Playing 'Bank' - Tips & What I've Already Learned... The Hard Way (2 Viewers)

[benjaminbreakfast]

Old school cash. Fast. Easy. Secure. Chips for cash. Cash for chips.
Cash is fun. Just like the chips themselves.

 

[puglia82]

I really want someone to build/offer this so my dealer has a bigger bank for the table.

This is a table game at the pools at Wynn.

View attachment 1203356

I have seen a similar tray in use at Casino di Lugano, in Switzerland.
Tablet games use two series of Chips, in Euro and Swiss francs, so more space it's helpful.
I remember my surprise when pit boss came to check the float at black jack table: the dealer pushed up the upper tray and discovered a treasure in plaques and high denomination chips (smaller chips up to 100 euro \ francs were in upper tray)

 

[Poker Zombie]

Surprised you do breaks during cash games. Can easily kill a game too…people decide to leave etc

First break gives later arrivals a chance to eat. The only reason anybody ever left here was because they knew they were leaving early, but wanted to maintain their attendance streak.

Second break the bulk of food gets put away. Nobody has ever left here.

Third break, a couple or two may leave, and table changes are more likely to occur. The game has never broken up though.

Fourth break is 1/2 hour past my bedtime. I'll go an extra hour, but I am just happy if you just went home.

Fifth break go home. Party started at 5:30, wrapped up after 1 am.

I might actually argue that the breaks could make the game run longer. I played in a typical game, where once one person gets up, everybody checks their watch. If it's close to the time you turn into a pumpkin, you'll pack it up too. Why distract the host for a cashout in another 5 minutes, or 15 minutes - just go. Breaks encourage the leaving to happen now or an hour later. It also removes the feeling that you get when someone scoops a big hand and then cashes out. They didn't time their win with the break, it just happened that way. You get more "swings for the fences" when the clock is about to run out, as opposed to waiting until some random time to break up the game.

The only "reasonable" argument I have ever heard opposed to cash game breaks is "What if I'm on a heater? It will break my lucky streak". Of course, that is only as reasonable as any delusion of luck being influenced by actions. Variance doesn't care if you wore a red shirt, if anyone said "good luck all-in", if 7's are hot tonight, or if you paused for 12 minutes. If someone believes that any of those factors play an actual part in how the cards fall, you are beyond my ability to use logic or reason to convince you otherwise.

 

[ngmcs8203]

Micro buy ins and rebuys are nearly impossible to keep track of while you are hosting (and drinking), even if you are writing it down. Even if u get the bank right, u need to deal with rebuys every other hand. So annoying as a host. The bag system cures all of that!

At the beginning of the night give every player a bag of chips with a pre- determined amount but enough for multiple rebuys - in your case say $250 (or whatever amount you want). Either collect cash or write it down. Let everyone do their own banking over the course of the night. If a player blows through the bag give them a rebuy in the same amount as the initial bag. The amount of rebuys over the course of the night goes way way down. At the end of the night each player tells you how much they are up or down. Everyone puts their chips in the bag. Add up the ups and downs to make sure the bank is right. if the bank doesn’t add up you can check each persons bag to find the error. This system is so much more accurate accounting wise and enjoyable for the host (not dealing with rebuys all night). Trust me, it works and works well.

Additionally, as a back stop, the initial bag should contain all the lower denominations necessary for the night. If someone does rebuy, introduce a new higher denomination chip. That way you can keep track of the rebuys based upon how many hi denomination chips are in circulation.

so do you ask everyone before they arrive the max number of rebuys they are comfortable with or do you just put in 5x buyins into the bag and they pay you $250 for the bag?

 

[Nine_high]

Surprised you do breaks during cash games. Can easily kill a game too…people decide to leave etc

My take on breaks in cash games is, people pretty much just break on their own. We'll generally deal you in and fold you if you're not back, or if we know you just had to go take a leak or we see you at the roller we'll wait for you on your action. We'll post your blinds too. If the blinds get back to you a second time then we stop dealing you in til you return.

If a bunch of people all jump up at once I might call a table break. This might happen once per game or not at all. If it's late and short handed and more than one smoker we kind of get on the smoking schedule and discuss if we keep going or call it each time

 

[Poker Zombie]

My take on breaks in cash games is, people pretty much just break on their own. We'll generally deal you in and fold you if you're not back, or if we know you just had to go take a leak or we see you at the roller we'll wait for you on your action. We'll post your blinds too. If the blinds get back to you a second time then we stop dealing you in til you return.

If a bunch of people all jump up at once I might call a table break. This might happen once per game or not at all. If it's late and short handed and more than one smoker we kind of get on the smoking schedule and discuss if we keep going or call it each time

The "break at your own free will" is obviously the standard. I have no issue with it. However, ours is a multi-table event where everyone wants to talk to everyone. Breaks help maintain that social structure. Also, as previously mentioned, it is near fucking impossible to return to your seat with a drink if you need to ask 6 people to stand up so they can get by.

