Eliminate fracs by playing 1/1, or use a small number of 50¢ chips if you must. A barrel of a given chip per player is enough, people can learn to make their $100 bets with $25s instead of $5s
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The Beginners Guide To Mapping Out A Cash Game Chip Set - 5c/10c to $5/$10 (6 Viewers)
- Thread starter Quad Johnson
- Start date
Eliminate fracs by playing 1/1, or use a small number of 50¢ chips if you must. A barrel of a given chip per player is enough, people can learn to make their $100 bets with $25s instead of $5s
euvi
Sitting Out
Hey all. Mapping out a 500 (open to a few extras, maybe up to 600) chip set for 5c/10c and wanted to run it by some of you guys to see if my logic is sound.
I got 5 roommates (total including myself) who would be down to run some $20 buy-ins, or maybe even $25 buy-in 25c/25c games. But also planning for 10 players, all $10 or even $5 buy-ins. Being college students I don't think the stakes will ever grow (for the bigger games) and most people will probably only rebuy once, if at all (max $20 each for 10 players, and $40 maybe $50 each for the 5 of us). I also don't like the idea of having more money on the table for bigger games. So here's the breakdown:
100x 5c ($5)
300x 25c ($75)
80x $1 ($80)
20x $5 ($100)
Total Bank = $260
I have a few reasons that led me to this breakdown, particularly the 300 quarters:
1) When playing 5-handed $20 buyin, starting stacks can be 20/60/4
Reasoning being I like playing with tons of chips. I feel rich. And mostly, being able to hand out whole barrels out of the rack will save time. Also, we can run 25c/25c games with admittedly fewer $1s than optimal, but it could work (open to the idea of getting more $1's for this reason, need to gauge interest first). Bank can support 2 buy-ins each of $20 and $25 too (barely).
2) When playing 10-handed $10 buy-in, starting stacks can be 10/30/2
This way, I can split barrels in half for easy counting, instead of the normal 10/18/5 or whatever. Yes my way is less efficient in the amount of chips but I'm okay with this tradeoff. And $5 buyin would be 10/18/x anyways, so going to be strongly encouraging my buddies to buy in for the proper 100bb's. Bank can support 2 buy-ins each of $10 and a third buy-in for some players too.
I'd like to know some people's thoughts on my breakdown. Open to any and all advice, including telling me to fuck off for posting when someone else had already said the exact same thing somewhere and I couldn't find it. In which case, my bad.
Thank you everyone in advance! Much love from a new chipper.
I got 5 roommates (total including myself) who would be down to run some $20 buy-ins, or maybe even $25 buy-in 25c/25c games. But also planning for 10 players, all $10 or even $5 buy-ins. Being college students I don't think the stakes will ever grow (for the bigger games) and most people will probably only rebuy once, if at all (max $20 each for 10 players, and $40 maybe $50 each for the 5 of us). I also don't like the idea of having more money on the table for bigger games. So here's the breakdown:
100x 5c ($5)
300x 25c ($75)
80x $1 ($80)
20x $5 ($100)
Total Bank = $260
I have a few reasons that led me to this breakdown, particularly the 300 quarters:
1) When playing 5-handed $20 buyin, starting stacks can be 20/60/4
Reasoning being I like playing with tons of chips. I feel rich. And mostly, being able to hand out whole barrels out of the rack will save time. Also, we can run 25c/25c games with admittedly fewer $1s than optimal, but it could work (open to the idea of getting more $1's for this reason, need to gauge interest first). Bank can support 2 buy-ins each of $20 and $25 too (barely).
2) When playing 10-handed $10 buy-in, starting stacks can be 10/30/2
This way, I can split barrels in half for easy counting, instead of the normal 10/18/5 or whatever. Yes my way is less efficient in the amount of chips but I'm okay with this tradeoff. And $5 buyin would be 10/18/x anyways, so going to be strongly encouraging my buddies to buy in for the proper 100bb's. Bank can support 2 buy-ins each of $10 and a third buy-in for some players too.
I'd like to know some people's thoughts on my breakdown. Open to any and all advice, including telling me to fuck off for posting when someone else had already said the exact same thing somewhere and I couldn't find it. In which case, my bad.
Thank you everyone in advance! Much love from a new chipper.
0.50 x40 (60 max)
$1 x100-160 (round to 2 whole racks including your frac)
$5 ×300
$25 x120
$100 ×40
That's under700 chips with over $8500 bank, if you think that's enough. You have to realize that 0.5/1 to 5/10 is a pretty big spread.
