What are your buy in rules for a cash game? (4 Viewers)

[4SUMERZ]

Typically, 100BB should be the rule of thumb as the minimum in a cash game.
There are no set rule for buy in, or how much can be topped up or rebuys, that should be up to the host, or at least a concensus with what the players are comfortable with.
That will depend on how big your $$ game wants to be.
At our friendly cash game, we all buy in for $25, 100 BB at .25/.25 blinds.
You can rebuy a stack ($25) when down to $5.00, or buy top up in $5.00 increments up to $25 max.
It works for us, but not everyone's cup of tea as I have found out on this site.
That is fine with me.

 

[louBdub]

We play NL $1/2, including circus games. Buy-in for whatever you like, no max. Some buy in for $200 others up to $500. Re-buys for what ever you like. Works for us.

This is how my cash games are now, except I stipulate a minimum buy in for the games so people don’t just $20 shove, $20 shove, $20 shove…….

Other than that, buy up to my chip capacity if you’d like.

 

[jcooper911]

200bb max BI, almost everbody buys in for that.

200bb top offs allowed if below 60bb, maximum rebuy is 200bb, not matter time in evening to protect big stacks a little (its a friendly game mostly)

50c/50c.

 

[upNdown]

This is how my cash games are now, except I stipulate a minimum buy in for the games so people don’t just $20 shove, $20 shove, $20 shove…….

Other than that, buy up to my chip capacity if you’d like.

The only problem I have with the buy short and shove maneuver is if it’s late and everybody’s been drinking, because then somebody has to manage a side pot.

There’s a guy in my game who never tops off, so often times he’ll get down to like 25bb and you always have to be wary that it’s coming in. It’s kind of a cool variable to have to consider.

 

[louBdub]

The only problem I have with the buy short and shove maneuver is if it’s late and everybody’s been drinking because somebody has to manage a side pot.
There’s a guy in my game who never tops off, so often times he’ll get down to like 25bb and you always have to be wary that it’s coming in. It’s kind of a cool variable to have to consider.

It kinda ruins the game, makes it a fold fest and then bam he’s got 4 callers because everyone caught face cards.

I just remove the lotto poker side of it by making a minimum price to ride the ride, Namsayin?

 

[TheOffalo]

.25/.50 mixed games, default buy-in is $50. People usually reload for $50, but we're not strict about it.

 

[MrRossKeys]

This is how my cash games are now, except I stipulate a minimum buy in for the games so people don’t just $20 shove, $20 shove, $20 shove…….

Other than that, buy up to my chip capacity if you’d like.

This! This is what I was referring to in my post! And it was $20 here also. Everyone else buys $100, he buys $20, shoves, rebuy, repeat lol

 

[louBdub]

This! This is what I was referring to in my post! And it was $20 here also. Everyone else buys $100, he buys $20, shoves, rebuy, repeat lol

Yeah when stakes and buy ins are super low, it gets dumb. I wanna play poker, have skin in the game, mitigate risk and battle when I can.

Not just play Russian roulette preflop ship it poker for hours.

 

[Highli99]

For my .25/.50 game we do $100 max initially then up to half the big stack. The way my game plays people are just waiting for a big stack to add on another hundred. One exception is if @Chippy McChiperson is stuck he gets to add on whatever he wants.

Players are allowed to short buy but they can expect to hear a raft of crap from @Chippy McChiperson especially if they are nitty.

Big winner and loser is usually about $1k. I’ve been both. Average win loss is about $250.

 

[ChipFinderSK]

Players are allowed to short buy but they can expect to hear a raft of crap from @Chippy McChiperson especially if they are nitty.

You forgot “players can expect to have their manhood questioned if they’re not prepared to put on the quadruple straddle”

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

For my .25/.50 game we do $100 max initially then up to half the big stack. The way my game plays people are just waiting for a big stack to add on another hundred. One exception is if @Chippy McChiperson is stuck he gets to add on whatever he wants.

