I was playing poker at Holland Casino last week and they made the minimum buy in $100 on the lowest table, it used to be $50 which to be fair made you really short stacked but now playing with the table minimum feels just subpar. I try to buy in between $200-300 if I play there because otherwise it is very easy to get bullied off your hand by bigger stacks. (Holland Casino has a monopoly on poker in the Netherlands) but it made me wonder what it is like in other countries.
In our country, it's 1 euro. Today, chips are used as the casino's internal currency. Players enter the establishment, purchase chips with real money, then play with them, and exchange them back upon exiting. This system eliminates the need for visitors to lug cash around the casino.
G0930
Captain Fathermucker, Satty Aficionado
Platinum Level
Thanks everyone for the replies, I will be sure to save this thread it is bound to come in handy if I am traveling and looking for advantagous places to buy in. And it is also interesting seeing the variance of buy-ins across the globe!
machinm19 said:
THat's ^ tournament poker you're referring to (correct?). I believe others in this thread have been inquiring and responding with the min. buyin at the min. cash table. (ie. 50bb's at a $1/$2 table, = $100).
And an additional question in this thread could be "What are the cheapest buy-in tournaments at casinos in your area?"
Here it is $65 (Here = Calgary Alberta Canada)
in most cardrooms worldwide, the minimum for a $1/$2 or $1/$3 game is usually around $100 (50bb), but standard practice is always to buy in for the maximum ($200–$300) to avoid being short-stacked and bullied, just like you mentioned
At my local casino it's usually around $100 for the smallest cash games, although some rooms let you buy in for as little as 50 big blinds. I normally prefer buying in for the maximum because it gives you more flexibility and lets you take full advantage when you have an edge. Short stacking can work, but I find deep stacks make the game a lot more interesting.
That's pretty standard from what I've seen. Most casinos I've played at or looked into have a minimum buy-in of around 50-100 big blinds, but I also prefer buying in for 150-300BB if I can. It gives you a lot more room to play postflop and you're not constantly worried about getting pot-committed. Playing super short can be profitable, but it's definitely less enjoyable.
In my experience, a 100BB minimum buy-in is much better than 50BB. With only 50BB, the game becomes too shove-heavy and you don't get much room to play postflop. I usually prefer buying in for 150–200BB if possible because it gives more flexibility and lets you take advantage of weaker players over time. A deeper stack definitely makes live poker more enjoyable.