Cash Game Limit Chip Breakdown Advice (3 Viewers)

[Rhodeman77]

All the limit sets in the other thread have got me wanting to get a large pink chip set of the Boardwalk set.

My question is which chip do you recommend as the big chip?

The obvious answer seems to be $25 chip and give 10 of them when a player wants a full rack. Is there a way to use $100 chips that makes sense?

Also when people are rebuying they will be doing so with $20's or $100's so I would likely need to keep a bunch of $10 bills to give change.

 

[jbutler]

All the limit sets in the other thread have got me wanting to get a large pink chip set of the Boardwalk set.

My question is which chip do you recommend as the big chip?

The obvious answer seems to be $25 chip and give 10 of them when a player wants a full rack. Is there a way to use $100 chips that makes sense?

Also when people are rebuying they will be doing so with $20's or $100's so I would likely need to keep a bunch of $10 bills to give change.

I'd get $2.50s and $25s and just keep a rack of $2.50s aside to pad buy-ins of players who buy in for weird amounts like $140, $160, etc.

 

[bergs]

I'd get $2.50s and $25s and just keep a rack of $2.50s aside to pad buy-ins of players who buy in for weird amounts like $140, $160, etc.

This is exactly what I'm doing. Don't forget $1s for change, tips, and antes in the unfortunate event that you end up forced at knifepoint into playing a hopefully mercifully brief round of stud.

 

[jbutler]

This is exactly what I'm doing. Don't forget $1s for change, tips, and antes in the unfortunate event that you end up forced at knifepoint into playing a hopefully mercifully brief round of stud.

Oh yeah good point.

$1s are also good in case you want to allow the option of players calling a $1/1 big bet game during the mix.

 

[Rhodeman77]

This is exactly what I'm doing. Don't forget $1s for change, tips, and antes in the unfortunate event that you end up forced at knifepoint into playing a hopefully mercifully brief round of stud.

Screw that!!!! We're not 70, flop only games.

Thanks for the advice guys. I am thinking oversized $25 chips too. Anyone else planning on that as well?

This set will be strictly for limit games. If I run a 10 game or dealers choice that is a mix of limit and PL/NL then I will use my PCA's for that.

 

[Adam Crowley]

Screw that!!!! We're not 70, flop only games.

Thanks for the advice guys. I am thinking oversized $25 chips too. Anyone else planning on that as well?

This set will be strictly for limit games. If I run a 10 game or dealers choice that is a mix of limit and PL/NL then I will use my PCA's for that.

2-7 isn't a flop game, and imo one of the best limit games around.

 

[ohio3302016]

2-7 isn't a flop game, and imo one of the best limit games around.

There are a lot of great limit games that aren't flop games. I'd get bored out of mind just playing flop games.

 

[churlbut18]

@DaneWoj

 

[Eloe2000]

Hey so can someone help me figure this out. I started playing poker in Atlantic City in the late 90s at the Taj and the Trop right before NLHE entered the scene. But a couple years later when NLHE showed up I never played again. I could have sworn I mainly played the cheapest two games which I thought were 1/2 and 2/4. I think I remember when I bought in for the cheapest game I was buying in for $100 playing 1/2 where the pre-flop and flop bets were 2, 4, 6 and the turn and river bets were 4, 8, 12. Am I misremembering and I was playing 2/4? Does the 1/2 refer to the blinds or the betting increments? I was fairly sure I played 1/2 but I am almost positive we didn’t play with .50 blind chips. Maybe I am just conflating the base NLHE stakes with the base Limit stakes.

I am thinking about putting a limit set together and trying to figure out if I should just do ND chips until I determine best stakes. Also just trying to remember the basic blind and betting structure. I can’t believe I forgot this. If we generally play cash .25/.25 $40 and on average everyone is good for at least one rebuy but some people rebuy 3 times, what we would be good stakes to play for limit? I remember there being much less variance in win/loss.

Finally, it would seem to me to make sense that the big and small blind be equal to reduce the necessity of chips. But it seems people prefer throwing in two chips minimum for opening bets?

 

[JustinInMN]

Am I misremembering and I was playing 2/4? Does the 1/2 refer to the blinds or the betting increments?

