Host Your Own Poker Night
Posted By admin On 15/03/22Aug 21, 2018 Of course, the best things about a home game is there are no stuffy casino rules to abide by, you can bring your own refreshments, and you can take the game as fast or slow as you want. Everyone knows that the good old U.S. Of A is the spiritual home of poker. It’s no secret that most online casinos are illegal here. A quality chip set might not loosen up the action, but it'll certainly give your home game a professional feel and will leave your friends nodding their heads with approval whilst thinking back to how great your poker night was. Put Your Cards On The Table If you don't have a huge place with its own man cave, a custom-built poker table with. If you’re tired of waiting for one of your buddies to organize one, you can take the initiative and host a few of your own. In this article we’ll talk about the key things you will want to keep in mind to have an awesome poker night with your fellow Gents. Beyond that, you're on your own. Have plenty of drinks and snack food, making sure the snacks you serve aren't likely to leave a residue. Some players like to establish a ground rule that no food can be eaten at the playing tables, and that all drinks must be set somewhere other than on the playing tables (e.g. A nearby end table). Hosting a home poker tournament takes more than a deck of cards and a few beers. You need the right mix of players, a decent playing surface, not to mention a set of chips.
How to Establish and Host a Regular Poker Night
Hosting a poker night is a great way to spend an evening and if you and your friends enjoy it, it can become a regular occurrence. You won’t need much to host the perfect poker night except decks of cards, chips, a good-sized table, and plenty of snacks and drinks of course! Here’s everything you need to know about establishing a regular poker night.
Plan Well In Advance
While hosting a poker night seems simple enough, you need to make sure that you have everything needed to play poker including multiple decks of cards, chips, and a large, sturdy table. You should also consider creating a playlist for the evening to set the mood and decide if you’re going to supply snacks and drinks for your guests or whether every person should bring what they want.
Learn Everything about Poker
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As the host of the poker night, we don’t suggest asking your guests to help you play the game. If you’re serious about hosting, you should absolutely learn everything there is to know about poker before sending out the invites. Fortunately there are plenty of resources online to help you learn all the ins and outs.
Decide on the Level of Play
Once you’ve sent out the invites, you and your guests need to decide on the level of play. While there may be a few guests who are well-versed in poker and major fans of betting sites, you’ll likely also have novices in the group and it won’t be a lot of fun if they get knocked out on the first hand. Decide on the level of intensity and don’t allow the more experienced players dominate from the get go.
The Poker Table and Chips
While using a real poker table adds to the excitement and real-feel of the evening, purchasing one can be a costly exercise. Fortunately, it isn’t really necessary to purchase one and any large table will do the trick. If you would like for it to be more authentic, you can always purchase a felt table topper, but you shouldn’t skimp on the chips. We suggest purchasing a 500-chip set.
Be Consistent in Your Plan
If you plan of the poker night becoming a regular occurrence – either weekly or monthly – you will need to be consistent in your plan. If you decide on every Friday night or every 1st Saturday of the month, be sure your friends are all aware of the plan. If not all the guests can make it, don’t cancel or move the date, rather invite friends from a different social group or have guests bring along some new faces.
Snacks and Drinks for the Night
A poker night can take several hours to be concluded and you’ll need to ensure that your guests are well fed and watered throughout the night. You’ll need to establish whether you will cater for your guests, whether they will bring along their own snacks and beverages, or you can always keep it simple with pizza and beer.
Poker night with the guys. Cards, food, music, maybe even some cigars to go along with your beverage of choice? Many great memories have been made over games of cards, but those games don’t come together by accident. They take smart planning. If you’re tired of waiting for one of your buddies to organize one, you can take the initiative and host a few of your own. In this article we’ll talk about the key things you will want to keep in mind to have an awesome poker night with your fellow Gents.
Who, When, and Where
Who
Keep in mind that not everyone you invite is going to be able to make it any given week. Also keep in mind that at a certain number, a game becomes more difficult to manage. Consider having an invite list of up to 12-15, while limiting attendance to 6-8 to start. After you’ve hosted a few you’ll have a better sense of RSVP dynamics and how to plan. Don’t go for a weekly game to start. Try monthly and see how it goes from there.
When
You can’t pick a day and time that will work for everyone all the time, but it should work for everyone at least some of the time. Rather than torture yourself with a giant email chain, consider using a tool like Doodle that is purpose built for finding a common meeting time.
Where
You don’t have to have a specialized poker table, but wherever you have the game should have enough room for everyone to sit around the table comfortably, and if cigars are involved, where you can smoke.
What Version of Poker?
The most popular variation, popularized by all those World Series of Poker tournaments, is Texas Hold'em. Make sure you know your audience’s range and plan accordingly. Newbies might want to study up and hard-core enthusiasts who can name a dozen professional players without hesitating should know not to be too hard on newer players. Remember the goal isn’t to crush your opponents, but to have a good night with the guys.
Supplies
Game Gear
You’re going to want two decks of cards; make sure the second deck is always shuffled and ready to go so you can seamlessly move on when you run through the first deck.
You will also want a 500-chip set and possibly a table-topper to give your game an authentic look and feel without shelling out for a genuine poker table.
Rules
A buy-in game is pretty common but payouts vary: some prefer a winner-takes-all settlement at the end of the night, others split out the pot in descending order. Again, your buy-in doesn’t need to be $1000 per person: it could be as simple as $25 or $50. If you have any house rules you should all agree to them ahead of time and on an ongoing basis.
Food
While it’s fun to eat at the table, we’ve learned the hard way that for some reason green felt attracts spilled alcohol or dropped chicken wings. Have a designated snack table away from the action, but not so far away that those out of the hand and taking a break can’t follow along. Keep the food simple: things like chips and dip, nuts, and wings.
Drinks
The easiest way to handle drinks is always a six pack of someone’s favorite beverage, but if you want to step things up a notch you can also ask for one ingredient of a classic cocktail so that those who want to make one can do so.
Music
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Those of you who’ve been inside our clubs know that we prefer our music classic and mellow: think Frank Sinatra or a long Miles Davis set. This keeps the aspiring karaoke singers quiet and the the mood perfect for conversations, which is half the reason to get together in the first place.
When done well, poker nights are a perfect time to bond with your band of brothers without waiting for a special occasion. That’s something worth putting in some effort to make happen.
Anything else you’d add to our list for poker game beginners? Share in the comments below.
About Ben Davis
A serial entrepreneur, Ben Davis is founder of The Gents Place and a leading investor in gentlemen's refinement and confidence.