Agree your poker rebuy rules before play: the amount, limit and closing time.
The buy-in is the most important decision you make before a home poker game. Too low and nobody cares about their chips. Too high and the game creates real financial stress that changes how people play and whether they come back. Here's how to get it right.
Cash Games: How to Set Buy-In and Blind Levels
In a cash game, the buy-in is the amount of real money a player exchanges for chips. They can cash out at any time. The goal: each player starts with 100 big blinds, which creates enough play for the game to be interesting without being a short-stack shove-fest.
Scroll table horizontally →
| Buy-In | Blinds | Starting Stack | BB Depth | Game Feel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $20 | $0.10/$0.25 | 80 chips | 80 BB | Very casual, low stakes |
| $50 | $0.25/$0.50 | 100 chips | 100 BB | Casual/social |
| $100 | $0.50/$1 or $1/$2 | 100 chips | 100 BB | Competitive casual |
| $200 | $1/$2 or $2/$5 | 100 chips | 100 BB | Serious home game |
| $500 | $2/$5 or $5/$10 | 100 chips | 100 BB | High stakes home game |
$20
- Blinds
- $0.10/$0.25
- Starting Stack
- 80 chips
- BB Depth
- 80 BB
- Game Feel
- Very casual, low stakes
$50
- Blinds
- $0.25/$0.50
- Starting Stack
- 100 chips
- BB Depth
- 100 BB
- Game Feel
- Casual/social
$100
- Blinds
- $0.50/$1 or $1/$2
- Starting Stack
- 100 chips
- BB Depth
- 100 BB
- Game Feel
- Competitive casual
$200
- Blinds
- $1/$2 or $2/$5
- Starting Stack
- 100 chips
- BB Depth
- 100 BB
- Game Feel
- Serious home game
$500
- Blinds
- $2/$5 or $5/$10
- Starting Stack
- 100 chips
- BB Depth
- 100 BB
- Game Feel
- High stakes home game
Pro Tip
The simplest formula: big blind = 1% of buy-in. $100 buy-in → $1/$2 blinds. $50 buy-in → $0.50/$1 blinds. $200 buy-in → $2/$5 blinds. This always gives 100 big blinds to start.
Tournament Buy-Ins: What to Consider
Tournament buy-ins are fixed — everyone pays the same, gets the same starting stack, and plays until one player has all the chips (or a deal is made). The prize pool is usually the total buy-ins minus zero (home games rarely charge a fee).
Scroll table horizontally →
| Buy-In | Players | Prize Pool | Winner Takes | Stakes Feel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10 | 8 | $80 | $52 (65%) | Fun, no pressure |
| $20 | 10 | $200 | $100 (50%) | Casual competitive |
| $50 | 10 | $500 | $250 (50%) | Meaningful stakes |
| $100 | 12 | $1,200 | $480 (40%) | Serious game |
| $50 | 20 | $1,000 | $400 (40%) | Big night |
$10
- Players
- 8
- Prize Pool
- $80
- Winner Takes
- $52 (65%)
- Stakes Feel
- Fun, no pressure
$20
- Players
- 10
- Prize Pool
- $200
- Winner Takes
- $100 (50%)
- Stakes Feel
- Casual competitive
$50
- Players
- 10
- Prize Pool
- $500
- Winner Takes
- $250 (50%)
- Stakes Feel
- Meaningful stakes
$100
- Players
- 12
- Prize Pool
- $1,200
- Winner Takes
- $480 (40%)
- Stakes Feel
- Serious game
$50
- Players
- 20
- Prize Pool
- $1,000
- Winner Takes
- $400 (40%)
- Stakes Feel
- Big night
Rebuy Rules: Every Option Explained
- ▸No rebuys — purist format. Once you're out, watch from the rail. Cleaner but some guests dislike it.
- ▸One rebuy, early only — most common home game format. Allows one rebuy during the first 2-3 levels. After that, bust out = bust out.
- ▸Unlimited rebuys (add-on tournament) — anyone can rebuy as many times as they want during an announced period (usually first hour). Massive prize pool. Chaotic and long.
- ▸Unlimited rebuys for chips below starting stack only — you can rebuy to the starting stack, but only if you have fewer chips than you started with.
- ▸Rebuys only for busted players — if you're at zero, you can rebuy. If you still have chips, no rebuy. Most fair.
Stop doing the math manually.
HG Poker logs buy-ins and rebuys and suggests who pays whom after the chip count. Players pay each other outside the app. Try it on iPhone or Android.
Short Buy Rule for Cash Games
In cash games, some players try to sit down with far less than the standard buy-in. This is called a short buy and causes problems:
- ▸Disrupts bet sizing — players can't build proper pots against a short stack
- ▸Creates awkward all-in math constantly
- ▸Feels like someone is gaming the table (intentional short-buying is a strategy)
Standard fix: set a minimum buy-in of 40-50 big blinds. If the standard buy-in is $100 (100 BB at $1/$2), minimum buy-in is $50. Anyone coming in must buy in for at least $50.
How to Handle Mid-Game Rebuys
- 1Player announces they want to rebuy — do it at the end of the current hand, not mid-hand
- 2Collect the money first — chips go out only after cash is in
- 3Announce it out loud — "David is rebuying for $50" — the whole table hears it
- 4Log it in HG Poker immediately — not at the end of the night
- 5Confirm the rebuy amount — same as the original buy-in unless your house rules say otherwise
Watch Out
Never let chips leave your hand before money arrives. This sounds obvious but it's the source of disputes. Money first, chips second, every time.
Calibrating Buy-In to Your Group
The buy-in should feel meaningful but not stressful. A good test: if someone loses their buy-in, are they disappointed but fine, or are they genuinely upset for days? Aim for disappointed-but-fine. If the buy-in is causing real financial stress for any regular player, it's too high for that group.
"The best home game is one where everyone wants to come back. That means the stakes are high enough to care, low enough not to ruin friendships."
HG Poker tracks every buy-in and rebuy automatically. Set it up before the first hand and every chip is accounted for by the end of the night.
Ready to run a cleaner poker night?
HG Poker is free to download. Setup takes 2 minutes.