I would say no. The smallest set to semi-comfortably stretch from 50c/$1 to just 2/5 would be:
60 x 50c
200 x $1
300 x $5
100 x $25
40 x $100
= 700 chips with a $7000+ bank, which is really too small for most 2/5 games (only $700 in buy-ins per player, on average). Letting $100 bills play in a pinch would work.
But you really need a lot more $25s and $100s (and likely even a few $500s, if playing 5/10):
60 x 50c
200 x $1
300 x $5
200 x $25
100 x $100
40 x $500
= 900 chips with a bank of $36,500+, (that's $3650 in buy-ins per player, or about 3-1/2 $1000 buy-ins each at 5/10 stakes).
ScaryTerry94
Sitting Out
Thanks for this!General Rules To Mapping Out A Cash Set
1. Plan your chip set around 10 players per table. A full table is 10 players, you may only run 7-8 normally but I'm a big believer in being prepared. Someone might bring a friend and who wants to turn down action? I don't! The extra chips will also provide you cushion with your set.
2. Only have denominations that are 4-5x the value of the previous denomination. This one is very important. I know some of y'all have guys that like a bunch of different chips. I read one post in my forum searches where a guy runs $1/$2/$3 and $5 chips all in one game. This is such a waste of chips and only makes cash outs at the end of the night more of a headache. Follow the KISS mantra - Keep It Simple Stupid. You as the host are also the banker. Make your job easier and save money on chip sets by keeping the denominations simple. When I started my game, my 25c/50c game had denoms of 25c/50c/$1/$5/$10/$25/$50/$100... don't do this. Don't be that guy. It's a waste of chips and thus, a waste of money on your initial investment.
3. Plan the chip set around a starting stack of 200 big blinds. The max buy in of my 25c/50c game is $100. Not everyone does this, but some nights everyone does. Your game might not be at that point, but if you want your game to last, you'll need to be prepared to handle growth. Some players are more gamblers than others. Be prepared and have the chips at your disposal. Having the chips will only add more flexibility to your capabilities to host.
Mapping Out A Chip Set For 1 Table Of 10 Players
The following chip counts are meant to be a guide to efficiently map out a chip set, thus saving you money on your total chip purchase. I will cover each stake from 5c/10c to $5/$10. There is great debate over using a $20 or $25 chip. I've mapped this guide out to be as efficient as possible based on the stakes. Some use $20, others $25. You may like different stacks sizes too. Example, my guys like big stacks for my 25c/50c game. My mapping is $100 stacks of 12/17/16 of 25c/$1/$5 chips respectively.
This is meant to be a general guide to help get you started and thinking in the process you need to map out your chip set efficiently. These set guides are written with the considerations of: most places when you order chips require you to order in increments of 25 and I'm not using "odd" denominations that are hard to find, example: a $2.50 chip. They're useful, however a bit harder to track down. These will use the easier to find denominations.
Now, let's get started. These map outs will provide you with 10x starting playable stacks with enough in higher denomination chips to cover color ups, top offs and rebuys with a total bank averaging 3x 200 big blind buy ins per player at the table (600 big blinds total x 10 players). Sure, this might not happen all the time... but when it does, you'll be glad you have the chips.
My motto is always buy once, cry once.
