Bad etiquette to color up in small stakes?

Grizwold · #1 08-22-2006, 01:05 AM

Particularlly in the $2/4 limit hold'em game at the local casino, the whole table uses just $1 chips. I've never seen any other chip denomination at the table, even though the dealer always has many different chips in their rack. But also I've never seen someone with $200+ yet (however, I'm young and very inexperienced in B&M, which is why I don't know the answer to this sort of question). Typically buying in for $60~100, and if a player is doing so well for several hours, the stack may become quite large and cumbersome. Sure some players like the image of a huge stack in front of them, but I find it unnecessary and I don't like to take up so much space since they jam 10 players to a table. Where's my elbow room?! So if a player is hot that night, and gets up over 200 or more (10+ stacks), is it poor etiquette to ask to color up with only some of your chips, about $50~100 or so? Maybe other players at the table would take this as a message, "I don't expect to lose any of this money now, I have so much." In fact if other players at the table do feel this way, they would not be far off. I would never consider changing some chips unless I have way way more than enough in $1 chips still to handle numerous hands. So if it's generally frowned upon to color up at a table using all $1 chips, how would someone handle this situation? Any feedback appreciated. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Etric · #2 08-22-2006, 01:29 AM

I've never seen anyone color up chips at a poker table ever. I'm not even sure it is possible. I have seen people with 7+ racks at a 3/6 game and I've never seen dealers with any different chips in their racks other than the ones that are being actually used at the table or chips that someone brings from the tables games section of the casino (blacks usually). So what you do is you get a rack and stack them up. Repeat.

Grizwold · #3 08-22-2006, 01:41 AM

Thanks for the advice Etric! I've never seen anyone ask to color up in a ring game either, so I was quite sure it wasn't the right thing to do. Also I've heard having racks at a table is poor etiquette too, but if anyone feels that way they are just gonna have to deal with it! I see racks at the $2/4 table infinitely more often than different chip denominations.

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Repeat.

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I hope I am this lucky [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Pov · #4 08-22-2006, 02:23 AM

Playing with ones and fives in small stakes games is common - you (and the other poster) must just be in rooms that don't do it for whatever reason. Some players buy into games with a rack of ones and stack of fives all the time. Coloring up loose ones into fives is not rude or against etiquette and in fact may help to hide just how well you're doing rather than flaunt it unless you're cocky about it. It does, however, make it difficult to build chip castles.

Lunar Tweak · #5 08-22-2006, 06:21 AM

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It does, however, make it difficult to build chip castles.

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biggest reason why i don't color up!!

but seriously, people color up all the time. just a matter of preference. i've never heard anything negative towards someone coloring up. also, if cash plays, some people will opt to swap some bills for chips too.

SheridanCat · #6 08-22-2006, 08:21 AM

While there is nothing wrong with coloring up, it can send a message that those chips are "in the vault" - and aren't coming back into play. Maybe that's fine, or maybe it queers the table vibe. It's all situational. If you're playing 3/6 or 4/8 and want to color up part of your stack to red ($5 chips), that's not unusual since those chips can be easily changed from the pot if necessary. But coloring up to $25 or $100 can send the "in the vault" message in a limit game.

Of course, I agree with the "building castles" comment. I love to build castles and pyramids.

Nottom · #7 08-22-2006, 10:39 AM

The only time I've seen anyone "color-up" at a poker table is when someone sits and buys a couple stacks from the guy with 10 stacks in front of him.

Personally I love having tons of chips since then i can make all sorts of pretty shapes with them.

If having a big pyramid of chips really bothers you for some reason, then just stack them in 40s instead.

MrWookie · #8 08-22-2006, 11:47 AM

My first time out playing live, I went up almost $300 in a 4/8 white chip game, and that was on top of having bought in for $300. The floor asked me if I wanted to color up like I'd be a moran not to, so I got some greens.

SheridanCat · #9 08-22-2006, 01:26 PM

Here's an anecdote about coloring up that amused me.

At the Palms baby NL game ($200 max, I think) players use red $5 chips (and probably whites for the SB, I don't recall). You cannot use bigger chips, so no green or black in play at all. Also, no coloring up. This was a year or so ago - that may have changed.

One night I was sitting at the back of the room. Next to us was a table where one player had accumulated about $5,000. He wasn't allowed to color up, so he had this huge stack of red chips in front of him. Whenever he entered a hand, he would usually just shove a rack of red into the pot.

Grizwold · #10 08-22-2006, 02:42 PM

HAHA. After those stories, I see even when you get so many chips, the dealers/floor would prefer you to color up (unless against the rules lol). Pov, I prefer to keep my stack small in small stakes because I don't want to scare the fishies away, (although sometimes maybe I do want to [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]). I would still only get red, no green or blacks in $2/4. Especially in limit I don't care about how big my stack appears, but I think it may affect other players. And I'm not good at building castles, yet [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]. So color up it is! Thanks for all the replies.