Cake Poker Increases Minimum Buy-ins for NL Holdem

Cake Poker just announced that they are increasing their minimum buy-ins for their NL Holdem ring games starting this April 8, 2010. Cash game buy-ins will be bumped up from 20 BB to 30 BB in order to mitigate the effects of short stack play and increase the fun and competitiveness for players. For players who enjoy playing a short stack poker game,  20 BB tables in low stakes games will still be available.
 
Cake Poker’s card room manager Lee Jones explained the change in a recent press release:
 
“We realize that the issue of ‘short-stacking’ is a contentious one. It’s completely within the rules of poker to play a short stack as long as you buy in for at least the minimum amount. For that reason, we were hesitant to make any changes in our minimum buy-ins. However, taken to their extreme, short-stack strategies all but eliminate any post-flop play in no-limit hold ’em. Furthermore, online poker allows players to double up their short stack and then immediately leave their table and move to another one – something that would be impossible in “brick and mortar” poker. For that reason, we felt obliged to make a change that would ensure those who want to play larger stacks have an environment in which they can do that. We believe that moving to a 30 big-blind minimum buy-in will accomplish this.
 
We do, however, understand that many people prefer to play shorter stacks simply because it reduces their exposure to one very good second-best hand costing them a large amount of money. Also, many cash game novices prefer to play with shorter stacks while getting their feet wet in cash game play; it’s definitely a different environment than tournaments. Therefore, in our smaller games, we will offer “shallow” tables, which will have a buy-in range of 20-50 big blinds. Those games will be a great training ground for the newbies and a place where the short-stack specialists can practice their craft. We will, of course, continue to offer 30-100 big-blind buy-in games at those stakes as well.”
 
Cake Poker is committed to being the most fun and rewarding site in online poker. This change reflects that commitment.