Texas Hold Em Cash Game Rules

Texas Hold Em is played at many casinos around the world, but if you do not have easy access, you may choose to host one in your own home. If you decide to play a cash game and want to make it official, there are certain rules and standards that you should set that every player knows beforehand. These rules can keep the game organized and prevent disagreements during the game.

Cashier

Oftentimes during a cash game, money is exchanged for chips, so a cashier is needed to keep track of the money coming in and out. Assign yourself or a close friend as the cashier. Have the cashier count everything out loud and in front of the players to make sure it is legit. Keep track of the money using a notepad or a computer to log the information. This helps settle any disputes in the future.

Chips

Set the chip values beforehand. A typical casino cash game will feature $1 and $2 blinds, but a home game may lessen this to 25 and 50 cents in order to have more chips with less money. Once the blinds are set, they stay that way the whole time. Use preprinted chips or assign chips a value for each color. For example, a 25/50 cent game would feature white 25-cent chips, red 50-cent chips, blue $1 chips, and black $5 chips. If you have extra chips, you can add in a $2 chip as well. Use a sheet of paper to indicate the values so that there are no disputes.

Buy-Ins

Limiting buy-ins ensures that a steady amount stays at the table and players cannot simply bully their winnings by betting all of their chips at once to intimidate smaller chip stacks. For a 25/50 cent game, the typical maximum buy-in would be $50 dollars and the minimum buy-in would be $20. You can be flexible with this, but make sure that you state the maximum and minimum before the game starts.

Re-Buys

During a cash game players can buy-in at any time and that includes players who have lost all of their chips. A re-buy usually has the same minimum and maximums as the original buy-in. Add-ons can also take place for players who still have chips, but they can only add until they have reached the maximum.

Time

At casinos a player can leave anytime during a cash game, but in order to make things fair for players, you should consider a "call of time" for your own cash game. When a player wants to cash out, he must declare it 30 minutes beforehand so he cannot just win a big hand and leave.

Dealer

Designating an all-time dealer will help speed things up during a cash game. The dealer will help the game stay organized and shuffle faster, plus having a dealer makes for fewer disputes and makes the game more relaxing for other players.

References

• Poker Eagles