[Stapes41]

Soon I am going to be ordering some PI Clays or ASM's (or both) for our weekly cash game. We play .50/$1 NL and once a month $1/$2 NL. There is no min/max on buy-ins and usually about $300-500 in play by the end of the night with 8-10 players ($1,000 in the 1/2 game). For my set I am looking at denoms of $.50, $1, $5, $20. How many would you recommend for each? Can I pull this off with a 600 chip set or should I go 1000 to accommadate 8+ loose players who like big stacks? Any help is appreciated.

[Matthew]

120 x $0.50 = $60
200 x $1 = $200
120 x $5 = $600
60 x $20 = $1200

500 chip set for $1860 in play would do nicely, you don't need more than that for 10 players.

If you want really big chip stacks - go up to 800 chips - $3400 in play
200 x $0.50
300 x $1
200 x $5
100 x $20

[dad604]

You can go light on the $.50 as you will only need it for SB.

[Stapes41]

Thanks guys....based on your input and my observations from this weeks game (six players, $400 in play) I am going to go with a 1000 chip set trying to decide between these two options:

Opt. 1

400 $1
300 .50
200 $5
100 $20
$3550 total

Opt. 2

500 $1
300 .50
140 $5
60 $20

$2550 total

Even on the 1/2 nights I don't think we've come close to either of these numbers in play so I'm leaning to Opt. 2

[jdunford]

How many tables do you have going at once? That 1000-chip set would be good for about 3 full tables!

Playing $0.50/$1, I can't see needing more than 10 x $0.50 each, since you only need, at most, 2 of them once per orbit, and that's only if you never win a hand (i.e. you're good for at least 5 orbits if you always call from the small blind and you never win a hand). So basically, you shouldn't need more than a rack (100) of $0.50s per table.

Per table, I'd recommend no more than:

100 x $0.50
300 x $1
200 x $5
100 x $20
-------------
700 chips = $3,350

If you want it to fit nicely in one of those "mahogany" 750-chip cases, get 50 x $100 per table, just in case you need 'em (and especially if they're purdy!).

BTW, are you looking at joining the ASM 312 HH-mold Group-buy? For anyone who isn't aware, it'll be $0.50/chip (+ shipping, etc.) for blank spotted ASMs. Can't get quality clays for much less than that (with the exception of PI-clays, of course).

[jwdeane]

I run a weekly .50/1 cash game, and play a lot of 1/2 (in AC)

I have a 1000 (NEXGEN) set, which is way too many chips for a single table cash game (7-10 players).

When playing .50/1:
.50 chips - each player gets $5 worth (10 chips * 10 players = one rack)
$1 - workhorse chip, usually around $20 worth (20 chips * 10 players = 2 racks)
$5 - Fill in rest of buy in, 1 - 10 chips (10 chips * 10 players = one rack)
$25 - When stacks get deep, never more than 5 or 6 in play for .50/1

Total: 400, not including green. Just get some extra chips for all denoms, will be much less than 1000 chips.

When playing $1/$2:
Obv no .50 chip

$1 - Will be used for more than just blinds (20 chips * 10 players = 2 racks)
$5 - Workhorse, will be used most (40 chips *10 players = 4 racks)
$25 - Chip up when needed (1 chip * 10 players = 10 chips)
$100 - Not really needed, but could come into play if you want.

Total for both games:

.50 - 100 chips = $50
$1 - 300 chips = $300
$5 - 400 chips = $2000
$25 - 50 chips =$1250
= 3600 value in chips

$100 - Not really needed

= 850 chips, you will have extra.

[Damon]

Originally Posted by Stapes41

Soon I am going to be ordering some PI Clays or ASM's (or both) for our weekly cash game. We play .50/$1 NL and once a month $1/$2 NL. There is no min/max on buy-ins and usually about $300-500 in play by the end of the night with 8-10 players ($1,000 in the 1/2 game). For my set I am looking at denoms of $.50, $1, $5, $20. How many would you recommend for each? Can I pull this off with a 600 chip set or should I go 1000 to accommadate 8+ loose players who like big stacks? Any help is appreciated.

The green text says it all. 600 chips may not be enough for more than a couple of players to have big stacks and 1000 chips just seems overkill. I think 800 chips would be a nice Goldilocks sort of compromise - not to hot, not too cold. If you're playing mostly .50/$1 NL, then you shouldn't need more than one rack of half-dollars for the small blind. Keep in mind, those half-dollars won't even be in play in your $1/$2 game, so buying a ton of 'em is kind of a waste. I mean, I like big stacks too, but I wouldn't want more than one stack of .50 chips in front of me under any circumstances.

I'd go with:
.50 - 100 chips = $50
$1 - 300 chips = $300
$5 - 300 chips = $1500
$20 - 100 chips = $2000
-----------------
800 chips = $3850

It's VERY close to what Matthew recommended, only I swapped a rack of .50 chips for another rack of $5's. That should provide plenty of "workhorse" chips for both the .50/$1 and the $1/$2 games and some pretty large stacks without overdoing it on the half-dollars.

[MetalSlug3]

I think Matthew and Damon have made excellent recommendations for you to consider.

[Stapes41]

Thanks again guys for all of the help....here are a few more things to consider...maybe changes things:

1) I am pretty much settled on buying 1000 chips...mainly because I like using the acrylic carriers for my chips and heck you might as well fill the 1000 chip one!

2) In the .50/1 game pre flop the pots get raised a lot with an odd value, ie. $1.50, 2.50, etc. (don't ask me why, I guess we are oddballs) thus the reason for "extra" .50 chips as they would be in play more than just SB. Either way I agree that 300 may be too many.

3) I am in for the ASM group buy but actually will be doing a NCV set with those. Pretty sure this set is gonna be custom on the PI clay but still awaiting samples.

4) Everyone else check out the ASM GB so we can get it off the ground

[Damon]

Originally Posted by Stapes41

Thanks again guys for all of the help....here are a few more things to consider...maybe changes things:

1) I am pretty much settled on buying 1000 chips...mainly because I like using the acrylic carriers for my chips and heck you might as well fill the 1000 chip one!

2) In the .50/1 game pre flop the pots get raised a lot with an odd value, ie. $1.50, 2.50, etc. (don't ask me why, I guess we are oddballs) thus the reason for "extra" .50 chips as they would be in play more than just SB. Either way I agree that 300 may be too many.

3) I am in for the ASM group buy but actually will be doing a NCV set with those. Pretty sure this set is gonna be custom on the PI clay but still awaiting samples.

4) Everyone else check out the ASM GB so we can get it off the ground

1) ...or you could just put 800 chips into a 1000-chip acrylic carrier.

2) I know why. You must have too many .50 chips in your current set and people are trying to get rid of them.