I have been playing limit since around 2003 and limit games are generally named for their limits, not the blinds. It does sound to me like you were playing 2/4 limit with 1-2 blinds. (Edit: though I suppose it's possible your room was naming the game by their blinds, but that would be unusual.)

Since in "no limit" there is, well, no limit, one cannot name that game for limits and those games instead are named for their blinds and/or their buy in.

 

[Eloe2000]

I have been playing limit since around 2003 and limit games are generally named for their limits, not the blinds. It does sound to me like you were playing 2/4 limit with 1-2 blinds. (Edit: though I suppose it's possible your room was naming the game by their blinds, but that would be unusual.)

Since in "no limit" there is, well, no limit, one cannot name that game for limits and those games instead are named for their blinds and/or their buy in.

Thanks! What is a typical but-in for 2/4 Limit?

 

[JustinInMN]

100 is pretty typical for 2/4, but I have seen players go as low as 40. Seldom have I seen any players go more than 100 for 2/4 to start.

 

[Eloe2000]

100 is pretty typical for 2/4, but I have seen players go as low as 40. Seldom have I seen any players go more than 100 for 2/4 to start.

Thanks. Then if I wanted to do a low beer stakes limit game at home as 1/2 then a $40-$50 buy-in would make sense? And in this scenario people would recommend .50/1 blinds and having the workhorse chip as a .50? It would seem to me to be more efficient to make the blinds 1/1 with a $1 workhorse in this scenario. But this isn’t done for some reason?

 

[SteveEH]

Thanks. Then if I wanted to do a low beer stakes limit game at home as 1/2 then a $40-$50 buy-in would make sense? And in this scenario people would recommend .50/1 blinds and having the workhorse chip as a .50? It would seem to me to be more efficient to make the blinds 1/1 with a $1 workhorse in this scenario. But this isn’t done for some reason?

I've done a lot of research on limit stakes. My game plays at about half the stakes of yours (guys want to gamble $40-50/night). Here's a thread you may want to look at:

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/limit-hold-em-blinds-per-hour.79200/

 

[Highli99]

Thanks. Then if I wanted to do a low beer stakes limit game at home as 1/2 then a $40-$50 buy-in would make sense? And in this scenario people would recommend .50/1 blinds and having the workhorse chip as a .50? It would seem to me to be more efficient to make the blinds 1/1 with a $1 workhorse in this scenario. But this isn’t done for some reason?

$1/1 is exactly how I would set it up. So much easier.

 

[JustinInMN]

If you are playing 1/2 limit, I would recommend against singles. The problem with one and two chip structures is single chip bets don't "stack" and it's very easy to cause confusion by dripping the accidental extra chip. 3- and 6-chip and 4- and 8-chip structures are preferred for a reason. 2- and 4- chips structure also works okay. 1- and 2- chip has some pitfalls, but can be worked out.

But I would suggest playing 1/2 with either quarters or halves is better

 

[Nanook]

I have stated my opinion elsewhere here. I am not at all a fan of 1 or 2 chip structure. If you are looking for a small friendly game either 25c or 50c chips are going to be the best. I prefer buying a few more chips and going with a 3 or 4 chip structure. I guess it depends a little what your budget is, but if you can afford a few more chips I would go with 25c chips for your working chip and make the game a 75c/1.50 game. Make your blinds 50c & 75c. People can buy in for a rack or two & you will have a really fun game with lots of action and no one gets hurt too much

 

[Eloe2000]

The problem with one and two chip structures is single chip bets don't "stack" and it's very easy to cause confusion by dripping the accidental extra chip. 3- and 6-chip and 4- and 8-chip structures are preferred for a reason. 2- and 4- chips structure also works okay. 1- and 2- chip has some pitfalls, but can be worked out.

Thanks!

 

[Eloe2000]

I have stated my opinion elsewhere here. I am not at all a fan of 1 or 2 chip structure. If you are looking for a small friendly game either 25c or 50c chips are going to be the best. I prefer buying a few more chips and going with a 3 or 4 chip structure. I guess it depends a little what your budget is, but if you can afford a few more chips I would go with 25c chips for your working chip and make the game a 75c/1.50 game. Make your blinds 50c & 75c. People can buy in for a rack or two & you will have a really fun game with lots of action and no one gets hurt too much

Serious question though. What is the benefit of having 3x chips min per bet? It’s just more fun? I will probably just go with a 1000 chip set and if my crew like limit then I can double down. But getting a 2000+ chip set just to see if my crew like limit seems excessive.

