Simple question, but I dont know the answer.

[EjnarPik]

Hi all,

I live in Denmark, where Poker is only now beginning to emerge from the shadows of vice. (I always wanted to write that.)

Now my question is this:

Is there, in real life poker, a general rule for maximum buy-in's in No-Limit, table stakes games?

I had never heard of it before on-line poker began, and believe it to be something specific to on-line poker. (A minimum buy-in is of cource another matter, I guess everybody has those.)

Some of my friends believes it to be obvious that there should be a maximum buy-in, but I think they are affected by the poker they have seen on the net.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Ejnar Pik, Southern-Docks.

[Big Country]

Many of the games in Vegas have a fixed amount that you must buy in for, such as $100 or $200, no more, no less.

I am fairly certain some of the larger no limit cash games do not have a maximum buy in, but can't answer for sure as I do not play in them.

[La Brujita]

This doesn't exactly answer your question (actually much at all) but I was reading somewhere recently that in the big nl game the top players (Greenstein etc.)play in they limit the amount anyone can lose to $100,000 per hand. I guess that is a cap but a big one by a normal person's standards.

[The Goober]

Most live no-limit games that I see outside of vegas have a max buy-in, and I think a lot of vegas game do as well. Having a max buy-in is the only way to limit the stakes on a no-limit game - it what makes the game accessible to people who don't have large amounts of money (read $10k+) to lose. Otherwise, you run the risk of running into someone with much more money than you who will put you all-in every hand, just for fun. While you could probably make money off such a bully in the long run, its not a very fun way to play poker.

[thadrl]

HAving a max buy-in For NL is intended to promote game preservation. It tries to treat Nl like LImit, where you can only lose so much per hand. How many times have you seen the fish go bust, then dig in and buy another rack? And another, and another... In NL, these guys could lose it all in one go, get so upset that they never come back. So by capping the buy-in, it keep the fish from goign broke as quick.

The longer they play, the more raked hands they play. Its a ploy by cardrooms to increase their revenue. You only see it in public (BM and Online) rooms, or in friendly private games where everybody is a friend. The serious games (most) don't have a max buy-in.

Its too limiting of a factor on the game. Because natural selection will rear its head with the maniac putting you all-in every hand, eventually he will get busted.

[senjitsu]

General rule at most cardrooms is 100-200 big blinds. Online it tends to be much smaller -- around 50BBs.

The effect it has on the game is to make it more difficult to leverage the blinds preflop and to gdet more people in the hand.


[ QUOTE ]
Hi all,

I live in Denmark, where Poker is only now beginning to emerge from the shadows of vice. (I always wanted to write that.)

Now my question is this:

Is there, in real life poker, a general rule for maximum buy-in's in No-Limit, table stakes games?

I had never heard of it before on-line poker began, and believe it to be something specific to on-line poker. (A minimum buy-in is of cource another matter, I guess everybody has those.)

Some of my friends believes it to be obvious that there should be a maximum buy-in, but I think they are affected by the poker they have seen on the net.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Ejnar Pik, Southern-Docks.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Buz]

[ QUOTE ]
Is there, in real life poker, a general rule for maximum buy-in's in No-Limit, table stakes games?

I had never heard of it before on-line poker began

[/ QUOTE ]
Is "real life Poker" the usual home games with your buddies or is it the hard core, big money, professional gambler game; or are you referring to poker played in casinos?

Most home games of NL have a fixed buy-in. That way everybody starts out equal. Home games (which are primarily social events) are a lot more fun when everybody has an equal chance to be a winner.

Recently, casinos have figured out that lots of people want to play NL (because they see it on TV) but are afraid to play because they have a rational gambling budget. Just in the last month or two several casinos (in the Midwest USA) have started playing $50-$100 NL Hold'em. $50 minimum, $100 maximum buy-in. They have found this to be a very popular game among their "casual" poker crowd. These are casinos that did not offer Poker 2 years ago. The combination of on-line poker and the popularity of poker on television has made Poker a profitable game for the casinos.

Is there a "General Rule"? For home games, it is a fixed buy-in. For Casinos, it is whatever makes the most people bring money in.