First time hosting cash game

[Dan87]

That's actually a pretty good idea. I don't know about how my friends would feel about SB and BB being the same though, I like it. We were in a tournament last weekend where the starting blinds were 25/25, then the next level was 25/50 and some of them said that was "stupid" etc. I like how that works though.

[Annorax]

The ones who say that progression is stupid simply don't have any experience with how tournaments are supposed to be run. That's quite simply what you do when you have a first level where BB=smallest chip.

[stevea]

[ QUOTE ]
That's actually a pretty good idea. I don't know about how my friends would feel about SB and BB being the same though, I like it. We were in a tournament last weekend where the starting blinds were 25/25, then the next level was 25/50 and some of them said that was "stupid" etc. I like how that works though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some of my friends would think its stupid too. But these are friends who think my tournaments with starting blinds of .50/1.00 and $100 stacks suck compared to a friends tourney with starting blinds of 25/50 and $5000 starting stacks.

Or how bout .25/.50 blinds with a $25 max buy in?

[Etaipo]

50BB starting stacks make my peepee sad.

.10/.20 w/ $20 max has worked great for us over the last year. People cashing out odd fractions of dollars always just give the change to the host of the evening.

Now we are moving up to .25/.50 with $50 max, and we'll see how it goes. My main concern is someone having a bad night might lose enough to make them uncomfortable. If that is the case, I'm going to lower it back to .10/.20.

[smoore]

[ QUOTE ]
The tournaments I host are usually 10$ buy-in, sometimes up to 20$ depending on how many people come

...

Game: NL Hold'em
Blinds: 25cents/50cents
Antes: None
Minimum Buyin: $10
Maximum Buyin: $50
Chip Denominations: 25cents/$1/$5


[/ QUOTE ]
Perfect.

[ QUOTE ]

1)Are the Chip Denominations good for this game, or should I add some like 50cents or $2?


[/ QUOTE ]
.25/1/5 is perfect for this type of game. 200/280/20. People want to collect the $5 chips.

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2)Should I allow cash to be used on the table...


[/ QUOTE ]
Yes. $20 only, cash plays.

[ QUOTE ]

3)Should I allow people to add money to their stack whenever they want...


[/ QUOTE ]
Stop here. Yes, in between hands.

[ QUOTE ]

4)How should I handle the cashouts?


[/ QUOTE ]
Anyone can leave at any time in between hands.

Good game for the stakes your players are used to, don't be surprised if most people prefer this format after a month. Don't worry about your "big" max buyin, almost everyone will buy in for $20. Encourage this, only later when a few stacks are deep will people want to buy in for $50

"Well, the max is $50 but most people buy in for $20 when it's like this."

[smoore]

[ QUOTE ]
I originally thought that .10/.20 or .10/.25 blinds would be a good idea too. My problem would be if someone wants to cash out with like $21.35 or something and it would be harder to keep track with all the change. That's why I wanted to keep 25cents as the minimum denomination, but I also realize that is a lot for our low stakes.

Should I do 10cent/25cent/$1 denominations for the chips, with a maximum buy-in of $40?

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh god no...

Just play .25/.50 like you were planning, with my above suggestions it'll be fine. Everyone will have a donktastic time until they settle down and by then the'll be used to the stakes. Some will want .50/1.

edit: One thing I'll do to encourage the game to start is to have .25/.25 *until* we are 6 handed. The early crowd seems to appreciate this... it's like it doesn't really "start" until there are 6 seated and playing.

[Lottery Larry]

[ QUOTE ]
Some nights I may lose 40$ if I don't make it into the money in any of the tournaments.

[/ QUOTE ]

That helps, but the first time someone drops $50 in 2 minutes on a trips-smaller kicker hand, rebuying back in will be a wake-up call.

Hopefully they have the bankroll and attitude to deal with that risk.

[stevea]

How about pot limit instead of no limit.

Will this help keep the game "friendlier?"

[Lottery Larry]

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How about pot limit instead of no limit.

Will this help keep the game "friendlier?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably not. There's a big bankroll difference between $20 tourneys and capped NL games.

I know you were just teasing, but it's important for new players to know what they are getting into when they switch games. You can kill a home game pretty quickly if changes are too radical.

[jtr]

Plus pot limit makes for annoying pot-tracking issues. NL is faster and more fun for the average home game.