Cash Game First time hosting cash game (1 Viewer)

[cgpilot]

Will be hosting my first NLHE cash game in a couple of weeks and looking for a little advice. To be honest I didn't fully understand the difference between cash vs tournament games until joining PCF last February, and after learning more I'd like to give it a shot. Took some convincing but my group is also ready to try it out - I'd like for it to be successful!

The group I play with:
- Playing tournament games together for the last 6 years
- One time buy in for $25
- Target a 3-4 hour game
- Between 5-8 players on average
- Unless I host, dice chips are used

My chips:
200 x .25
100 x .50
200 x $1
300 x $5
and so on with higher denoms

What I'm thinking for a NLHE cash game:
- Buy in between $25-$50
- Still 3-4 hr game, but maybe longer
- Unsure about .25/.25 or .25/.50

The group ok'd a $50 buy in. I think a .25/.50 game would be more interesting but welcome recommendations.

Questions:
- Would allowing a min buy of $25, max $50, work with both .25/.25 and .25/.50?
- Is cutting off at a set time somewhat normal?

Thoughts on extra rules:
- Not allowing people to cash out until 3 hr mark (thoughts?)
- Not a real gambly group but $50 initial buy in, allow everyone to unlimited rebuy up to a max of $50 at any point
- Any other rules you can think of that I may need to figure out for the group

I get a feeling that I'm missing something, but probably because I haven't given it a shot yet.

Thanks!

- Brian

 

[Chipandchair]

Don’t use the $.50s, just clogs things up. Cash is all we play, mainly because everyone can keep playing. Have fun!!!

 

[JRald07]

What I'm thinking for a NLHE cash game:
- Buy in between $25-$50
- Still 3-4 hr game, but maybe longer
- Unsure about .25/.25 or .25/.50

For your buy ins .25/.25 is great. Gives you 100BB-200BB. May want to do buyins of $50-$100 for .25/.50 or it may be a shovefest with everyone starting at a minimum of 50BB and a maximum of 100BB.

 

[Rhodeman77]

I’d go with 25/25c blinds. $20 -$50 buy-in.

I wouldn’t worry about stipulating a min playing time. They are getting out of house to have fun. If someone really wants to leave after the first orbit because he got lucky to bust 2 people and is up $100 then you know who to cut from your invite list.

as mentioned, don’t use the 50c chips. Just the 25c, $1, & $5.

 

[wolfpack]

at $50 keep it to .25/.25 if you want .25/.50 make it $100. You don't want less than 80 BB minimum starting.

Agree don't use the .50, they aren't needed unless you do .50/1

 

[Hornet]

I agree with @Rhodeman77, but I’d say if it is a group of friends who don’t play cash games, explain to everyone up front that it’s bad form if you are winning to cash out early.

 

[JustinInMN]

What I'm thinking for a NLHE cash game:
- Buy in between $25-$50
- Still 3-4 hr game, but maybe longer
- Unsure about .25/.25 or .25/.50

Are they thinking $50 is okay for a one time buy in or are players willing to buy in 2-3 times at this amount?

I really think you should set the buy in where you think players will go 2-3 times so perhaps a 20 or 30 max is in order. And in that case 0.25-0.25 blinds are the choice. If you play 0.25-0.50 50 max what might happen is players will get in three shells for 150 bucks, that's pretty jarring I'd the usual game is 25 tournament.

As for chips no need for 0.50 chips, put out 100 quarters and your 200 singles and you should be fine. Plenty of fives to use too after the singles run out.

 

[Eloe2000]

- Would allowing a min buy of $25, max $50, work with both .25/.25 and .25/.50?

IMO 100-200BB stacks is best for a casual game. Most cash nights we play .25/.25 $40 buy-in, unlimited rebuys, top off any time to $40. $40 is easy because everyone has $20 bills and don’t have to worry about having 5s and $10s. We do 12/22/3 starting stacks.

- Is cutting off at a set time somewhat normal?

We play until everyone is tired and as host I will generally say “let’s call it in an hour”.

- Not allowing people to cash out until 3 hr mark (thoughts?)

