How much to buy in?

fromak · #1 08-03-2007, 10:17 PM

Hi everyone, this is actually my first post here on 2+2, and hopefully will be one of many to come as this seems like a pretty knowledgeable and fun community of poker players.

I recently started playing poker with some school kids who run a .25/.50 table which usually has 5-8 players at any given time. Many of the players are hyper-aggressive--betting with any two cards and not afraid to bluff reraise all in for all your cash. They enforce no buy-in rule, so you can buy in for as little as $1 or for as much as your bankroll allows $1000+

I know that online, a .25/.50 table has a max buy-in of $50 to prevent deep stack dominance, but would it be stupid to buy in for so much at such an aggressive table? Is it smarter to risk less and try to double up after buying in for say $20? Or is it in my best interest to buy in for $100 (or as much as possible) and try to bully the other players?

machine · #2 08-04-2007, 12:35 AM

id buy in for 50, but if the players are bad then yer sure buy in for 100. Doesnt sound like your gonna be able to bully these guys. Play tight and pick your spots, beware games like this are high variacne because there ranges are so large.

good luck

Quicksilvre · #3 08-04-2007, 01:18 AM

Read Getting Started in Hold'em. Assuming that you're looking to win some money in this game (as opposed to just goofing off and having fun) you definitely want to go with a short stack, because those are easier to play. Wait for a strong hand and get your money into the pot. Of course, playing super-tight isn't all that stimulating, so your choice.

pfapfap · #4 08-04-2007, 01:41 PM

If you're a better player than they are, get as many chips as possible on the table.

I play in a couple of regular games at this level. Buyins start at $20-$40, but as the night wears on and stacks get larger, those with deeper pockets rebuy for more. Variance can be ridiculous in this sort of game, so be patient and don't get carried away. Reads are very important in this kind of situation.

Once you learn how to play in this sort of game, it's a hell of a lot of fun and incredibly profitable. But you may find yourself having big swings, especially before you figure it out.

Just remember, you're not getting a lot of chips so you can bully, you're getting a lot of chips so you can play properly and take maximum advantage of mistakes. Let others do the bullying.

TexRef · #5 08-05-2007, 01:30 AM

[ QUOTE ]
If you're a better player than they are, get as many chips as possible on the table.

[/ QUOTE ]

cardshark · #6 08-07-2007, 10:58 AM

Easy answer:

Buy-in as much as you can afford to lose. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

This sounds like a gambling game, anyway. If you play that game you are gambling. Whenever you are gambling you should only bring as much money as you can afford to lose.

Gambling is bad, but it is still better than gambling recklessly.