Players are allowed to short buy but they can expect to hear a raft of crap from @Chippy McChiperson especially if they are nitty.

Big winner and loser is usually about $1k. I’ve been both. Average win loss is about $250.

Wait I can?

 

[allforcharity]

100BB-200BB initial, max 400BB reload

 

[MrCatPants]

For my .25/.50 game we do $100 max initially then up to half the big stack. The way my game plays people are just waiting for a big stack to add on another hundred. One exception is if @Chippy McChiperson is stuck he gets to add on whatever he wants.

Players are allowed to short buy but they can expect to hear a raft of crap from @Chippy McChiperson especially if they are nitty.

Big winner and loser is usually about $1k. I’ve been both. Average win loss is about $250.

that's an action .25/.50 game. My .50/.50 game is like average action and big winner is usually like +300-400.

 

[mconn116]

.10/.25 nlhe/crazy pineapple/PLO (trying to add stud games next go around). Min buy $20, Max $50. If you get below $5 you can top up and can rebuy up the max. Next game think I may try .25/.25 blinds though probably still same buy ins

 

[4SUMERZ]

I would think to make it an even playing field from the get go, would be for everyone to have the exact same initial buy in, as accepted by the group based on at least minimum of 100 BB.
This way, no one has the appearance or ability to being a chip bully to lower initial buy ins.

 

[louBdub]

I would think to make it an even playing field from the get go, would be for everyone to have the exact same initial buy in, as accepted by the group based on at least minimum of 100 BB.
This way, no one has the appearance or ability to being a chip bully to lower initial buy ins.

There is no such thing as a big stack / bully at a cash table.

 

[4SUMERZ]

There is no such thing as a big stack / bully at a cash table.

I respect your opposite opinion from mine. I'll stick with even starting stacks for a cash game. Once you earn more chips by winning them, then that is fair game.

 

[louBdub]

I respect your opposite opinion from mine. I'll stick with even starting stacks for a cash game. Once you earn more chips by winning them, then that is fair game.

Is this PCF? You politely replied and now I’m confused

But I hear ya. I think each game figures its way around itself and settles into its best vibe.

 

[OzzieJim]

The only problem I have with the buy short and shove maneuver is if it’s late and everybody’s been drinking, because then somebody has to manage a side pot.

There’s a guy in my game who never tops off, so often times he’ll get down to like 25bb and you always have to be wary that it’s coming in. It’s kind of a cool variable to have to consider.

I had a guy last week run $24 up to $1630 without topping up. I guess the shortstackers can feel somewhat vindicated.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

There is no such thing as a big stack / bully at a cash table.

From equity/statistics stance you're right, but we all know most home game players suck at thinking critically lol. They're scared of losing all their chips and ashamed to rebuy, so big stacks can be scary.

 

[Taghkanic]

If one player has an essentially unlimited bankroll at your stakes, while others are only rolled for 1-3 buyins per session, the richer player certainly can run over the poorer ones if they are playing too tight as a result.

 

[Lunettesman]

Usually 100bb is the mim while 250bb is the the max.

 

[Jimulacrum]

If one player has an essentially unlimited bankroll at your stakes, while others are only rolled for 1-3 buyins per session, the richer player certainly can run over the poorer ones if they are playing too tight as a result.

True, but this is a function of the poorer players making mistakes, not the richer player exercising an undue advantage.

He may have 100 times as much money to put in play as they do, but to attempt to run them over like this, he has to risk much more money than he can potentially gain. Players like this are laying awesome odds for everyone else. You just have to adapt to their style to take those odds.

It's fair to note that some players don't like having to adjust for this kind of play. That's really the issue at hand when people start talking about "chip bullies"—people getting upset that someone has a style that dominates their (usually ABC TAG) preferred style, and they'd rather kick that player or adjust rules to stifle his play than change anything about their own play.

Not to say it isn't a real concern. The name of the game is keeping people happy. But there's no strategic legitimacy to it.

