Question about chip denominations for cash game. (2 Viewers)

[Kkoryu]

Hello everyone!! First post here, and I have a question. For .25/.25 cent blinds, I was wondering what the best way to split the chips would be for a 25 dollar buy in? I already have some chips so im asking advice on the best way to split the chips i currently have.

I have .25/100, 1/150, 5/150, 25/100.. Maybe have a max buy in of 40 too.. Thanks for the help fellow chip addicts!

Edit: sorry forgot to mention its for about 4-6 players.

 

[stocky]

Give the first 5 players 20x25¢ and 20x$1 give the 6th player 25x$1s they can make change with another player.

For $40 add 3x$5s and use the rest of the $5s for rebuys

 

[Kkoryu]

Give the first 5 players 20x25¢ and 20x$1 give the 6th player 25x$1s they can make change with another player.

For $40 add 3x$5s and use the rest of the $5s for rebuys

Cool thank you very much! Now lets say that were to increase to maybe 7-9 players, is that possible with the current amount of chips that I have?

 

[trever]

Cool thank you very much! Now lets say that were to increase to maybe 7-9 players, is that possible with the current amount of chips that I have?

Yes, it is "possible" but with 150 $1 chips spread out across 9 players, you're going to be making change constantly.

 

[Kkoryu]

For the future, how many additional ones or other denominations should I need for a more comfortable experience.

 

[justsomedude]

For the future, how many additional ones or other denominations should I need for a more comfortable experience.

I run a .25/.50 game so it's a bit different from your setup, but I have the following breakdown:

$0.25 x 140
$1.00 x 400
$5.00 x 60 (plaques are more fun)

That's a bank of $735 which is plenty for my 8-9 buyins at $40 and a bunch of rebuys. I also go heavy on the $1.00 chips because it's our workhorse, and we hate constantly making change.

 

[Mental Nomad]

While moar chips is always better, you are not doomed to always be making change. Your crew just needs to learn to play properly.

I've noticed that my new people are often making change, but my regs never are. Never. Well, almost never. Here's the deal:

When the bet is $3, and the person only has two singles, they need to learn to put up a $5 and just say "call." That's it. Let the $2 change hang. This is easy to learn.

By the time the $3 gets around, there will be lots of white in the pot... when everyone has called, the red chip comes in, two white chips come out. All done. The person who was "out of white chips" has magically done two things:
1. Called, despite being "out of white chips."
2. Gone from having two white chips to having four white chips.

And nobody stopped to "make change."

(If the $3 bet was raised, and it got back around to the person with the $5 up, and they fold, that's when the red goes in and the change comes out - but again, there's usually change in the pot.)

Sure, every now and then change will still have to be made - someone needs four white back, and there's not enough in the whole pot, etc., but those situations are pretty rare.

Also, if your regs get in the habit of using the red chips for bigger bets - instead of insisting on betting stacks of singles to look "intimidating," they won't run out of singles so quickly. Most of mine also try to bet off any chips they start to accumulate in excess stacks... for example, in my $1 game, we use a $.50 frac for small blinds, but I have a limited quantity. If someone manages to accumulate an excess of fracs (more that ten), they start betting a pair of fracs when posting a big blind, or when limping for a dollar, with the expectation that the fracs will occasionally move out to someone else who needs them... thus, avoiding people having to make change, later.

Some people, however, seem obsessed with either trying to accumulate all the fracs - followed by making a bet of $10 with a stack of 20 fracs... or seem obsessed with conserving their highest-denom chip, even when it's their exact bet size. (Seriously? Don't bet $25 by counting out all your singles and fracs, leaving you with exactly one green $25 chip and a frac. Whether you fold people out or get called, you've just wasted everyone's time...)

 

[CdnBeerLover]

For our 25c / 25c game, I have 150 x 25c, 150 x $1, and 200 x $5, and give each player 12 x 25c, 12 x $1, and the rest in $5 for the buy-in's. Works out fine.

 

[Kkoryu]

Thanks for all the awesome responses guys, I now have an idea on how to setup the denominations.

