$2/3 NL, $200-$500 and 75% stack match
Average stacks are usually $800-$2K after a few hours

Dollar chips play, because we're dum and can't play $2/5+

However, 95% of players open for round amounts $15 or $20, and then bet $45, $60, $130, $225

Occasionally there's people who start opening for $17, $18
And then OTF they're betting $42, $57 when there's hardly any dollar chips on the table.

So the dealer is making change for 4 people pre on $17 over and over, they're breaking $5 chips for 3 people on these $32 bets. Then they're checking their racks to make sure it's right and ordered, missing action, etc
Slowing the game down tremendously if these people are active.

Fair or foul? Telling these types "Hey, you know these 17s and 48s are taking us from like 25 hands an hour to 17? Any way we can just round up or down?"
Or I'll jokingly be like "I know the $39 flop bet is super analytical but we could play 6 more hands an hour if you made it $40"

I've done it a few times to mixed reaction, some receive it let's say... not well.

I would only say this to a player I thought was good. If it’s a bad player doing it, I wouldn’t say anything. I think it’s also fine for you to say something and they are totally within their rights to ignore you.

100%
But they’re usually people who take poker seriously, play for profit, and it’s just like “Come on man, you know you’re wasting time”

Just let it be. You probably cost more time with the argument you caused than the dealer making change. A good dealer is only going to take a few seconds to make change, not slow the game down by 25%.

“Good dealer” is the problem with that sentence. Min raise to the nearest $5 increment every time.

Do you think these might be related.

Suck it up buddy, just suck it up. I played in a 1/3 game yesterday while waiting for bigger games and I placed a bet for $16 without thinking or caring that the dealer might have to make change for someone and slow down the game a couple more seconds. In games like 1/2, 1/3 and 2/3, it's unavoidable and imo saying something to people at those stakes would really be taking it too far.

OTOH, if it was a 2/5 game and someone is habitually raising to $21 where one's do play, I might hint to him that he's being a *********

There's your answer. It's 2/3 and ones play. Suck it up big boy.

I find your premise that $1 bets slow a game down to either be preposterous, or that you have some of the worst dealers out there. The idea that it slows the game down 25% is just ludicrous.

Even preflop, when the action goes the fastest, players frequently take 5-10 seconds to act and the dealers use that time to make the appropriate change.

I don't think that betting in increments that uses chips regularly used for the big blind should be disallowed. If the card room uses $3 chips, I'm perfectly fine with only using those chips for preflop raises and postflop. Same with $5 chips in a 2/5 game. But if the $3 big blind consists of 3 $1 chips anyway I don't see a reason for not letting those chips play later on.

Sure it would speed the game up if people couldn't use $1 chips but the same could be said for only allowing $100 chips postflop in a 1/1 game.

Rather than complaining why not help the situation. Bring some 1’s with you when you buy in and then keep some in front of you. Also nice to have some if till gets critically low and dealer can’t get an immediate fill.

While any amount of chip handling by the Dealer slows the game down, 2/3 NL is not a red chip game whereas 2/5 NL and 1/2-5 PLO are a red chip game.

Don't waste your time getting wound up over these bets, which may be exactly what the Player wants the table to do. How many times have you seen a Player fold and say they didn't have the right amount of whites to call? I've seen it plenty.

We have a Player who will only bet prime numbers .. we know they're coming, so it's no big deal.

Next thing you'll want Players to fold when they're behind .. GL

TY for making me chuckle!

People are betting in these type of increments for a reason. You might want to be paying more attention to them because they are probably the better players at the table. And you could learn something. It sounds like this is tilting you during the game which may be the point of why one or more of the players is doing it.

If you want to speed up the game, the way to do it would be to make sure everybody has white chips so they can respond to the in between bets. One way to do it would be to have a bunch of whites yourself so you can change out 5 for red chips to your neighbors during a hand.

But typically when somebody (like me) bets an odd amount, many players call with reds and the dealer has to give change at the end of the round (preflop, flop, turn and river). That's why when I sit down I usually have a stack of 20 whites and if I am going to be a while, 40. I make it a point though of using my whites when I bet so that they can be used as change.