As a side note, one of our players plays in a lot of cash games. He has told us that nobody schedules breaks in a cash game, but that they would after seeing how well they work.

I don't advocate anyone else to do so. I'm just putting forth the idea. There is no down-side, unless those few minutes of talking to your friend from another table is the worst part of your day.

 

[Nine_high]

The "break at your own free will" is obviously the standard. I have no issue with it. However, ours is a multi-table event where everyone wants to talk to everyone. Breaks help maintain that social structure. Also, as previously mentioned, it is near fucking impossible to return to your seat with a drink if you need to ask 6 people to stand up so they can get by.

As a side note, one of our players plays in a lot of cash games. He has told us that nobody schedules breaks in a cash game, but that they would after seeing how well they work.

I don't advocate anyone else to do so. I'm just putting forth the idea. There is no down-side, unless those few minutes of talking to your friend from another table is the worst part of your day.

I actually wouldn't be opposed to scheduled breaks in a cash game. I'm probably not going to do it because I don't want to mess with timers or clocks...but if another host did it I'd be fine with it. And if a bunch of my players requested it I'd probably go ahead and do it

And for sure environmental factors like tight seating, or long walk to the bathroom/smoke pit etc can make it better to do it than not.

 

[FestiveKnight]

Hosted a 5¢/5¢ last night that ended up with about $300 on the table by the end of the night. Because I knew everyone playing and didn’t want to mess around with piles of $1 and $5 bills so I just had everyone play on credit and reconciled with Venmo at the end. I didn’t want a bunch of little venoms either so I just kept a ledger of buyins. I trusted everyone to be buying in at amounts they could afford.

 

[maloviz]

Hosted a 5¢/5¢ last night that ended up with about $300 on the table by the end of the night. Because I knew everyone playing and didn’t want to mess around with piles of $1 and $5 bills so I just had everyone play on credit and reconciled with Venmo at the end. I didn’t want a bunch of little venoms either so I just kept a ledger of buyins. I trusted everyone to be buying in at amounts they could afford.

$300 on the table for 5c/5c is insane. Must have been a fun game. I'm guessing people were not treating it like 5c/5c at all lol

 

[allforcharity]

$300 on the table for 5c/5c is insane

Not for PLO, though. We easily had $700-800 on the table for 0.05/0.10 PLO.

 

[FestiveKnight]

$300 on the table for 5c/5c is insane. Must have been a fun game. I'm guessing people were not treating it like 5c/5c at all lol

It was absolutely nuts and very stupid. Nothing resembling any known poker strategy and very very splashy. Next game will be 25¢/25¢ for sure

 

[ngmcs8203]

It was absolutely nuts and very stupid. Nothing resembling any known poker strategy and very very splashy. Next game will be 25¢/25¢ for sure

Super wild and splashy, the solution? INCREASE THE STAKES!

 

[grebe]

so do you ask everyone before they arrive the max number of rebuys they are comfortable with or do you just put in 5x buyins into the bag and they pay you $250 for the bag?

I saw your post and I'll answer for @Goldfish because I think his system is awesome and I would adopt in a second if I ever did a cashless game.

Everybody gets a bag at the beginning of the night with a set amount in it to cover most of what people would go thru during the night. Let's say 500. Everybody owes that, nobody pays up front. Only transactions are at the end during cash outs. I've transaction per player either paying or getting paid. Only big chips are used for extra rebuys outside the bag. Easy to track.

example: 9 players with $500 bags is 4500 total bank. 3 $500 chips in play for additional rebuys is $6k.

simple and brilliant

 

[grandmeme]

The bag system is awesome. Adopted it a couple months ago after seeing a post from @Goldfish and makes life easy. I throw 2k in the bag and boom, everyone's happy!

 

[ngmcs8203]

I saw your post and I'll answer for @Goldfish because I think his system is awesome and I would adopt in a second if I ever did a cashless game.

Everybody gets a bag at the beginning of the night with a set amount in it to cover most of what people would go thru during the night. Let's say 500. Everybody owes that, nobody pays up front. Only transactions are at the end during cash outs. I've transaction per player either paying or getting paid. Only big chips are used for extra rebuys outside the bag. Easy to track.

example: 9 players with $500 bags is 4500 total bank. 3 $500 chips in play for additional rebuys is $6k.

simple and brilliant

Thanks. I like that and it works if your group is trustworthy. I couldn’t see doing that with a new guy to the game, even if he is vouched for. I think I’ll try it with my next game though since my group I trust well.

 

[exodus]

We have a friend who runs his own business that deals with a lot of cash. We use him as our personal ATM and then exchange cash for chips. It works out well.