[checkm8r]

We normally play NL tournaments or limit Holdem, but I'm thinking of starting up a NL ring game. For Limit Holdem, I've read the rule of thumb for Buy-Ins and Swings (i.e., the expected amount of money won/lost in an evening) are:

Limit Holdem:
- Buy-in = 30 - 40 x Big Bet (e.g., $1/$2 Limit, buy-in = $60 to $80)
- Swings = 20 x BB (typical), 50 x BB (rare), 100 x BB (max in home game)

Are there similar rules of thumb that apply to NL games?

I'd think that NL could get out of hand, no matter how small the blinds are. Just wondering how much money I should tell everyone to bring.

Thanks

[jojobinks]

i recommend capping the buyin, and then suggesting that people bring 3 or 4 of those.

rocks'll lose less, obviously, and fish and drunks can lose 4 buyins in a night.

i've bought in 4 times more often than i like at 50xbb home games.

[Brent]

For NL, I would make the minimum buy-in 50xBB and the max 100xBB (BB being big blind, not "big bet" as in limit). So if you are running a .25-.50 NL game the buy-in range is $25-$50. Yeah, like Binks said...I would recommend people bring 3-4 buy-ins.

[Spaceman Spiff]

One rule of thumb I've heard is 100xBB for NL games. But I agree with jojo, just set a cap. When we used to play some .25/.50 NL, we played a $20 max buy-in. Pretty low, but after a few hours, you'll still have some big stacks built to some crazy numbers. Depends on what your group is comfortable with. Just by the nature of NL though, it can get kind of hard to control after a few hours of play and a few buy-ins. If you don't want the wild swings, stick to a limit ring game.

[jojobinks]

IMO, 100Xbb is too deep for players that are fishy. if you're concerned about them losing too much and not coming back, shorter stacks are better. guys that don't know how to lay a hand down should NOT be playing deep stacks unless they don't care about money.

[Harlequin011]

Originally Posted by jojobinks

IMO, 100Xbb is too deep for players that are fishy. if you're concerned about them losing too much and not coming back, shorter stacks are better. guys that don't know how to lay a hand down should NOT be playing deep stacks unless they don't care about money.

Agreed, Poker should be more about the thrill of the game than the money changing hands.

50 X BB allows for people who haven't played or have limited exposure to the NL have some fun. At that level, there should be enough action. If it isn't, then you can up the buy-in after a couple of sessions.

Also, Make sure everyone knows the rules with NL. Get very particular and post em somewhere.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by jojobinks

IMO, 100Xbb is too deep for players that are fishy. if you're concerned about them losing too much and not coming back, shorter stacks are better. guys that don't know how to lay a hand down should NOT be playing deep stacks unless they don't care about money.

Well, yeah...which is why I think anywhere between 50-100xBB is good. Playing with anything less than 50xbb is just too short-stacked for my tastes.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Originally Posted by jojobinks

IMO, 100Xbb is too deep for players that are fishy. if you're concerned about them losing too much and not coming back, shorter stacks are better. guys that don't know how to lay a hand down should NOT be playing deep stacks unless they don't care about money.

Oh yeah, for a bunch of beginners or even a friendly game, absolutely. Guess I should clarify that I've heard 100x as a rule of thumb if you're in a casino NL game.

But again, with the nature of a NL game, it almost doesn't matter what you start out with. If it's short stacks, you're going to have a bunch of bust-out/rebuys and the stacks will eventually get deep. I lost a $70 pot playing .25/.50. In another game I played in, a guy dropped 5 hundy playing .50/1. The longer a game goes on, the bigger problem this will become as more money keeps getting added to the table.

Like I said before, if you're really concerned about things getting out of hand and you expect the game to go on for several hours, I highly recommend just making it a limit game. You can play 1/2 or 2/4 even, still be able to make it "worthwhile" stakes, but limit some of the downside loss potential.

[hachkc]

For limit, I generally adhere to the rule of 20-30 big bets ($2 for a $1/$2 game) as a good buyin. I usually have a bit more in my pocket but if I drop $60 in a 1/2 limit game, might be time to take a break and look at my play.

For NL, I advice against a 100XBB buyin for newer players. I'd probably look at the players and decide how much they'd lose at twice the max buyin. If its a decent chunk of change for most of them, try lowering the stakes or lowering the max buyin. Personally, I like to buyin for around 50-70xBB and leave some buffer money in my pocket.

[Quads]

Depending on the game and the stakes, I at times cap the buy in, other games, I do not. Chip amounts are based on a few factors. All the games I host are NL. Once in a while, PL.

If I host a smaller stakes game, say anything from $1/2 to $2/5 blinds, I typically cap the buy in at $300. People buy in for the max. I'll have a full table of 9 to 10 players all night)

If I host a game with $5/10 or $10/20 blinds, I don't cap the buy in. People buy in for anywhere from 100 to 300X the BB, at times, more, depending on the players.

That being said, what ever the buy in is, I need enough chips to cover all players in low and larger denoms. Typically, in the smaller game, I'll just put $1's and $5's out on the table and when people start rebuying, I furnish rebuys in $25. If someone buys in for $200, I'll give them $180 in red and $20 in white ($1's)

For the other game, I'll do reds and greens. And at rebuy time, typically just greens or black.

What I want, is enough chips on the table for the players, enough smaller denoms that players are not constantly making change with one another, and, for the players that like it, big stacks, lots of chips.

Other players who have a preference, (one guy in my games for example) buys in for $500 and only wants a stack of green. There is always enough red on the table for him to make change for his blinds.

So based on your group, number of players, etc, figure what the buy ins are, the number of chips per person, X number of players to get started and then figure rebuys into that, with either the same denom chip, or a colored up chip.

I'm sure there are 100 different ways to get to that number, but that's what I've found to work best for me.