[cubsfan970]

I've been trying to come up with a good break down for a chip set where I can have chips that are exclusively for tournament play and the other chips that are only used for cash games. What I have come up with is to use the Nexgen series chips for both. The following picture is of a spreadsheet containing the break down. I was thinking of T20,000 tournaments.

Does this seem right? Is there anywhere I can improve the set? Can I reduce the size? Do you think it is prudent to make the yellow/orange 2,500/10,000 instead of 1,000/5,000? (I know there was some debate on that in a previous thread.) Your comments would be greatly appreciated!

[Dimes]

If you want to reduce the number of chips, you could reduce the number of $500s by 5 to 12 and increase the number of $2500s by 1 to 5. That would reduce the number of $500 chips by 5 * 16 = 80. The total number of $2500s stays the same as you need 1 more starting chip, but one less colour-up chip. If you want to be even more economic, do the trick again and so everyone gets 15-7-6. Then you save another 80.

Aren't yellow and orange to close in colour for 2 "neighbour" chips?

TT

[Derryabu]

It's a bit hard to comment on your set up unless we know what your blinds are going to start at.If you go with the normal 50 times BB starting stack that would put your starting blinds at 200/400 so I would think each player would need more 100s to start with.
We play a T10,000 buy-in tournament with blinds starting at 100/200 and players recieving 20x100,10x500 and 3x1000 starting stacks.I then have T5000 chips for any buy-ins needed.
The jump from 500 to 2,500 to 10,000 seems a bit much IMO.

Derry

[CaptLego]

That looks pretty good to me.
I notice you're buying a lot more white and red chips than you need for your cash game (I assume the greens are for rebuys). Are these in anticipation of a higher stakes cash game? If not, then you could reduce your cash game set by 200 chips so you could afford more $100 and $500 chips for your tourney set.

[viet rounder]

I really have no recommendation for the chip quantity other then the fact that everyone should be given at least 20 chips.

I do have a general question though (maybe this deserves a thread of its own). Why do people use such high denominations? Unless, if you are actually using 500 and 1000, i see no reason to take myself out of reality. Personally, i like to see my chips represents its actual value, so when in play, i know exactly how much is the actual bet. For my tournaments, we use pretty much all $1 and $5 chips with minor 25cent chips early on for the blinds (but they get taken out pretty quick). Then depending on how many players actually enter the tourny, i may take out the $10 or $20 chips later in the event. Just my 2 cents

[Wylecoyo]

Originally Posted by viet rounder

I really have no recommendation for the chip quantity other then the fact that everyone should be given at least 20 chips.

I do have a general question though (maybe this deserves a thread of its own). Why do people use such high denominations? Unless, if you are actually using 500 and 1000, i see no reason to take myself out of reality. Personally, i like to see my chips represents its actual value, so when in play, i know exactly how much is the actual bet. For my tournaments, we use pretty much all $1 and $5 chips with minor 25cent chips early on for the blinds (but they get taken out pretty quick). Then depending on how many players actually enter the tourny, i may take out the $10 or $20 chips later in the event. Just my 2 cents

I plan on keeping and using my chips for years to come and based on historical trends in inflation and my anticipated vast accumulation of personal wealth I will have a need for a bunch of $500 and $1000 chips in my cash game before long.

At least this is what I keep telling myself.

[CaptLego]

Originally Posted by viet rounder[font=Verdana

I do have a general question though (maybe this deserves a thread of its own). Why do people use such high denominations? Unless, if you are actually using 500 and 1000, i see no reason to take myself out of reality. Personally, i like to see my chips represents its actual value, so when in play, i know exactly how much is the actual bet. For my tournaments, we use pretty much all $1 and $5 chips with minor 25cent chips early on for the blinds (but they get taken out pretty quick). Then depending on how many players actually enter the tourny, i may take out the $10 or $20 chips later in the event. Just my 2 cents[/font]

Since there's no one-to-one corespondence of chips to $ in a tourney, it doesn't really matter what buy-in you use (as long as the blinds structure is adjusted accordingly). So the most efficient chip-wise is to use the same chips for cash or tourney.

