Home Game - PL or NL?

[Idaho]

I am just on the threashold of setting up a home game (HE tourney followed by dealer's choice) and was thinking of making it PL as standard. What does everyone think?

[ballbp]

When it's my night to host a game I have a NL tourney with a limit ring game starting after a few people get knocked out. It works well for us and no one has to watch much. If the first game ends quickly we can always start another tourney.

[howzit]

unless you're familiar w/PL betting, go w/ NL.

Counting out the pot slows down the game.

[Dias]

unless you're familiar w/PL betting, go w/ NL.

Counting out the pot slows down the game.

Agree with howzit here

Slows it down alot actually

[Idaho]

Counting the pot isn't that hard! That's why we use coloured chips surely?!?

I thought the advantage of PL - especially when there are some beginner players on board - would be to avoid pre-flop all ins, and hence make for a steadier game.

I thought the advantage to making everything PL would be that we could move smoothly on to dealers choice and play PL for everything there. NL draw and stud are a bit strange. No?

[howzit]

When people bet pot, inexperienced players have no clue how much is in the middle. Then the game stops as the dealer puts down his cards, stacks up chips, then declares how much the first bettor must bet.

Not a problem with experienced players, but some players do this:

Me: "I bet pot"
Clueless/Inexperienced: "I call"
Me: "That's $xx"
Clueless: "How do you know? Count out the chips"
Me: "You should know how much is in the middle."
Clueless: "Why?"


Interesting point on not changing betting structures for dealer's choice games. Playing with a spread limit might work because of its simplicity.

It's relative to experience and personal perferences.

[snoogins47]

I'd suggest NL, because like was said, the game will be a tad speedier, and the worse players will stand a bit more of a chance.

[JohnnyCache]

You could impose a reasonable single bet limit, like a quarter of the buy in for a bet with three raises allowed :)

You can have a 'limit' without imposing the super-rigid structure of 'limit poker' - just say a bet has a minimum and an upper limit, with a set number of raises.

[Idaho]

Hmm.. maybe the idea of a standard house rule of PL is impractical. I think I just liked the idea of it.

The tourney will be either a £5 or £10 buy-in (Thats about $10 or $20). Maybe I will just make that No limit. Snoogins, you reckon that will favour the beginners? How so? I would have thought PL would limit how many of their chips they could loose to me in any one hand

The cash game after will have a £10 ($20) max buy-in (I don't want anyone to go bust playing in my house - just a bit of competitive fun). Maybe JohnnyCache's idea for a maximum bet and a bet cap would work. I just wonder if it would make things complicated if we are switching between games.