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Message: [QUOTE="mtl mile end, post: 4129257, member: 280527"] [B]Players[/B] Finding capable and willing players is always a challenge. Don’t be seduced by the idea that you versus eight players who have no idea what they’re doing is the path to winning – it is the path to losing and chaos. Two or three soft players in a nine player Sit ‘n Go is an easy table. Six or seven is a non stop bad beat train with absolutely no flow. I play in a game where one of my best friends is always drunk and completely unaware. When it’s his turn to deal, he is usually in the bathroom, getting a beer, rolling a joint, searching for a snack, engrossed in conversation, pretty much anything except paying attention and running the hand as the dealer should. When people who have a clue how to play are in the minority, the majority pushes everything in the wrong (bad) direction. If you are hosting a game, know what you are doing and take charge. As home games go, I’ve found cash games to be more smoothly run. Usually, cash game players and hosts are a lot more serious than tourney players/hosts. [B]Home Game Essentials (other than chips)[/B] The advice of “buy good plastic cards” is spot on, almost a necessity. The rest of the advice is good, playing surfaces is a topic with lots of possibilities. [B]Chips and Structure[/B] CardsChat is the third webboard community to which I have belonged. The first two were Poker Chip sites. I now own thousands (tens of thousands?) of poker chips. Most of them are retired casino and cardroom chips made by Paulson. I could go on for days about chips; really, DAYS – but who would listen? So to be somewhat more brief, I’ll say that chips are a complex subject. I must point out that [I][COLOR=#8b0000]THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “OFFICIAL CASINO WEIGHT CHIPS”[/COLOR][/I]. The idea that there is some kind of absolute truth to the “heavier is better” school of thought makes me want to force these people to play 24 consecutive hours with chips made of lead – how do you like your super heavy chips now Smarty?? There are many ways to differentiate chips. But I also must say that “clay composite” chips [I][COLOR=#8b0000]CONTAIN NO CLAY[/COLOR][/I]. Therefore, for beginners sake, I think it’s simplest to define chips as; 1.a. Injection molded plastic with metal slug (Super heavy 11-16g) b. Injection molded plastic (no metal slug) and “ceramic” (which contain no clay either) (usually about 5-9g) – important to note that some ceramics are “slugged” (10-15g) 2. Compressed Clay (remember - no clay inside) The classic casino chip made by companies like Paulson, TR King, ASM, etc. (typically 8-11g) 3. Vinyl –The modern “classic” made by Bud Jones and Matsui. They are used at Playground Poker Club in Montreal and hundreds of other venues. (just weighed some Playground chips and they’re over 12g) So chips of type 1a and 1b can be bought new or used. They are everywhere. They are cheap – I’m talking $0-.20 each. A chip collector will probably give away his crappy metal slugged chips. Custom versions of these (if anyone would bother) are less than $.50 each. Types 2 and 3 are going to be more expensive (used, they are $.30 up to "the sky’s the limit", but normally about $1 each). Customs, if available are more (often a LOT more) than $1 each. [B]The relationship between chips and structure is closely linked[/B] From a chip distribution point of view, you are limited by the number of players, number of chips, and most importantly the breakdown of said chips. For this reason, I would suggest investing a significant amount of thought into what game you are going to run before investing effort into obtaining chips. A “great deal” on 500 blue chips is the worst deal ever IMO unless you really need 500 blue chips for an incomplete set that matches them. A ten person cash game needs more chips than a ten person tourney. Unless you want “I need change” to be the theme of your cash game, I would suggest at least 8 SB size chips and 12-20 BB size chips per person (in the case of a blind size that isn’t “standard” denom, like .25/.50, just make it 20X SB) . I play a .25/.25 ($40 max) cash game and we use 20X $.25 and 20X $1 as part of every starting stack. Once the change is on the table, rebuys and top-ups are in $5’s and $25’s. This system requires about 40 chips per person (400 chips) in “change” and another 100 chips (80X $5, 20X $25) to cover the game. This system allows me to carry $1150 worth of chips with plenty of change in a 600 chip carrier with room to spare for buttons and cards. If there is a possibility of a second table coming into play, everyone is shorted on change unless I fill the empty space in the carrier with a rack of .25’s and/or $1’s. In a ten player (starting) tournament, decisions must be made regarding the length of time you desire the tourney to run, and whether or not to allow re-buys. Chip values should increase by 4-5X between denominations. Structure the blinds so that they become about 20% of the TOTAL CHIPS IN PLAY (including re-buys) when you want the game to end. For example, if you want a 10 player tourney with no rebuys to end in less than 3 hours, schedule the BB to reach .2T at the three hour mark where T equals 10X the starting stack. In other words, a ten player, 3K starting stack game will tend to be over by the time BB reaches 6K, if you want a three hour game, make the BB reach 6K at the 3 hour mark. Note that a crazy home game will probably end before this depending on the aggressiveness of play. Once you know the number of players and blind timing, assign values to your (I’m assuming non denominated) chips. The smallest denom may be eliminated during chip-up – will it be? If it will, then it doesn’t have to be (read “should not be”) the most plentiful chip on the table. If re-buys will be allowed, don’t give players a fully broken down starting stack, use a few large chips for each re-buy – the change is already on the table. For example, starting with 5K per player, the following starting stack size, with the blind level structure listed in the article, allows for the 25’s to be eliminated after the fifth (200/400) level 8X 25 8X 100 8X 500 1X 1000. If there are ten runners and one rebuy allowed per runner, then you need 80X 25, 80X 100, 80X 500, and 60X 1000 plus 2K in “chip up” chips (20X 100, 4X 500, or 2X 1000). This is a total of 302-320 chips in a world of perfect breakdown. *Note - If you can smoothly run a home tournament with antes involved – you are a Home Tournament Director God!! [/QUOTE]

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