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Poker School

Stakes in poker: learn about buy-ins and table stakes in poker

Before you sit down to your first cash game, there are certain basics you need to know, including:

Definition of a buy-in

The buy-in is the money you need to join any given poker game, which gives you your seat and a certain number of chips. At partypoker, most of our cash games have a minimum buy-in, which you’ll need to factor in when budgeting for your play. Some games have a maximum buy-in too, which puts a ceiling on how many chips players can bring to the game.

How much will it cost?

In limit games, the minimum buy-in is 10 times the big blind. So, in a $1/$2 limit game, you’ll need at least $20 to get started.

How table stakes work

Now you’ve got your chips, here’s how they work once you’re at the table:

You can’t add chips to your stack during a hand

If rebuys and add-ons are on offer, you need to wait until the hand is over before topping up your stack. Unless you’re not in the hand, in which case you can help yourself any time until the start of the next hand.

Chips on the table stay on the table

While you’re in the game, you can’t take chips away. Think about it. If everyone squirrelled away chips every time they could, there wouldn’t be any left to play for.