20 bills becomes less attractive.

With over $2200 in the kitty, I'll bet somebody brought hundos. If you actually need them, they're there.