However, there are three good reasons why you might want the tourney to use different denoms:
1. You like the higher denom chips. This is my case, since I like to get the Egyptians octagons and plaques into play, but can't afford those stakes for a cash game.
2. You have a cash side-game, so you want to use different chips for the tourney and cash games. You can use the high denoms for tourney, low denoms for cash. (Of course, you could use two completely diferent sets for this purpose, too).
3. You want to pretend you're playing for high stakes, and just like the sound of saying "I'll raise $10,000".

There's also Wyle's idea, but somehow I don't think I'll live long enough, be good enough, or wealthy enough to ever say "I'll raise $10,000" in a cash game.

[Wylecoyo]

Originally Posted by CaptLego

Somehow I don't think I'll live long enough, be good enough, or wealthy enough to ever say "I'll raise $10,000" in a cash game.

Don't sell yourself short Capt - I would personally love to hear you make that statement in one of my future cash games - especially if I was holding the nuts, but I would still love to hear it.

[cubsfan970]

Thanks for all the helpful comments. I really appreciate it. I found this site after winning a free set of texas holdem chips from an association I belong to. This site has definitely been a blessing (very helpful and great people on here) and a curse (you definitely get chip envy and have a strong desire to upgrade and accumulate chips..bad on the wallet).

Aren't yellow and orange to close in colour for 2 "neighbour" chips?

I have some samples and I didn't think so. I am going to use the Nexgen 8000 series for the Blue through yellow chips due to the price difference (.12 vs. .18 per chip and purchase some of the Orange Nexgen 8002 for the additional color. There will also be a difference in chips due to the missing edge spot diamonds.

We play a T10,000 buy-in tournament with blinds starting at 100/200 and players recieving 20x100,10x500 and 3x1000 starting stacks.I then have T5000 chips for any buy-ins needed.
The jump from 500 to 2,500 to 10,000 seems a bit much IMO.

I guess I can plan on making it T10,000 tournaments. I was thinking 100x the big blind for starting chips but I wasn't committed to that. As far as the jump between chips...I was thinking this made more sense since the progression of chips is usually 4-5x the previous chip. Having both the 500 and 1000 chip seemed like having a $1 and $2 chip. It just seems too close in value.

I notice you're buying a lot more white and red chips than you need for your cash game (I assume the greens are for rebuys). Are these in anticipation of a higher stakes cash game? If not, then you could reduce your cash game set by 200 chips so you could afford more $100 and $500 chips for your tourney set.

After I came up with the chips needed, I figured that I might as well go ahead with more $1 and $5 chips in case I needed them in the future. (Although if I keep coming here...I'm sure I will have upgraded chips a few times.) The cost of a couple hundred more chips wasn't that bad and since I'm going to label them, it would be cheaper to do it all at once instead of adding more chips later. Also protects against the chips being discontinued.

I do have a general question though (maybe this deserves a thread of its own). Why do people use such high denominations? Unless, if you are actually using 500 and 1000, i see no reason to take myself out of reality. Personally, i like to see my chips represents its actual value, so when in play, i know exactly how much is the actual bet. For my tournaments, we use pretty much all $1 and $5 chips with minor 25cent chips early on for the blinds (but they get taken out pretty quick). Then depending on how many players actually enter the tourny, i may take out the $10 or $20 chips later in the event. Just my 2 cents

I would have preferred to have lower denoms for the tournament chips but I want to keep the cash/tournament chips different so there is never a chance that someone could hold onto a tournament chip and throw it into a cash game. I do believe most people are honest and wouldn't consider it but I think it is easier to just eliminate the possibility. I could consider bringing the $25 chip over to the tournament set and eliminating the Orange chip. The $25 cash chip was more for when people wanted to rebuy.

Thanks again for all the help!

[viet rounder]

I would have preferred to have lower denoms for the tournament chips but I want to keep the cash/tournament chips different so there is never a chance that someone could hold onto a tournament chip and throw it into a cash game. I do believe most people are honest and wouldn't consider it but I think it is easier to just eliminate the possibility.

The way i handle this is simple yet not exactly the cheapest way. I have 2 custom sets designed for tournaments and cashgame. The tournaments has a different color than the cashgame and the inlay states its a tourny chip.