5c/10c Mapping - $20 Max Buy In for 200 Big Blinds
Chip Denominations
5c/25c/$1/$5/$20
Max Buy In Starting Stacks
10x 5c (50c)
18x 25c ($4.50)
15x $1 ($15)
Chips Needed - 500 Total Chips
100x 5c ($5)
200x 25c ($50)
150x $1 ($150)
25x $5 ($125)
25x $20 ($500)
Total Bank: $830
10c/25c Mapping - $50 Max Buy In for 200 Big Blinds
Chip Denominations
5c/25c/$1/$5/$25
Max Buy In Starting Stacks
10x 5c (50c)
14x 25c ($3.50)
11x $1 ($11)
7x $5 ($35)
Chips Needed - 500 Total Chips
100x 5c ($5)
150x 25c ($37.50)
125x $1 ($125)
75x $5 ($375)
50x $25 ($1,250)
Total Bank: $1,792.50
25c/50c Mapping - $100 Max Buy In for 200 Big Blinds
Chip Denominations
25c/$1/$5/$25
Max Buy In Starting Stacks
8x 25c ($2)
18x $1 ($18)
16x $5 ($80)
Chips Needed - 600 Total Chips
100x 25c ($25)
250x $1 ($250)
175x $5 ($875)
75x $25 ($1,875)
Total Bank: $3,025
50c/$1 Mapping - $200 Max Buy In for 200 Big Blinds
Chip Denominations
25c/$1/$5/$25/$100
Max Buy In Starting Stacks
8x 25c ($2)
8x $1 ($8)
13x $5 ($65)
5x $25 ($125)
Chips Needed - 500 Total Chips
100x 25c ($25)
100x $1 ($100)
150x $5 ($150)
50x $25 ($1,250)
50x $100 ($5,000)
Total Bank: $6,525
$1/$2 Mapping - $400 Max Buy In for 200 Big Blinds
Chip Denominations
$1/$5/$25/$100
Max Buy In Starting Stacks
10x $1 ($10)
18X $5 ($90)
8x $25 ($200)
1x $100 ($100)
Chips Needed - 500 Total Chips
100x $1 ($100)
200x $5 ($1000)
100x $25 ($2,500)
100x $100 ($10,000)
Total Bank: $13,600
$2/$5 Mapping - $1,000 Max Buy In for 200 Big Blinds
Chip Denominations
$1/$5/$25/$100/$500
Max Buy In Starting Stacks
5x $1 ($5)
14x $5 ($70)
13x $25 ($325)
1x $100 ($100)
1x $500 ($500)
Chips Needed - 750 Total Chips
50x $1 ($50)
300x $5 ($1,500)
275x $25 ($6,875)
100x $100 ($10,000)
25x $500 ($12,500)
Total Bank: $30,925
$5/$10 Mapping - $2,000 Max Buy In for 200 Big Blinds
Chip Denominations
$5/$25/$100/$500
Max Buy In Starting Stacks
10x $5 ($50)
10x $25 ($250)
7x $100 ($700)
2x $500 ($1000)
Chips Needed - 375 Total Chips
100x $5 ($500)
100x $25 ($2,500)
75x $100 ($7,500)
100x $500 ($50,000)
Total Bank: $60,500
Well that's what I got. If you grow to 2 tables, simply x2 these chips sets and you're covered.
If anyone notices any typos, bad math on my part, etc. please post and I will make changes.
I've proof read this 4 times but I'm still only human.
Most everything you want to do here is totally counter to what most anyone on PCF would do. And you seem pretty set that this is what you want. So I'm not sure why I should waste the effort recommending something different. For 2+ years I played almost nothing but nickel / dime blinds NLHE. Starting stacks were 10 x 5c, 18 x 25c, 15 x $1 for a $20 buy-in. When that started to be too small to hold our interest, we tossed in 2 x $5 and made it $30. I would go absolutely crazy if there were ever more than 140-160 quarters on the table. That would be such a mess, IMO. But you do you, understanding that you might be the only guy on the planet playing this way.
I also don't understand what you mean by limiting rebuys. So you're saying if I get stacked a couple of times in the first hour for the tiny $10 buy-in/rebuy, you're going to stop me from a second or third rebuy? I understand you are college students, but really? Limiting your players to $20-30? You are going to tell your players they have to go home cuz they bought in too many times, and you're out of chips?
Honestly, if you want to play with a lot of chips, AND you want to limit wins, losses and buy-ins, you should play limit poker, not no limit. But you will need a rack of nickel chips per player, and a couple of racks of $1s for value chips. No quarters needed.
euvi
Sitting Out
Sorry if it seemed like I was dead set on things in my post. I'm not, which is why I wanted to ask around and I'm glad I did because it looks like I have a lot to reconsider.
I guess if everyone does 10/18/15, there must be a reason, right? I think I was trying to chase the feeling of having a bunch of workhorse chips like in 1/2 games at casinos where everyone has barrels and barrels of 5s. Not sure how to go about this for home games while still buying a reasonable amount of chips. Maybe these things just can't exist together, but this is something I really want to do for some reason. Might have to buy an unreasonable amount of chips. Seems to be what everyone here does anyways lol
And I definitely want to keep it NL for simplicity.
I should have clarified, but most of my friends are amateurs/recreational players and the main thing I want to do is have fun, not win money. I know a lot of people play with much higher stakes, but to me losing 30 or 40 bucks in one night is not very fun. I didn't want people to be able to buy in for a bunch of money and end up losing more than they were willing to lose. I know ultimately it's their own choice, but as a host I feel like I have some responsibility to set the tone for the games. I think my point still stands, but I will definitely upsize the bank (which should occur naturally from a more normal chip breakdown).
Thanks for your time and feedback! I appreciate it.
