Need some table stakes rules for "Match the pot" games

[fourpin]

I am looking for a set of “Table Stakes” rules to implement in my home game when the dealer calls a "match the pot" game like Guts.
Currently we allow people to play out of their pocket, even allowing them to pay off with a personal check if necessary.

The problem is that the games are always played for very small stakes. A typical buy-in for these games is $10-$20 depending on how many wives or kids are playing. A normal session will have wins/losses around $40 or so. However, when the “match the pot” games come up the pot frequently grows larger than the total chips in play. Last time we played, someone had to pony up a check for $250 to cover one hand. The amount of money is not the issue. Most of the players are pretty well off and a couple of us are used to playing much larger games. It just seems stupid to play microlimit games, and then throw in a game that can loose 5-10 buy-ins on a single hand.

We have tried several ways to control the size of the game but have found no solution that everyone will agree to.
Personally I would love to raise the stakes of the "normal" poker games to make them more equal in size to the "crap shoot" games but we all want to include our spouses and kids if possible and they won’t play for bigger stakes.

Anybody have a suggestion?

[Lottery Larry]

"We have tried several ways to control the size of the game but have found no solution that everyone will agree to."

This is a fundamental problem.

I assume capping the investment per hand, ala things I think Daniel Negreanu has written about, wasn't accepted?

[fourpin]

When we tried a max bet of X dollars per hand we still ended up with people being all in. We were then stuck on how to procede when a player had a hand but no money behind.

I am not familiar with the Negreanu reference. Did I not search deep enough?

[ShannonRyu]

We play many games like this at my weekly game (without the wives and kids) and we play dealers choice with all games table stakes unless it is a pot matching game; guts and in-between, in which case the dealer announces the stakes and those not interested can opt out (smoke or rest room break). The common calls are either no limit (in which case the players are responsible for covering all debts, and if it cannot be covered immediately the debt is outstanding and an IOU is issued, with juice, and that player is done for the night) or the dealer calls limit, which is growing more popular, like a $10 max for example, and in a game like guts the pot can grow to more than $10 but the max per player pay in is $10 (or $5 or $20 or whatever the dealer calls).

We play from 8-2a.m. and those games don't usually show their face until after midnight...

In playing these games weekly for over 4 years, we've managed to work out the kinks and keep the drama and conflicts to a minimum, while keeping the fun and enjoyment at a maximum.

[fourpin]

The crazy games show up late for us too.

Maybe I will take up smoking. LOL

Thanks for the input.