Buyin for Cap games

What's a good buyin amount for a cap game?

Does it differ from a non cap game?

How and why?

whatever the cap is, I guess...but I wouldn't play cap games to begin with, since it cuts down on maximum edge of a fullstacked game, increasing the % of losing players' money that goes to the house not the winners.

They don't seem have much difference at all. It is still depend on how you play on the table game

There's a huge difference. In addition to what d'wilius said, effective stacks should be forcing play to change dramatically. If effective stacks are 100bb's, the game plays very differently than if effective stacks are 30bb's (I don't know off the top of my head what the cap translates to in bb's, I never play these), and both play very differently from 200bb effective stacks.

The cap is .80c or 40bb's...

Ah, ok - simplistic example:

Imagine that we open KsKd utg at 4xbb and get called by btn, blinds fold, so the pot is 9.5bb's. Flop is Th9c6h.

At 40bb's starting effective stacks (36bb's remaining), we're very happy to pot the flop (say 9bb's, 25bb's now remaining) and call all in if btn raises. We don't really care that the flop is wet, our stack to pot ratio dictates that we're ok w getting it in.

At 100bb's starting effective stacks (96bb's remaining), we're less thrilled w this flop (depending on villain types). If we bet 9bb's (87bb's behind) and get raised, we're going to have to decide how many draws are in villain's range and what our equity is against those ranges if he raises. Getting all in on the flop isn't a concern - we're probably not going to shove over a raise in this spot, so there's too much behind to get all in on the flop - but we do have to worry about turn cards, we're out of position, etc.

At 200bb's starting effective stacks (196bb's remaining), we're even less thrilled. There's too much money behind for us to be excited with this flop for our hand. That's not to say that we're necessarily folding to a raise, but we have to be thinking ahead and deciding how much money we're willing to commit out of position with lots of horrible cards that could show up on the turn and river, and we have to think about how btn will be playing the hand (for example, is he going to bet any flush/straight card that hits the turn regardless of his actual hand) and whether we can realistically take this hand to the river.

I understand the concept of a cap game and the way that will dictate play - The game in question is Cap Omaha PL. How many "caps" should I sit at the table with? Does it even make a difference?

It's like 0 - $1,000,000.

As long as you auto top off to the cap, the cap is sufficient, buying in for more than the cap is practically irrelevant to the play of the game obv. Or you could buy in for some multiple of the cap if you're not auto topping off. But it doesn't make a practical difference.

From a psychological perspective, sitting down w more than the cap can have an effect, but meh imo. I've seen people sit down w, say, $100 at a $0.01/$0.02 limit game for example, I assume to intimidate other people at thte table or because they didn't bother to specify a realistic amount when they bought in. Regardless, I tend to think it's silly rather than intimidating.

Thanks for the info.

I just saw a guy with $1,217 at at .01/.02 table.

LOL. I wouldn't know if I would be more intimidated or just bust out laughing. I would definitely mix it up with him though. I would buyin for 100bbs and auto top off.