 

[mummel]

I run a .25/.50 game so it's a bit different from your setup, but I have the following breakdown:

$0.25 x 140
$1.00 x 400
$5.00 x 60 (plaques are more fun)

That's a bank of $735 which is plenty for my 8-9 buyins at $40 and a bunch of rebuys. I also go heavy on the $1.00 chips because it's our workhorse, and we hate constantly making change.

View attachment 40205

For a $25 buy-in, I was thinking about:

25c/25c blinds
20 X 25c
20 X $1
Rebuys are 5 X $5

Leaves only 3 denoms on the table and a nice stack of starting chips for looser play.

For a $50 buy-in, I was thinking about:

25c/50c blinds
20 X 25c
20 X $1
5 X $5
Rebuys are 10 X $5

Again, a nice stash of CHIPS on the table.

Total chips required for 10 players with 10 re-buys for a $50 game = 550.

 

[justsomedude]

For a $25 buy-in, I was thinking about:

25c/25c blinds
20 X 25c
20 X $1
Rebuys are 5 X $5

Leaves only 3 denoms on the table and a nice stack of starting chips for looser play.

For a $50 buy-in, I was thinking about:

25c/50c blinds
20 X 25c
20 X $1
5 X $5
Rebuys are 10 X $5

Again, a nice stash of CHIPS on the table.

Total chips required for 10 players with 10 re-buys for a $50 game = 550.

I'll let the other guys chime on in this, but I think that's heavy on the .25s and light on $1.00s. Having a lot of chips on the table is fun, I get it, but having more than 150 quarters in play can get down right silly. Especially as people start cashing out ... 150 quarters with 6 people is almost ridiculous. To put it in perspective, most guys have a hard limit of 100 quarters for a single table (see this post)... and that's for up to 10 players. The rest are dollars and fives. I do 120-150 quarters because I like things to get splashy, but even I'll admit that 150 quarters is "a bit much."

In my opinion: pull back on the quarters... cap it at 150... and go up on the dollars. Think of it in terms of a casino $1/$2 table - what does everyone have? Fives, with a few $1s. In a.25/.25 game, the dollar chip should have the largest stake in your chipset. I think you need at least 300x$1.00 in your set. But that's me. Otherwise, you're going to be making change after each pot.

 

[mummel]

I was thinking that in a 25/25 game, a standard 3 bet pre flop would be 75c, which is 3 quarters per player, and say 4 players call, that's like 12 quarters right there (and another 2 quarters for the blinds)

Post flop, a continuation bet would be 75c and another bunch of quarters are needed. I guess if people drop $1 then things change, but quarters seem to be dominant.

So a bunch of quarters are required no?

 

[justsomedude]

I was thinking that in a 25/25 game, a standard 3 bet pre flop would be 75c, which is 3 quarters per player, and say 4 players call, that's like 12 quarters right there (and another 2 quarters for the blinds)

Post flop, a continuation bet would be 75c and another bunch of quarters are needed. I guess if people drop $1 then things change, but quarters seem to be dominant.

So a bunch of quarters are required no?

You definitely know you're group better than I do. If .75 is the common three bet then quarters are the way to go. Sounds like you guys play pretty tight. My guys go a little crazy, and after a few beers guys are three betting on the .25/.50 table like it's $1/$2 at the Bellagio. SB .25 ... BB .50 ... three bet $7.00.

So if you know you're crew will always bet tight, the yes - your breakdown should work. But if you ever want to up your game to .25/.50, or your game gets aggressive with players buying in at $40 or $50 a seat... you'll find your chipset severely lacking in dollar chips.

Prepare for the best - plan for the worst.

 

[Mental Nomad]

I was thinking that in a 25/25 game, a standard 3 bet pre flop would be 75c, which is 3 quarters per player, and say 4 players call, that's like 12 quarters right there (and another 2 quarters for the blinds)

Just for your consideration...

If one guy bets three quarters, three players can call with $1 each. They each get a quarter back, and there are $3 in the pot.

It's somewhat easier on the first round of betting than any other.

You just don't really need that many quarters.

 

[mummel]

Just for your consideration...

If one guy bets three quarters, three players can call with $1 each. They each get a quarter back, and there are $3 in the pot.

It's somewhat easier on the first round of betting than any other.

You just don't really need that many quarters.

