What's Good Home Game Chip Allocation ?

jArgHA

was wondering if someone can suggest a suitable format for home game chip allocation, rebuys, and freezeout times etc..

i've been playing holdem in home games for a few months (usually 5-6 players each night) and we need to change the betting format - at present play no limit holdem, blinds don't increase, and one can buy in at any stage, and leave at any stage (and cash out). the result is that the game lasts too long, and not raising the blinds doesn't put enough pressure on the weaker players...

want to start playing to a format where 1st place takes majority of pot and 2nd place maybe 20EUR or so (and also can you recommend how often blinds are doubled) ?

cheers,
jAH

Lafortezza

It kind of depends on how the players at the table play.
You could try setting a rule that at the end of every 45 minutes or hour that the blinds increase. Or else whenever a player leaves the blinds double.
It also depends how many times you'd like people to rebuy, big blinds mean their stacks won't last long if they keep folding.

Next game you're playing decide on some system of raising blinds, like every half hour go from 10c-20c to 20c-40c or whatever stakes you play for. Then if the game is going too slowly or too quickly say that one hour from now we'll raise the blind to x-y, or place a freeze on the blinds. No need to double blinds as a rule, just put them to whatever makes the game interesting.

Cash games usually work that you cash in whatever chips you have in front of you at the end of the night. You could play it the way we played in Dev's where 1st, 2nd, 3rd place took a half, a third and a sixth respectively of the total money from buy-ins and re-buys.

BTW Where are you based when you play your home games?

MrPudding

I have only played one home game so far (having one this saturday if you are interested though). We kinda played it by ear with regards to rebuys and blinds and so on. With that night behind me I would recommend starting with arround €1000 worth of chips. Only allow rebuys for a limited time, maybe 90 or 120 minutes. When we played we didn't move the blind very frequently, this I would definatly change. Also, work out the blind increase schedule in advance, do not say "we will look at it in an hour" This is setting you up for a problem as the small stacks will not want the blinds raised.

I think if you keep the structure close to that which they use in the clubs it will go well. On Saturday night I am hoping that we will be raising the blinds every 20 or 30 minutes but it will be organised in advance so everyone know exactly when they will be increasing.

On the prize front the structure was:

1st 1/2
2nd 1/3
3rd 1/6

For us this amounted to €115, €75 & €40 or there abouts.

Hope this helps

MrP

jArgHA

thanks for the tips guys, i think we'll prolly decide on something like the following:

blinds start at 10c-20c and double every 45 mins
re-buys allowed for up to 120 mins after play begins
1 re-buy allowed per player
freezeout begins after 120 minutes
first place takes 0.66 * Pot, 2nd place 0.33 * Pot (usually play with no more than 6 ppl, so i think 3rd place may be going too far back...)

lafortezza - i'm based down in Cork, home games on wed/thurs. i must drop up to the big smoke at some stage for the thursday night fitz experience, home games are fun but u get to know your opponents too well after some time...

krattapopov

me and my mates play a freezeout game, blinds increasing every 30 minutes and the winner takes all

im taking the next one, thats right davey devil, ill probably be very drunk, but im going to win

Davey Devil

I think your already drunk, I have one the last four in a row Kratta

krattapopov

dont you know anything, all great empires crumble..... as will you