Also understand that while they are in the extreme minority there are some players who are bad, know they are bad, and want to slow the game down so they can play fewer hands and last longer. Trying to get them to speed up will fail miserably and they may resort to tanking when they wouldn't otherwise.

In general it doesn't slow the game down that much if the dealers are good. They will be making change for a five in the pot while the play is going on and as they pull in bets give the players their change using those whites.

Betting in odd increments does not make you a better player unless you specifically play 1/2. At 2/5 and above there are zero reasons to bet $46 or $173 unless ofc you going to for a tilt factor or trying to intentionally slow down the game. Even a top-notch dealer wouldn't be able to efficiently run the game when 3 out 9 players are continuously fumbling the chips trying to call with the exact amount. Predicably those exact 3 players are also playing in every pot.

There are any number of situations where bets are optimal at non exact multiples of the BB.

For example if a player limps pre-flop and I am raising the optimal raise sizing would be 4.5x (IMO). So in 2/5 NL I would make it $22 or $23. Making it $20 means it is very worthwhile for a call. Making it $25 means it is not so there will be fewer mistakes (and causes extra loss on a re-raise).

Though I am not a GTO player, GTO players will also make the most of this type of betting.

Now obviously given reads live these type of bets may be irrelevant. But when playing against really good players, these types of bets will be optimal.

lol @ pretending that betting in less than $5 increments in a 2/3 game is somehow advantageous. What are you, a pio sim with 25 different bet sizes?

It's a waste of time, that's all it is.

The problem with pointing this out at the table is that it's a sysyphysian endeavour really.

So players shouldn't be allowed to open to $6-$9 in that game anymore?

I guess there could be more leeway preflop. Still real borderline to not just make it 10 lol

Thanks for the leeway to avoid a 40% larger raise. Otoh, no thanks as I don’t need your permission.

Fact is whites MUST play in 1-2, 1-3, and 2-3 (unless it is $5 bring in game which is rare for NLHE at least here). Even in a bring in game whites will be on the table and in most pots so just get used to it.

For 2-5 and 3-5, whites are still going to be in the game. The dealer will be making change for SB most pots when he doesn’t post whites. So you don’t even miss that.

It's a little ludicrous to think you should be opening up for $22 in a 2/5 game against "better players" because it's more advantageous for you, and if someone's calling 20 pre they're still calling 22, I don't know how familiar you are with live players.

When I see someone start raising to $22 in 2/5, I and the rest of the table immediately realize someone's gonna be that guy today and you'll be a sitting duck with everyone trying extra hard to stack you so that extra $2 might be working against you in the long run.

ofc you don't need permission, you can bet whatever you want. Just like you don't need permission to tank 45 seconds for every preflop decision instead of acting quickly - it's completely within your right to do that. Or raise to $8 pre instead of $10, or even to slowroll people because that's just the way you like to play

Disallowing white chips from playing postflop at 2/5 is certainly reasonable.

But disallowing players to bet in increments of the BB isn't reasonable in my opinion. $12 is a pretty common open raise at 1/2 and 1/3. Not only by "lol internet kids" but also by Joe the Plumber. That would be difficult even on the flop because in today's nitty games it's not uncommon for 2 or 3 players to see a flop with $7 or $9 respectively in the pot. In that situation there would be exactly one legal bet ($5) below pot size if whites don't play.

I am these players. If we had penny chips I would be betting them

I only play live.

I mostly play in tournaments so I don't play much cash games.

I am playing live to practice things for tournaments especially deep stack. I see a lot of crazy pre-flop sizing. Like 6x opening raises when players have very strong hands. And large raises after limpers. It is here that it is most important to me that the $1 chips factor in. But if nobody else sees it that way then I am good with that.

I'm OK with everyone playing extra hard to stack me. But that's not what is happening, at FW anyway. The 2/5 players are generally very good. And they are trying to stack everyone.