 

[warma]

But getting a 2000+ chip set just to see if my crew like limit seems excessive.

Tina.

 

[Josh Kifer]

But getting a 2000+ chip set just to see if my crew like limit seems excessive.

Bro? Bro? Do you even degen?

 

[Nanook]

Serious question though. What is the benefit of having 3x chips min per bet? It’s just more fun? I will probably just go with a 1000 chip set and if my crew like limit then I can double down. But getting a 2000+ chip set just to see if my crew like limit seems excessive.

The logical analytical answer is that there no difference. In reality though everyone loves big pots and lots of action. More chips (3 or 4 chip structure) = bigger pots and more action = better game = more fun for everyone

Nuff said....

 

[Eloe2000]

Tina.

Yeah it will be a cards mold set. 2k still seems overboard for a set I may just use once and may not have resale interest.

 

[warma]

Yeah it will be a cards mold set. 2k still seems overboard for a set I may just use once and may not have resale interest.

Grab a common design, someone else will be limit curious.

 

[Eloe2000]

Grab a common design, someone else will be limit curious.

Maybe. But I really like designing things And I feel like limit may be a good option for “couple nights poker” with some friends of ours.

 

[CrazyEddie]

You can play limit using your current chips. If it turns out you and your players like limit, you might then be motivated to buy a limit-specific set.

A 3-chip/6-chip game using quarters (75c/$1.50) works just fine with quarters and dollars. You don't need a rack of quarters for every player. Buy-ins might be 20-50 big bets, so $30 to $75 per player. A barrel of quarters and a barrel of dollars gets you to $25, and then make up the rest with fives as the value chip. You'll make some change while you play, but it's not complicated or time-consuming, and this saves you from investing in 1000 chips just to try out a new playstyle.

You can do a 3-chip/6-chip game using ones and fives, too.

You can even play a 1/2 game using (gasp) singles. The players are either going to enjoy limit or hate limit, and that won't be affected by whether they're tossing two chips or six chips in on the river. If they like it, buy more chips and go hog-wild.

 

[Eloe2000]

You can play limit using your current chips. If it turns out you and your players like limit, you might then be motivated to buy a limit-specific set.

A 3-chip/6-chip game using quarters (75c/$1.50) works just fine with quarters and dollars. You don't need a rack of quarters for every player. Buy-ins might be 20-50 big bets, so $30 to $75 per player. A barrel of quarters and a barrel of dollars gets you to $25, and then make up the rest with fives as the value chip. You'll make some change while you play, but it's not complicated or time-consuming, and this saves you from investing in 1000 chips just to try out a new playstyle.

You can do a 3-chip/6-chip game using ones and fives, too.

You can even play a 1/2 game using (gasp) singles. The players are either going to enjoy limit or hate limit, and that won't be affected by whether they're tossing two chips or six chips in on the river. If they like it, buy more chips and go hog-wild.

I have tried to play a couple hands of limit but we need to make it a full night. That’s a fair point though that I could literally just make every chip the same value from some set I have.

But I still think I want a compact limit set in case the situation arises. I have my standing weekly game with long time poker player regs. But there are three different other groups I was considering getting together for poker and limit may be an option with those newbies.

 

[SteveEH]

My set was designed for micro NL so for my .50/$1 limit game players start with $40 - 2 barrels of quarters and 30 $1s. It works fine but everyone starting with a barrel of Quarters would be nice

If it becomes a regular game (fingers crossed) I'll prolly get another set or expand the existing...

 

[CrazyEddie]

I said in another thread a while ago too that as much as we are obsessed with chips and having huge stacks for limit games, the important thing to remember is that these games were played for decades with garbage interlocking chips with horrible breakdowns and denominations. So it can be done with pretty much anything you have. If you need two denominations, use pennies and nickels.

My above description is my attempt to find a balance between what is best (a rack a man, obv) and what is actually necessary for the game to run smoothly.

Quoted
For
Truth

 

[PocketAces]

Never play limit, but have started to put a set together so I guess I’ll play limit now lol. Found this thread to be very useful - tx @bergs