I am about to organize my first cash game. However, I am confused about chip distribution.

Stakes:

Minimal buy in: 100
Max buy in: ?
Blinds: 2/2
Rake: 10%

As you can see, I have two questions:

- How do I determine the max buy-in? I was thinking about 200, or should it be unlimited?

- What chip values make sense for this type of game? I was thinking about 1 - 2 - 5 - 25 - 100

- The maximum amount of players will be 8. How should the different chips be distributed, and how many of each chip do the players get?

Thank you!

As with everything in poker the answer to all your questions is "It depends.":

We can't answer that. I'd ask the players what they want. You could do either a hard cap ($200, $300) or you could do a percentage of the big stack (e.g. 75% of the chip leader)

No $2 chips, you aren't saving anything by having non standard denominations. And I'd say no $100 chip either. This isn't a high limit game, just give $25. Further, make sure you use the right colors as well: $1=white, $5=red, $25=green. Breaking from convention will only causes issues when someone throws in 5 purple chips thinking they are calling a 2 yellow chip bet but in fact just raised and reopened the action.

They get what they pay for. Make sure everyone has a lot of $5, a stack of $1 and then the rest in $25.

^agreed with the above, some additional notes. Max buyin is strictly tied to how big the game will play. If you will make it more than 300$, the game will get pretty big eventually, so keep that in mind. Alternatively, you can just make it 75% of the biggest stack, that way the size of the game will be more dependant on players.

As for how many chips to give in each denomination, this actually seems to depend on where you play - from what I've seen, US players love to have a lot of small chips. Meanwhile I live in Europe and when you play here, most players seem to prefer biggest denominations possible, to keep track of their stack easier. So, where I play, if you would buyin for 200$ in the game you describe, you would get 1x100, 3x25, 4x5, 5x1 chips. But you can just ask players what denominations they want. Also, for that reason, I would keep 100$ chips in play.

Not that it really matters, but I would argue that blue $1 chips are not less common than white ones. At least in the US.

Also, if you cap the game at $300 or less, there’s no reason to even use $25 chips. Just $1 and $5 will do, as is very standard when you buy-in a 1/2 or 1/3 game in a US casino. If someone buys in for $200, he gets $180 in red and $20 in blue. For $300, add a stack of red.

Where do you live and is raking games legal there?

Home games - when money is involved - are not legal in my country. So no, the rake is illegal too. But I am willing to take the risk anyway.

Thank you for the responses btw!

I am considering using chips with 1, 5 and 25 euro as value. But how should I distribute the 100 euro (minimum) buy-in using these chips?

Something like this?

20 x 1
6 x 5
2 x 25

I feel like I should provide sufficient 1 euro chips, given the blinds (2/2).

Instead of raking pots I would suggest you simply either have a seat charge for the session , or have a timed rake. You seem to be kind of a beginner at hosting a game and raking pots can be a problem for folks with less experience.

lol, I missed the part about the rake, 10% uncapped rake will mean that within few hours, most of the money on the table will be gone to rake... Don't rake a home game, and if you really need to, make it 5% with 10e cap (which is still a lot, but not so absurdly as your proposition)

East Coast player here. Used to 1-2 NL, using 1 & 5 chips. Without a good reason, I wouldn't bother with the 2 chip. I suppose if the game was 5-5 you could skip the 1-2 chips... but that doesn't appear to be the case.

I'd also lean towards a 25 chip for rebuys, and skip the 100. Mostly out of concern about hidden 100 chips. If players are good about both keeping them visible AND asking when in doubt, then use 100s too.

If you are raking, and have a dealer with a trip tray, load the tray with 1 chips, and let players buy in for 5s only. Dealer can make change, drop rake, etc.

I'm a fan of a capped rebuy, say 150-250 BB, especially for a regular game. For a one time game, or with better and experienced players, uncapped is fine.

Sorry in advance for the tough love, but honestly, if this is your first time organizing a game, you aren't going to be a good enough dealer or provide enough service to deserve a rake.

I play in a raked home game, raked higher than any local casino. I get 30 hands an hour with a good (but not professional) dealer. They provide dinner, snacks, and alcohol. They have customized chips and good cards. They screen all players, and most importantly, they attract some big fish. They have cameras aimed at the front door to help with security. They've hosted this game multiple times a week for years. I'm going to assume you have little to none of this.

Your first few games should be rake-free in order to learn what you are doing. It's great you are stepping into the world of hosting, it can be a lot of fun and make you some money, but the questions you're asking are so newbie that you need to start a heck of a lot smaller than raking a game.

Great post.. Don't take it personal either. His advice will likely save your game for the future.

I think the original poster would be well advised to visit other, similar games and see what they do and how they manage the business. This is not as easy as it might seem.

Please understand most underground card rooms go broke. For that matter, most legal card rooms also go broke. Go look at the chip guide for US states with legal poker and see how many "closed" rooms are listed.

http://www.chipguide.com/

Poker is a more capital intensive business than it might seem. Players have a reason to expect much better than a fold up card table, bargain cards and bulk chips. Amenities are essential to keeping your customers. So is security. Let's be clear, security is also in you best interest too. Professional dealer(s) are needed. You can not effectively run the business and deal the cards. Really, you can't.

Also you'll have other people who need to get a cut of the action. Your landlord might well expect a premium rent. Your neighbors could find your card game a problem - it might be wise to make amends somehow before they call the authorities. Maybe you will find unsavory members of the professional underworld who need a little something. Perhaps even the local law enforcement will expect a cut.

I am not saying the original poster can't make this work. I am saying he/she is woefully ignorant , likely under capitalized and unprepared. Do your homework. Learn how this business works and how much it costs in capital, fixed costs and time invested.

Then you will not need to be asking what chips are needed and how should the buy-in be structured. These things are obvious once you do the homework.

Not that my suggestions are likely to be implemented -=- DrStrange