[flytrap]

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i moved back to nj this year but i'm back in sb about once a month.

first time playing there i tried to buyin at the $2-$5 NL game for $180. They said the buyin is EITHER $100 or $200. WTF??? So i bought in for the $200.

then i'm UTG, get KQ offsuit, raise to $17. the dealer said 'no bet. you must bet multiples of $5'. what the hell?

then, i put someone all in with top pair and open ender, he calls with overs and he keeps $4 in white chips. i win the hand and tell him I cleaned him out. Dealer says 'dollar chips do not play unless it adds to $5.' I got cheated!!!

i can see how these rules favor a faster game and more tips to the dealers. kinda lame, but no biggie.

as for the 1-2 game, it looks like fun, a TON of white chips....racks and racks of em...but crapshoot city.

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I think the whites not playing, unless they are in multiples of five, are fairly common in a game where the Big blind, and therefore minimum bet, is a multiple of five, basically anything higher than 2-4 NL. It's that way in Detroit, and yes it benefits the dealers a great deal, since people often get busted and just toss their $3 in whites to the dealer.