[erikk]

OK so I'm an idiot. I got a 1255 piece set of pharaohs for a tournament set and cash game set at the same time. I host a 40 person tourney every few months and I start with t10,000 like the WSOP: 8 $25, 8 $100, 4 $500, 2 $1000 and 1 $5000. I was originally going to use $5 red chips as $5000's but since then I got 60 Egyptians plaques to use. So my breakdown is:

Blue - $.25 - 200
White - $1 - 100
Red - $5 - 75
Green - $25 - 320
Black - $100 - 320
Purple - $500 - 160
Orange - $1000 - 80
Plaque - $5000 - 60

So I have the exact starting stacks for all 40 players, 20 extra $5000 plaques and a cash game set made of $.25, $1 and $5 that can play for $525 in cash (that's a little weak also, I realize that).

So how am I an idiot? Anyone see it coming? Ok, how do I color up? I only got enough chips to exactly buy in everyone and then 20 extra plaques and the plaques really aren't any help coloring in $25 chips. And without coloring up the greens I really don't have enough cash chips to handle the side cash game; with the greens I'm fine there tho.

So I think these are my options:

blow the wad: buy 80 more $100 blacks to color up the $25 greens directly AND buy 80 more $500 purples to color up the $100 blacks; plus buy 200 more $1 whites and 25 more $5 reds
middle ground nice: buy 80 more $500 purples to color up both the $25 greens and $100 blacks (requires making change with the big stacks); buy 100 more $1 whites and 25 more $5 reds
middle ground cheap: buy 80 more $500 purples to color up both the $25 greens and $100 blacks (requires making change with the big stacks)
be a cheapskate: don't buy anything, wait until we've got huge stacks and color up by making a lot of change with the big stacks

So what does anyone think? Which would you do? Any other alternatives I might have overlooked? Buying 40 $1000's to do the color-ups? Something else like that (40 $500's and 20 $1000's)?

[SpaceMonkey]

Definitely middle ground. With 40 people, there's enough blacks in play already, you can just color up with purples making some change. Heck, I tend to do that as much as possible in my 6-12 people tourneys. As to which middle ground, how often do side cash games get going at your events? How many people are playing, and for how much?

[erikk]

Every tourney we have at least 20 people playing in the cash game until the tourney dies. Normally it's $.50/$1 NL dealers choice with a $50 max/min buy-in. BTW the tourney is a $60 buyin with $10 in bounty. I'd say we get another $1000-$1500 in cash in the cash game going. But often the cash game fluxes in players (first 5 out play for a couple hours then half of them leave and the another 5 come in from busting out etc) so I wouldn't say we have that much in cash on the table at 1 time.

EDIT: one other thing I was thinking that it'd be good to be able to support a couple more than 40 if we had extra people show up (we frown upon that as the evite is first come first serve). So I'm thinking maybe the best idea is to get 60 $500s and 20 $1000s. That way if I have 2 extra people show up I can start them off with 10 $1000's each and still fairly easily color up the $25s and $100s

[CaptLego]

Originally Posted by erikk

EDIT: one other thing I was thinking that it'd be good to be able to support a couple more than 40 if we had extra people show up (we frown upon that as the evite is first come first serve). So I'm thinking maybe the best idea is to get 60 $500s and 20 $1000s. That way if I have 2 extra people show up I can start them off with 10 $1000's each and still fairly easily color up the $25s and $100s

I don't see how this could work.... starting somebody out with only $1000 chips, when there's nobody at the table able to make change for one?

I like your middle-nice plan, but don't see how this could support more starting players.

[ElitePoker]

What about just making your tourney T5000 instead of T10000?

[erikk]

Lego:
Everyone starts with:

$25 - $200
$100 - $800
$500 - $2000
$1000 - $2000
$5000 - $5000

Why couldn't someone at the table give one of the people with 10 $1000 chips 4 $25, 4 $100 and 1 $500 for one of the $1000 chips?


Elite:
I really like the WSOP-esque T10,000 starting stack. We're used to the structure. Besides call me stupid but it somehow makes me feel like it's practice for the first few hours of a WSOP event.

[Dwight87]

Sell your pharaohs and buy some WSOP replicas.

[erikk]

See dwight the correct chiptalker response is:

Keep the pharaohs and get a WSOP replica set for your tourneys.

I'll tell you what, if the edgespots lined up I would do just that (well not the keeping and buying a second set, the selling and buying). I know they look amazing and I was on the fence for a bit even with the edgespots not lining up but that tiny flaw is what kept me from jumping (and the fact I got the plaques to round out the set).

[Dwight87]

Originally Posted by erikk

See dwight the correct chiptalker response is:

Keep the pharaohs and get a WSOP replica set for your tourneys.

I'll tell you what, if the edgespots lined up I would do just that (well not the keeping and buying a second set, the selling and buying). I know they look amazing and I was on the fence for a bit even with the edgespots not lining up but that tiny flaw is what kept me from jumping (and the fact I got the plaques to round out the set).

Oh yeah! Buy both! I did, and I am loving it. For bigger tourneys I plan on using my pharaohs and wsop replicas at the same time (different tables) then create a final table with the higher denom wsop replicas only.

The edgespots not lining up doesn't bother me. I see your point when I'm just admiring them but I really don't pay attention to it when the game is on. Perhaps you can get a small set and see how you like playing with them with just a few friends. You mimick your tourney after the WSOP setup, how cool would it be for you and your buds to get the closest chips possible?

By the way, do you get a bracelet for the winner? You can pick up a cheap one and label it just for kicks. I'm using a medi alert bracelet, heh.

[erikk]

Originally Posted by Dwight87

By the way, do you get a bracelet for the winner? You can pick up a cheap one and label it just for kicks. I'm using a medi alert bracelet, heh.

AHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!! That is the best idea ever. I was thinking about some sort of trophy to the winner but that is so much better. I'm gonna have to find some cheap ass bracelet I can have engraved or something.