 

[Taghkanic]

The problem comes when there are people playing at the upper limit of their risk tolerance.

Unfortunately I think this is much too common.

Many coaches/coaching sites advise having a bankroll of at least 30 max buyins for your stakes. Some advise much more (100x and up). That’s money meant just for poker and surviving the variance it brings.

At 1/2 with a max buyin of $300, that’s a minimum $9K bankroll. I would bet the house that almost none of the players in a typical casino or home 1/2 game have $9K segregated from their other finances, set aside just for poker.

So when someone with a real bankroll is forcing these guys to flip constantly for stacks, even when they are 55%-65% to win, many lower rolled players will fold to aggression except with a nutty hand.

You’re right that they are making a mistake *within the context of that hand.* But not in the context of their finances.

Hence the feeling of getting big stacked bullied.

Now the real answer to their problem is that they should be playing lower stakes. But casinos don’t typically offer less than 1/2 (near me they are all doing 1/3 instead). So unless they know of a lower stakes private game, they are stuck playing over their heads.

 

[mho]

At 25¢/50¢, everyone starts with a standard $50 buy in and can buy in for anything >$50 on rebuy. Have a friend who always rebuys to cover me at the table when (if) I build a nice stack…makes me wonder if I’m the fish

 

[SavageLizard]

I respect your opposite opinion from mine. I'll stick with even starting stacks for a cash game. Once you earn more chips by winning them, then that is fair game.

Especially if it's a home game with friends and/or friends of friends. Some of those people aren't there to try and scalp everyone, they're there to have a good time and hopefully win a few bucks, and if they don't not take too big a loss. If it's at a casino, that's a different thing.

 

[krafticus]

you all keep using this word "friends"..
I'm sorry, but when I am at the poker table, I have no friends... unless it is either in between hands or when I fold pre-flop.

Outside of that, I'm looking to felt you every hand and get as much as possible (or lose as little as possible)

 

[auto]

For my $0.25/$0.50 NL cash game, the initial buy-in minimum is 100 BB & 200 BB is the max.

 

[CraigT78]

$1/$1 circus.

Max buy-in is $220

Rebuys match the stack (loosely)

 

[Jimulacrum]

The problem comes when there are people playing at the upper limit of their risk tolerance.

Unfortunately I think this is much too common.

Many coaches/coaching sites advise having a bankroll of at least 30 max buyins for your stakes. Some advise much more (100x and up). That’s money meant just for poker and surviving the variance it brings.

At 1/2 with a max buyin of $300, that’s a minimum $9K bankroll. I would bet the house that almost none of the players in a typical casino or home 1/2 game have $9K segregated from their other finances, set aside just for poker.

So when someone with a real bankroll is forcing these guys to flip constantly for stacks, even when they are 55%-65% to win, many lower rolled players will fold to aggression except with a nutty hand.

You’re right that they are making a mistake *within the context of that hand.* But not in the context of their finances.

Hence the feeling of getting big stacked bullied.

Now the real answer to their problem is that they should be playing lower stakes. But casinos don’t typically offer less than 1/2 (near me they are all doing 1/3 instead). So unless they know of a lower stakes private game, they are stuck playing over their heads.

The bankroll suggestions you're talking about are for professional players playing regularly at those stakes, in order to avoid risk of ruin over a long sample. If a pro isn't rolled for his chosen stakes, that's on him.

We're not talking about pros in the general case. We're talking about mostly recreational players, virtually all of whom are playing outside of professional bankroll recommendations.

They don't need $9K to play $1/2. They need whatever amount they set aside to play their weekly/biweekly/monthly game.

When a short-rolled player chooses to play scared money because he doesn't want to risk one of his three bullets for this session, he's not making a mistake just this hand that's still a smart play for the long run. He's making a mistake, both short- and long-term. There's no survival motive or risk-of-ruin concern for players in this situation, especially for players who fund their poker out of their life rolls. If they're making bad plays against a "chip bully," they're selling themselves short on EV, plain and simple.