How much money do you need for a home poker game?
Bring two to three buy-ins. For a typical $20 home game that is $40 to $60, which covers a rebuy without anyone having to decide mid-evening whether they are allowed one. Agree the buy-in and any cap before the first hand, not during it.
The buy-in is the number to agree on, and the thing to agree with it is whether rebuys are unlimited. A table that has not discussed this is the table that later has a problem with someone who cannot settle.
For a tournament everyone puts in once and the money is fixed from the start, which removes the question entirely. It is one of the reasons a tournament format suits a group that includes people who do not play often.
Whatever the amount, the useful rule is that it should be small enough that nobody at the table is thinking about it at two in the morning. Home games end over money long before they end over rules.
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