The Stacks are the Stakes, a suggestion

[Will in New Have]

I am always surprised at how many players want to have a very low buy-in for the size of the blinds in private NL games. NL and PL poker are much more interesting games if there is some money to bet after the initial raise and call. It is even better if players are not pot-committed after a bet on the flop.

Lately, we have had more interesting games by agreeing in advance on a range of buy-ins that allows us to play comfortably and only then deciding on the blinds.

One guy complained bitterly after we decided on .50/1.00 when people wanted to buy in for 100-200. He said that the stakes were too low. He wanted to have a five dollar BB at least, after a 200 buy-in. He was having some trouble with his post-flop play. After his third 200 buy-in, he decided that the stakes were high enough.

However, he has come around and now we set the blinds by the buy-in and not vice versa.

[Lottery Larry]

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I am always surprised at how many players want to have a very low buy-in for the size of the blinds in private NL games. NL and PL poker are much more interesting games if there is some money to bet after the initial raise and call. It is even better if players are not pot-committed after a bet on the flop.

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Will, don't you think this is more about risk of ruin than it is about a "low" buy-in?

Though I agree with you that 40:1 is stupid...

[PantsOnFire]

I personally don't like any NL cash game where you can't buy at least 100BB.

I was at The Hawaiin Gardens Casino in LA and I just wanted to play low stakes NL to eat up a few hours while my wife went shopping. The 1/2 game had a max buyin of $40! 20 freaking BBs. It was quite a wild game with plenty of all ins and rebuys. I built to about $300 with good, tight play in about 2 hours. But most of the other players had $40 or less in their stacks so hand thats require implied odds didn't have value. Frankly, it was profitable but boring.

[erbbysam]

we used to play $5 buy-in donaments with a single $.25 blind. If you called a raised preflop you were pretty much pot commited. We still play with a single $.25 blind(or two $.25 blinds depending on how many people we have) but with a $20 buy-in cash game. That way you actually have money and the ability to play real poker after the flop.

[Will in New Have]

That is my point. It is certainly possible to make the right adjustments for shallow-stacks NL and win money. The "skill factor," as some people like to say, might be smaller but it's still there. But it is boring poker.

Also, shallow stacks make it too much like tournament poker. I like tournaments and I play in them fairly often but I like some variety and deep-stack cash NL gives that.

Will