I think it’s better to require something like a 30min, 1hr, etc. heads up on leaving. And absolutely let people know it’s not ok to win and leave.

- Not a real gambly group but $50 initial buy in, allow everyone to unlimited rebuy up to a max of $50 at any point

Start off at the lower end of what you think everyone is comfortable with and see how it plays for a couple events. Expect 1 rebuy per person on average but more for some. If the stakes get to high people won’t complain, they just will stop showing up.

- Any other rules you can think of that I may need to figure out for the group.

Look up Roberts Rules Of Poker

 

[cgpilot]

.

Are they thinking $50 is okay for a one time buy in or are players willing to buy in 2-3 times at this amount?

I really think you should set the buy in where you think players will go 2-3 times so perhaps a 20 or 30 max is in order. And in that case 0.25-0.25 blinds are the choice. If you play 0.25-0.50 50 max what might happen is players will get in three shells for 150 bucks, that's pretty jarring I'd the usual game is 25 tournament.

As for chips no need for 0.50 chips, put out 100 quarters and your 200 singles and you should be fine. Plenty of fives to use too after the singles run out.

Honestly not sure what direction it will go. I think the majority of the group is willing to commit $100+ for the night. On a given night we have 5-8 people, but our pool of people that play is around 15. Of the 15, probably 8-10 are competitive while the remaining like to show up, drink beer, and get out of the house. I wanted to keep the bottom at $25 for them. I didn't want them to feel compelled to spend more money since they are there more for social reasons.

 

[Eloe2000]

.


Honestly not sure what direction it will go. I think the majority of the group is willing to commit $100+ for the night. On a given night we have 5-8 people, but our pool of people that play is around 15. Of the 15, probably 8-10 are competitive while the remaining like to show up, drink beer, and get out of the house. I wanted to keep the bottom at $25 for them. I didn't want them to feel compelled to spend more money since they are there more for social reasons.

IMHO a bottom buy in is pointless for a casual game. The game won’t play well. Everyone who buys in for less will be at an immediate disadvantage (and may also be the less experienced ones already). Those people will quickly be looking for push spots at best. At worst (and more likely) they will get discouraged and just stop showing up. I would set a reasonable expected buy in for everyone and stick to it. Start off on the conservative lower end of expectations and adjust from there.

 

[tabletalker7]

.


Honestly not sure what direction it will go. I think the majority of the group is willing to commit $100+ for the night. On a given night we have 5-8 people, but our pool of people that play is around 15. Of the 15, probably 8-10 are competitive while the remaining like to show up, drink beer, and get out of the house. I wanted to keep the bottom at $25 for them. I didn't want them to feel compelled to spend more money since they are there more for social reasons.

Before the virus my player group was about 20 deep, but was about like yours with half being more serious poker players and the other half being serious beer drinkers. My recommendation is to get nickel chips and split the group. My serious players played .25/.50 on Fridays and my beer drinkers played .05/.10 on Saturday nights. That let me keep the table deep enough for my serious players on Friday and friendly enough for my beer drinkers Saturday.

 

[wolfpack]

IMHO a bottom buy in is pointless for a casual game. The game won’t play well. Everyone who buys in for less will be at an immediate disadvantage (and may also be the less experienced ones already). Those people will quickly be looking for push spots at best. At worst (and more likely) they will get discouraged and just stop showing up. I would set a reasonable expected buy in for everyone and stick to it. Start off on the conservative lower end of expectations and adjust from there.

Agree with this 100%. Don't set a min max buyin, just set a buy in and allow players to rebuy/top off up to that buy in.

 

[Chawks45]

I agree with everyone on cutting out the .50 chip. I stopped using that denom for my .25/.50 game long ago.

- Is cutting off at a set time somewhat normal?

Depends on the group dynamics. For my game, which is on pause for now, a lot of the regs prefer to stay out of trouble with their spousal units, so they like to let their better half know in advance what time to expect them home.

Other than that if we don't establish an end time well in advance of the gathering, the time is essentially left up to how the game is going. If the game is dying out, we'll all agree to do one or two more orbits before shutting down.

