Empty and clean chinese soup container. Bust up a few rolls of change into it and use that to make change for the next year.


When we used to play with actual nickles, dimes and quarters... we didn't use chips, just the actual change. No problem when there aren't chips to change...

Round up or down. Winners take a small hit, losers get a small bonus. If the bank is off by $1, you eat it in the interest of easy change making.

Easy, baby....

and, shouldn't you be ranting about the OTHER cheapskate players, who aren't bringing snacks?

couldnt have said it better myself... nice

We use 25c chips, but cashouts are all for dollars. The solution has turned out to be one of the highlights of the night. Everyone takes all quarter chips that don't add to a dollar, and put them in the pot. We then play one hand of 5 card stud, all open faced, winner take all. Everyone is eligible, even if you didn't have any odd quarters.

We then started adding optional "juice" to the pot. Let's say there is $3 in quarters in the pot. Everyone is eligible to win that $3. Someone who is up $34 might say "I'll juice for $4" - meaning if he can get someone to cover him, they will be playing for an additional $4. You get people juicing for different amounts which creates side pots. Often the winner of the biggest part of the pot ends up with the biggest pot of the night. Everyone knows there is no skill involved, but it is a lot of fun as the cards get put out 1 at a time and the lead changes hands, and you start rooting for the card that will win it for you.

That's like telling someone to change their $0.50/$1 game to $1/$2 to get rid of a color.

OP, just flip over your sofa cushions and scoop up the loose change. Seriously, if you plan on playing nickel dime game just make sure to have a bunch of change ready.

And in a nickel dime game no one can cash out with $13.56.

hahaha i would never rake (and never have) a home game for sure, and yea i got spare change its no problem, wasnt sure about rounding but it is efficient, thanks people

I try not to overthink these sort of things -- mostly because I lack the needed skills to do so

For my Wednesday game, starting on Monday or so, I just keep handing $20 bills to everyone that I buy anything for cash with, and at a minimum, by Wednesday, I've got a pocket full of $5's to buy my wife and I into a pair of $10 tournaments (each, total $40 for the night) instead of coughing up two "useless" $20 bills.


If one or two people buy into an event with small bills, the problem starts to go away quickly.


In the tiny cash game on the side, I do the same thing, always buying in only the small bills I have.


tl;dr - bring some change.

I'm with Palimax. I've been hosting a .25/.50 game for the past few years and my solution is basically the same:

1) Start buying stuff with $20s the day before the game.
2) Buy in with change (or at least make sure I have it handy come cash-out time)
3) Cash out last (since I'm host, I know I'm responsible for any shortage) and eat the occasional .25/.50/.75 difference.

I track my sessions based on my chip counts but the "rounding errors" don't really affect my bankroll so it all works itself out.

who's the cheapskate? the guy opening up his home (which entails setting up, breaking down, cleanup, neighbors, angry wife, etc etc etc) to his friends so THEY can play poker, or the rude guests who go to an UNRAKED game EMPTY HANDED?

I have a once a month .50/1.00

I keep a couple rolls of quarters and loonies. Yeah I am Canadian.

Everyone knows it's BYOB and something to munch on. I provide pop, water and some players like having coffee.
I don't mind doing it. It only costs me like 10 bucks when you add it up.

League games are a totally different story. Still BYOB. Games are in a different home every couple of weeks.
BYOB. Host provides snacks - Chips pretzels - Usually pizza is the food of choice, We worked out a deal with one of the local pizza places a mom and pop shop. 50/50 draw pays for it.
The extra goes to the league to replace cards and such.
Everybody is pretty good about it.

The only time you really rake is when your putting on a food spread and then you jusr rake untill you cover the cost.

Friends don t rake friends

Easiest two options.

1. buy a roll of quarters from the bank or a store. Round to nearest quarter on cash outs.

2. buy a roll of quarts and a roll or two of nickles. you could get dimes too but thats kind of redundant when two nickles covers that anyways.

I buy a roll of quarters, a roll of nickels, and some $1 bills for poker games, and expect everyone to buy in in multiples of $5. Chip denominations I use for cash games are 5¢, 25¢, $1, and $5. (Three denominations in my chipset are used solely for tournaments.)