if he is a LIMIT hold em player then i recommend the following breakdown...

100 gray/light blue ($0.50)
400 white ($1)
100 red ($5)
50 green ($25) or black ($100)

most of the time they will be betting using the white chips. the gray/blue chips are just for the blinds. the reds are just for when the whites run out, say in a 10-handed situation. the green/black chips will only be used in tournaments. i guess if it's a toss up between green and black, go for black, they are more badass because they are worth a lot in a casino.

for example, say he hosts a $1/$2 limit game with 10 players and a $50 buy-in. each player would get:

10 gray/light blue @ $0.50 = $5
40 white @ $1 = $40
1 red @ $5 = $5

example 2, say he hosts $0.25/$0.50 limit game with 10 players, $10 buy-in:

10 gray/light blue @ $0.25 = $2.50
15 white @ $0.50 = $7.50

ChezJ