- Not allowing people to cash out until 3 hr mark (thoughts?)

Agreed with @Rhodeman77's and @Hornet's and @Eloe2000's respective stances on the cashing out aspect. I also feel a group discussion on expected standards in advance of the game will go a long way. The more the players know before arriving, the better.

- Not a real gambly group but $50 initial buy in, allow everyone to unlimited rebuy up to a max of $50 at any point

This is a good test run for a first cash game, especially since you know your players and their tendencies. I think what you're leaning to is a good course of action if you're anticipating limp-heavy preflop action.

That said, as the cash game grows following a few gatherings, it wouldn't surprise if the action eventually plays bigger than a .25/.50 game. Prepare for MOAR chips!

Oh, and have fun!

 

[Italianjoe157]

Just my two cents,

Do not worry about all the rules to begin with. Each home game evolves as time goes on. There will be initial growing pains of hosting.

Read up on most common errors that come up If you haven’t already so you can address them in game quickly and efficiently. The most important thing is to keep things light and friendly or else you won’t have player retention. Second to that is to keep the game moving. Think of yourself as your own floor supervisor.

As you continue to play, your players will get better at dealing and addressing errors on their own. Sounds like the group is knowledgeable but something to think about.

Don’t forget snacks and beverages

 

[Italianjoe157]

To add, nothing is perfect on Day 1 of ANYTHING. It sounds like the players are regulars and know each other which means they will be more vocal with their likes/dislikes regarding buyins and stakes. At the end of the night ask for player feedback and see what the general consensus is about the game.

Also don’t be disappointed if they just don’t like playing cash games. Some groups gravitate only to tournaments for low buy-in/high reward. Cash games are a grind and are much more boring than tournaments. if possible have a TV or radio is on in the background to kill dead air.

Finally, DO NOT TAKE A RAKE!

 

[Chawks45]

Cash games are a grind and are much more boring than tournaments.

They are? I find myself having more fun in cash games than playing in tourneys.

Might have something to do with I often find myself getting knocked out on the bubble. It's a gift I have.

 

[Italianjoe157]

As I said every group is different but with the increase in blinds and high payouts it’s more of a thrill. Establishing massive chip stack or being on your third bullet and battle short handed for the W. Table dynamics and hand ranges change constantly. But, they are not fun if your observing from the rail

A static .25/.25 cash game can be fun if the group makes it fun. Hand ranges are more defined based on position. So for me, less fun. Huge generality...

 

[cgpilot]

A lot of great feedback here. Appreciate everyone’s comments, and I’ll definitely be using the advice!

 

[Kid_Eastwood]

Personnally I prefer min. 50BB - max. 100BB as buyin.
So basicall NL25 as 0.25 - 0.25 and NL50 as 0.25 - 0.50.

 

[TheWhat]

They are? I find myself having more fun in cash games than playing in tourneys.

Might have something to do with I often find myself getting knocked out on the bubble. It's a gift I have.

Cash 》Tourney

Every Tourney basically comes down to did AK win the flip? Or did the under pair hold.

All they have going for them is the Payout vs Buyin, which of course is notable. But "poker" isn't Tourney play, at least to me.

 

[boltonguy]

Agree. IMHO cash = more skill. Tournament = more luck. On Thursday I played a tournament online. Made it past the first break and was 226 of 450 with over 2000 entering. I am in +1 with AA and UTG jams for 2300. I over jam for 6200 and get two callers. UTG shows Q3s, and immediately to my left +2 shows QsJs. I forget what BN had. It goes runner runner flush and QsJs wins. I had As. Just luck ...

 

[JustinInMN]

Agree. IMHO cash = more skill. Tournament = more luck. On Thursday I played a tournament online. Made it past the first break and was 226 of 450 with over 2000 entering. I am in +1 with AA and UTG jams for 2300. I over jam for 6200 and get two callers. UTG shows Q3s, and immediately to my left +2 shows QsJs. I forget what BN had. It goes runner runner flush and QsJs wins. I had As. Just luck ...

I mean those sorts of beats can happen in cash too.