OP
OP
Quad Johnson
Two Pair
You're quoting a post from 6 years ago and I've posted in this thread that my current layout is totally different. I've also asked this thread to be deleted several times to no avail.
Not to nit pick.
I don’t normally look at the original date on posts unless there’s a reason to. It just came up in my feed of posts with recent activity.
Limit poker is the answer. Super simple chip structure, reduced financial downside, more fun upside.
I think keeping it is helpful, if for no other reason than to show that it’s ok to change our position on things as we learn more.
It also fostered a lot of healthy debate covering different playing considerations and perspectives, all of which helps expand our understanding and hopefully dial in a reasonable set size based on the relevant factors.
Then why are you even contemplating $2/5 and $5/10 stakes?
You should definitely take you time and think through the options. Just curious, are you looking at any specific chips yet? After all, this is more of a chippers who happen to play poker site than a straight up poker player site. The cost of the chips that you want might also influence the amount of chips you need to buy.
I don't know if everyone uses that breakdown. It's just what made sense to me. When I think about how I like to bet, let's say I have a great hand and I want to make a big raise to $3.50. Do I really want to count out a bunch of quarters to get there, or isn't it a lot easier to grab 3 $1s and 2 quarters? Even in a nickel game, I still think the $1 chip is as much of a workhorse as the 25c chip.
Agreed. I know I mentioned Limit, but my personal opinion is I'd rather watch grass grow and paint dry than play Limit Hold'em... b-o-r-i-n-g!
While I totally understand trying to help others to limit their losses, honestly, that needs to be each individual's responsibility, not yours. You've set up a game where the stakes are very low, and the buy-in is economical. That's really the end of what should be expected of you. The nature of no limit hold'em is that sometimes players want to "get it all in!" That is a big part of the excitement of the game, no matter what the stakes are. But even so, sometimes Aces get cracked and suckouts happen! You need to be set up for those occasional times when a player has a run of bad luck, but still wants to keep playing. Even 4 rebuys on top of an original $20 buy-in is still only $100. Lots of other entertainment options cost about that much, with no opportunity to also have a profitable evening. So let your players decide how much they are willing to lose by not limiting rebuys, and by having enough chips to cover those occasional nights that get a little wilder than normal.
Here is how I would spread the chips, given the way you have described your game.
5c x 100
25c x 200
$1 x 240
$5 x 60
600 chips and a total bank of $600.
I would also keep the buy-in/rebuy amount at $20, no matter how many players there are. I suspect if you try to play 10 players with only a $10 buy-in, that you may end up with a lot of early all ins. It's really more relaxing to play with deeper stacks, rather than shorter stacks. Short stacks seem to encourage some guys to play like maniacs.
Dodger
Flush
He's playing nickel / dime stakes. He never said anything about $2/5 or $5/10.
Le dinner tue la moitee de Paris; le souper tue l' autre.
Seriously? You like limit hold'em? Well, we are playing HORSE tonight and that is one of the games. Come join us!
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/2024-pcf-p-tourneys.116180/post-2459973
hahahahah. I’ll play limit HE any day, but do prefer a variety of other games, including HORSE (and Razz!). If I could make it over, I would!
euvi
Sitting Out
Currently my top choices for chips are China clay Pharaoh's or joining a group buy for Tina's. Still deciding on a set or if I want to pay up the extra to make a custom set. Definitely don't have Paulson or CPC money.
I think I agree with you; I think I like the more relaxing deep-stacked games. But I don't think 100bb is short-stacked either...
I think your perspective is a lot different than mine or my friends'. If I bought in 5 times in one night and lost a hundred bucks I think I'd have to go to therapy. But I think increasing to $20 buy-ins would make people play more reasonably, too. The issue is I'm not sure if everyone would be willing to do 20 bucks versus our standard 10, especially if we're playing pretty regularly (basically once a week). But, it would also prevent a bunch of rebuys. Rather buy in twice for $20 each than four times for $10.
I like how your breakdown sounds, but I also think it could move us towards bigger stakes and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Will think on this.
Thanks again for your insight!
Natskule
3 of a Kind
Sounds to me that you and your crew have a lot of tournament type play in your cash game. Does anybody buy more chips when they are at half of an opening stack? or do rebuys only happen when felted?
Just by the way you described your game I think tournament poker might be what you want to be playing. But then again I could be wrong. I've just seen a lot of folks play a cash game like it's a tournament, won't buy more chips until busted and often won't quit until busted. As someone else noted, if you want a bunch of chips on the table, then Limit is the way to go. Doesn't have to be Hold 'em, there is a whole world of poker that you can play. Lot's of things to try besides NL Hold 'em.
