[flavah]

How is the show'em chips usually incorporated into home games?

[BrettButter]

I have heard of a few different ways:

Each player has the option of buying one at the beginning of the game for a set amount of money (generally $1 in low stakes games) - if bought, the player can use it the one time to look at someone's cards at the end of a hand. In this case, the "show one show all" rule wouldn't apply. After use of the chip, it is removed from the game. The money raised goes into the prize pool.

The game starts with a show-em chip in the first pot. The winner of the pot can use the chip to look at someone else's cards at the end of the hand. After using it on a person, the person it was used on now gains possession of the chip. They can use it in the same manner, and it is passed around for the duration of the game, or at the end of a certain time period (once you get shorthanded, you may want to remove it from play, or everyone will want to see every hand)

I choose not to use them in my game, but only due to the people I play with not liking the idea. I think it makes the game a little more fun.

[littlebu]

I had some and did it like this:

Buy one for 3X the BB (whatever it may be) when you buy-in. Each player was allowed to buy 1 at a full table 2 at 5 or less. When someone uses it you show them your cards, you collect their "show'em". It is now in your stack. You are then free to use it on someone else, or save it and cash it out at the end of the game. They didn't go over well with my group so I got rid of them, but that's how we used them.

[TC Valdez]

At the start of our game we give the option of buying a show me chip. They are $1. when they are used they go back into the rack.

The $1 pot builds and then the first person with 4 of a kind gets the money.

It adds a little more to our game. Everyone seems to enjoy it.

[beekeeper]

In our home game, everyone is given one "show em" chip with their starting stack. When the chip is used, it's removed from play. The player whom the chip is used on has the option of showing the table or just the person who spent the chip. If you take someone out who still had his/her show'em chip, you acquire that chip.

My group loves this chip. We use it strategically. It's become an important aspect of our game. Most folks hate to have the chip used on them, but it's kind of a badge of honor, too--it means that people think you're play is tricky or that you make good moves.

[Robot66]

In my game we use them similarly to Bee. Everyone gets one for free at the beginning of the night, and you have one shot to expose someone else’s hole cards (after play has concluded of course) at which time you loose your chip. We don’t require that the person using the chip is in the hand, and the cards are shown to everyone at the table.

Granted, our game is really low stakes, and more about beer and having a good time than winning cash, but people really seem to enjoy trying to be bluff catchers, or to confirm their read after a good lay down. It is also fun, and tilt inducing, when a you get down to 2 people left in the hand, one person bluffs the other off of the hand, and then a 3rd person will use their chip to show the person folding that they were had.

[Ontario Cop]

We also recently encorporated these chips into our home game with good success. I run a $.25/$.50 NL game with $25 buy-ins. Each guy usually buys in for a t least $75-$100 buy the end of the night so I add one Show-em chip to each starting stack. It works as a use it and lose it however whoever the chip get sused on must show the enitire table their cards. We also add that if someone busts out before using their chip it is lost.
It started with mixed reviews and the odd guy saying that he doesn't need it because he already can tell what cards people have (which you would think would make him win once in a while but apparently not) but now it is pretty well received and I generally bring my chips to other home games that I am involved in.