But yes, tournaments among similarly skilled players often come down to who wins coin flips or who draws out on pair v pair confrontations. Because of this factor, and the nature of pay ladders, tournaments actually reward tight passive play. In cash, there are several possible ways to push value, gain edges, adjust to different opposition. In tournaments, those avenues are limited.

 

[pokercrypt]

Mind if I ask a question? Very much a newbie here but my group usually plays for example 0.5/1 (not US$) by halving chip vaIf the sb is 0.25 then what does 0.25/0.25 mean in this thread? Just that for bb you use 2x0.25?
I’m buying a set at the moment and was thinking to use 1/2 then half the value for real cash value. Or is it best to get 0.5 chips? And use 0.5/1

I’m not even sure if I made sense lol

 

[wolfpack]

.25/.25 refers to the blinds .25 small and big blind

 

[TheWhat]

In a nutshell there is no Small Blind, just 2 Big Blinds; position still plays though.

 

[LotsOfChips]

Mind if I ask a question? Very much a newbie here but my group usually plays for example 0.5/1 (not US$) by halving chip vaIf the sb is 0.25 then what does 0.25/0.25 mean in this thread? Just that for bb you use 2x0.25?
I’m buying a set at the moment and was thinking to use 1/2 then half the value for real cash value. Or is it best to get 0.5 chips? And use 0.5/1

I’m not even sure if I made sense lol

By the sounds of it you may be playing Limit, where the Small Bet is .50 and the Big Bet is 1. so the game is called .50/1. In those cases the blinds are normally Small Blind .25 Big Blind .50.

In NLHE the bets aren't mentioned in the description, only the blinds. so .25/.50 refers to the same blinds as your .50/1 Limit game. In order to keep the game smaller (lower buyins therefore presumably lower risk) some hosts spread .25/.25, rather than something like .10/20 or .15/.25 (keeps the smallest chip at .25)

 

[pokercrypt]

By the sounds of it you may be playing Limit, where the Small Bet is .50 and the Big Bet is 1. so the game is called .50/1. In those cases the blinds are normally Small Blind .25 Big Blind .50.

In NLHE the bets aren't mentioned in the description, only the blinds. so .25/.50 refers to the same blinds as your .50/1 Limit game. In order to keep the game smaller (lower buyins therefore presumably lower risk) some hosts spread .25/.25, rather than something like .10/20 or .15/.25 (keeps the smallest chip at .25)

We play sb0.5 bb1 with buy in's of 100 (in cash terms). So if it is .25/.25 means the sb&bb are the same? So when pre flop betting gets back to sb it could just be check rather than have to match up to bb?

 

[toynoob]

25/25 for $50 buy ins. Expect your players to surprise you later down the road. Tournaments will become a thing of the past and the cash game will slowly creep up in stakes as people get comfortable

 

[LotsOfChips]

We play sb0.5 bb1 with buy in's of 100 (in cash terms). So if it is .25/.25 means the sb&bb are the same? So when pre flop betting gets back to sb it could just be check rather than have to match up to bb?

Yes, if it is limped or folded around to the SB, then he could check if he chooses to.

 

[Justin Olson]

$.25/$.25 blinds.
I like min buy in and max buy ins (in this situation i would do min $25 max $50 or half the big stack)
I would allow unlimited rebuys/reloads. That is the best part of cash game.
I run a game that has hard stop @ midnight. We all work the following am. Make sure you hold solid because if you fall for the “one more orbit” that one or 2 players beg all the time it will become the norm.
I agree with everyone else that you can keep the $.50 away. Save them for when you play $.50/$$1

In my experience if you can give all your players 40+ chips to begin it will be more fun and they will play a hair looser.
16 x .$25’s
21 x $1’s
5 x $5’s
Seams like a lot of quarters but if you are permanently dealing you should be getting tips.....

Most important on cash game.
Only one banker. You keep the cash in a bank bag or lock box and only you get chips. Only you touch the chips that are exchanged for cash. Only you cash out a player.
Lots of other stuff you can do on cash games
Bomb Pots
7-2 game
Straddles