Hi all. I followed the whole thread and there's some great advice here, thanks for the valuable insight!
I want some advice for a 500 chip setup (number set by the size of a portable case). I am planning for games of 6-10 people using .10/.25 or .25/.50 blinds, with $30-$100 buy-In. In addition I want to use the same set with different groups of people with smaller buy-ins, so also want to support .05/.10 blinds.
This brings me to the following breakdown:
Additionally, I am wondering if it makes sense to switch out 5 chips (of $5?) for $100s for easily increased bank and options, with small drawback.
Please let me know what do you think.
I want some advice for a 500 chip setup (number set by the size of a portable case). I am planning for games of 6-10 people using .10/.25 or .25/.50 blinds, with $30-$100 buy-In. In addition I want to use the same set with different groups of people with smaller buy-ins, so also want to support .05/.10 blinds.
This brings me to the following breakdown:
- 100 x .05 (this will cover stacks of 10 for 10 people for .05/.10)
- 150 x .25 (workhorse for for .05/.10, so needs to be higher count than previous)
- 150 x 1 (workhorse for .10/.25 and .25/.50, needs the higher count)
- 80 x 5
- 20 x 25
Additionally, I am wondering if it makes sense to switch out 5 chips (of $5?) for $100s for easily increased bank and options, with small drawback.
Please let me know what do you think.
You don't have to limit yourself to 500 chips. If you don't want to use a heavy duty case like Nanuk or Apache, there are functional 650 chip light aluminum cases, and I would consider this based on your number of players (10) plus range of stakes (0.05/0.10 to 0 25/0.50).
100x $0.05
160x $0.25
200x $1
140× $5
40× $25
10× $100
Bank $2945. Even if you have 10 players buying in at $100 for your bigger game, there's enough for almost 2 rebuys each.
Colquhoun
4 of a Kind
Using 5c chips is fine in .05/.10 games, but I recommend playing .25/.25 instead of .10/.25.
Since the 5c are only on the table for the small blind, it gets more cumbersome…and .25/.25 plays almost identically to .10/.25.
Thanks for the input. I am really inclined to keep the count at 500 as I am buying these as a set.
Most games will likely have closer to 6 people than 10, so the higher count doesn't need to be as optimal. Buyins should also closer to $50 rather than $100.
I gess right now I am trying to balance wether the counts for $0.25/$1 should be 150/150 or 125/175, and wether the $5 and $25 ratios are good enough.
$100 chips will likely not bring anything to the table that I can't cover with $25s.
When you say "buying them as a set," do you mean that there's a fixed price for 500 chips and you get to pick the denominations?
If so, then I agree with @Colquhoun that you could play .25/.25. And with the smallest buyin of $30 you wouldn't need 5c chips at all. That gives you another 100 chips to distribute amongst your higher denoms. If you really need/want the nickels for smaller games then here's what I think:
For a $20-$50 buyin you can have stacks of 10/10/12/x.
For $100 you can go with -/12/12/7/2.
With these you can have up to 10 full stacks and you will only need 120 of the $1 chips. That gives you 30 chips to use elsewhere. Given your current bank only supports 10 buyins at $100 I would suggest adding 20x$5 and 10x$25. This raises your bank to $1400+.
So your breakdown would be:
100x $0.05
150x $0.25
120x $1
120× $5
30× $25
A few thoughts.
- You've mentioned the 500 chip limit and a specific case a couple of times. Does this mean you are providing the chips, but you are not hosting? You need the chips to be able to travel? If so, be careful as many of the standard 500 chip cases are cheaply made and the latches can pop open, leaving you with a big mess. It seems rather silly to design an entire set around a specific travel case, especially when other larger (and much better) cases are available.
- Even if you must travel with only 500 chips, you can still purchase more (600?) to cover the variety of games you want to spread. For example, just leave the 100 nickel chips at home for the games that play higher, and leave the highest values home for the nickel games. You will almost never need larger than a $5 chip for 0.05/0.10 games.
- I mentioned this earlier - this is a chipper site more than a poker player site. Which chips are you looking at? I say this because some of the "economy" chips sold by retailers require you to buy in multiples of 25. Since we are mostly chippers, a lot of those are chips "we" would not recommend. This might be a completely different conversation, but we might be able to help you get "better" chips, more of them, and still stay within your budget.
- Which brings up the next question. What is your budget?
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