I used the search bar last night and found out about #quarterwars LMAO. Seems like there are a lot of different opinions.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Also, on buy-in... The person guaranteed to need quarters is the one doing a re-buy.

Consider holding back some small chips for re-buys to speed that up...

You might prep $20 stacks - 16 quarters and 16 $1. Anything over $20 gets $5 chips.

With six players and ten buy-ins, you'll still get all your small chips in play quickly.

I'd even consider doing 12 quarters and 17 singles as your $20 buy- ins.

 

[Mental Nomad]

I used the search bar last night and found out about #quarterwars LMAO.

Needs versus wants.

The ideal solution is always Moar Chips.

 

[mummel]

It's hard for me to see how players will bet $3 every hand when the buy-in is $25 (more than 10% of your starting stack?). They'd go bust in no time. Surely with a $25 game, the 25c will be the workhorse????

Now if it's a $50 game, then more $1s make sense to me. I can see how the ones will be moving around a lot more than the quarters.

So for a $25 buy-in game, with 8 players, with 4 re-buys, how many quarters?

 

[manamongkids]

It's hard for me to see how players will bet $3 every hand when the buy-in is $25 (more than 10% of your starting stack?). They'd go bust in no time. Surely with a $25 game, the 25c will be the workhorse????

Now if it's a $50 game, then more $1s make sense to me. I can see how the ones will be moving around a lot more than the quarters.

So for a $25 buy-in game, with 8 players, with 4 re-buys, how many quarters?

i would recommend 20 x $1s and 20 x 25c - 40 chips total per buyin.

rebuys can be done in $5s and $1s, - maybe 4 x $5 and 5 x $1

 

[mummel]

i would recommend 20 x $1s and 20 x 25c - 40 chips total per buyin.

rebuys can be done in $5s and $1s, - maybe 4 x $5 and 5 x $1

Thats exactly the breakdown I used for the $25 game.

And what about the $50 buy-in with 8 players and 4 rebuys? 20 X 25c + 20 X $1 + 5 X $5, with the rebuys 10 X $5? Or bring down the starting stack quarters?

 

[trever]

When the bet is $3, and the person only has two singles, they need to learn to put up a $5 and just say "call." That's it. Let the $2 change hang. This is easy to learn.

By the time the $3 gets around, there will be lots of white in the pot... when everyone has called, the red chip comes in, two white chips come out. All done. The person who was "out of white chips" has magically done two things:
1. Called, despite being "out of white chips."
2. Gone from having two white chips to having four white chips.

And nobody stopped to "make change."..)

Might be a semamantic thing, but if you put in a 5 and take back two 1s, you have just made change.

 

[mummel]

Might be a semamantic thing, but if you put in a 5 and take back two 1s, you have just made change.

Yeah but if you play in an informal setting with noobs that are 8 whiskeys deep and the stakes are micro, then making change is harder than you think haha!

Whats the right amount of quarters for a $50 buy in per player? Options are 20, 16, 12 or 8. Maybe I should poll this question.

 

[BGinGA]

It's hard for me to see how players will bet $3 every hand when the buy-in is $25 (more than 10% of your starting stack?). They'd go bust in no time. Surely with a $25 game, the 25c will be the workhorse????

Okay, consider 25c/50c blinds. Player raises to $2, two callers - about $6-7 in the pot. Any flop bets are going to be using $1 chips (or bigger), not quarters. Any flop or later bets are ALL going to be $3 or more. Even a non-raised pot with two limpers and the blinds will be $2, and likely see a $1 or $2 bet on the flop. The quarters will be used mostly for the blinds and limping in, but the dollar chips will be used for betting.

 

[mummel]

Okay, consider 25c/50c blinds. Player raises to $2, two callers - about $6-7 in the pot. Any flop bets are going to be using $1 chips (or bigger), not quarters. Any flop or later bets are ALL going to be $3 or more. Even a non-raised pot with two limpers and the blinds will be $2, and likely see a $1 or $2 bet on the flop. The quarters will be used mostly for the blinds and limping in, but the dollar chips will be used for betting.

I guess it's highly dependent on the players. But I fully agree. The minute a bet gets called without any fracs involved, the quarters wont be used in subsequent rounds of betting.

