Hi Jezter,
In our poker games we normally start with a stack somewhere between 1500-2000 in total.
Chips are divided up into the following denominations:
x10 Red Chips at a value of 5 units each (50)
x20 Green Chips at a value of 10 units each (200)
x9 Blue Chips at a value of 50 units each (450)
x3 Black Chips at a value of 100 units each (300)
x1 White Chip at a value of 500 units each (500)
Blind Structure will be something like:
Level 1: 5/10
Level 2: 10/20
Level 3: 20/40
Level 4: 40/80
Level 5: Etc. Etc. Etc.
This makes up a grand total of 1500 and means that there aren't too many chips in play; which can be a pain for count-ups and chipping up when the blinds no longer call for the 10's and 20's. Blind level increases normally happen every 10-15 minutes depending on what time we start! In our games we normally have between 8-10 players and games can go on for up to 3, sometimes 4 hours if the action is slow.
To mix things up we often have side bets i.e. if you win a pot with 7-2 either by bluffing or at the show-down (this does often happen!), show your cards and each person at the table has to give you 100 chips. Although not strictly "proper" poker it does provide some great laughs, gets the action going and keeps people interested as they try and work out if their opponents are bluffing with the 7-2 or holding Aces.
I hope this helps.
Ed.