 

[justsomedude]

I guess it's highly dependent on the players. But I fully agree. The minute a bet gets called without any fracs involved, the quarters wont be used in subsequent rounds of betting.

I think we're just trying to warn you... noob players don't stay noobs for long. If you're hoping your .25/.25 game stays super tight for the next 6 months, you're probably deluding yourself. Even in a .25/.25 game, a guy with pocket aces is going to come out with $2.00 or $3.00. Aces vs. Kings or any other decent pocket pair could easily make a $30 pot pre-flop.

Furthermore, most pocket pairs will push $1.50 or more. AK, AQ, AJ, and A10 will draw solid bets as well. Then you have suited connectors, bluffs, some guy going crazy with 7-2 off suit, and all kinds of other stuff that can lead to raises and reraises.

Building a set that assumes all rounds of betting will end with a .75 three-bet seems un-realistic to me. Even assuming betting stops at .75, what if you have 5 callers? Now you have $3.75 in quarters in the pot pre-flop, with three more betting rounds to go. Trust me, your quarters will get old, real quick.

We're just warning you based on experience.

 

[mummel]

I think we're just trying to warn you... noob players don't stay noobs for long. If you're hoping your .25/.25 game stays super tight for the next 6 months, you're probably deluding yourself. Even in a .25/.25 game, a guy with pocket aces is going to come out with $2.00 or $3.00. Most pocket pairs will push $1.50 or more. AK, AQ, AJ, and A10 will draw solid bets as well. Then you have suited connectors, bluffs, some guy going crazy with 7-2 off suit, and all kinds of other stuff that can lead to raises and reraises.

Building a set that assumes all rounds of betting will end with a .75 three-bet seems un-realistic to me.

We're just warning you based on experience.

I appreciate it. I just want to make sure I have enough chips of each denom to cover all these scenarios.

This set:

200 X 25c
200 X $1
150 X $5

Can still cover a 9 player game at 12 X 25c + 22 X $1. The poll seems be heading in the 12 quarters direction.

 

[justsomedude]

This set:

200 X 25c
200 X $1
150 X $5

Can still cover a 9 player game at 12 X 25c + 22 X $1. The poll seems be heading in the 12 quarters direction.

Don't forget post #2 - good advice there. 12 quarters is a pain. Work with barrels.

Give the first 5 players 20x25¢ and 20x$1 give the 6th player 25x$1s they can make change with another player.

If you want to work with more quarters on a 9 handed table, give 20x25¢ and 20x$1 to the first 7 guys, and 25x$1s to 8 and 9. That's 140 quarters and 190 dollars in play. Very splashy.

Boom. Done and done. Your rebuys will be with $5s.

And you avoid counting out chips.

 

[Mental Nomad]

Might be a semamantic thing, but if you put in a 5 and take back two 1s, you have just made change.

Yes, but you didn't stop to make change. It's the stopping that's a problem for the game.

 

[Mental Nomad]

It's hard for me to see how players will bet $3 every hand when the buy-in is $25 (more than 10% of your starting stack?). They'd go bust in no time. Surely with a $25 game, the 25c will be the workhorse????

@BGinGA answered this perfectly. In a 25 cent game, the workhorse is the dollar.

I'll just add that the example I gave also works for a 75 cent bet, but better.... One person bets 75 cents, and FIVE people can call with a dollar (because of the .25/.25 blinds.) Or, if just one person limps with a quarter, then one player can limp with a dollar.

Also - the number of people agreeing with my prior example by "liking" it speaks to what many of us feel after having been in the game for a bit.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Great thing about this forum - there is a TON of experience here. You don't have to be "thinking about" how to build a set. There are many here with many different sized games, and differing levels of looseness. Find the poster that has a game similar to yours (size-wise) and listen to their advice.

Keep in mind, today's game won't be the same as the game in 2 years. Players learn. They get better. A 2.5-3x raise may be typical in tournament play, but cash games rarely see anything less than 3x. In .25 /.50 games, dollar chips or larger will be used in nearly every bet (unless the quarters are awesome, like @Ben 's chips - in which case I'm prone to $1.75 or $2.25 raises just to get them into the pot).