OK so it’s pretty easy and very obvious, but we like talking about it, so here’s a list of the 5 key things to remember when setting up and hosting your own poker night.
1. Get your own poker set – it’s worth it! Your own chips and felt add to the atmosphere and put you in the right frame of mind for a proper game of poker. Even a bit of green felt chucked over your kitchen table will do – it doesn’t have to have the markings on it but sets the scene nicely.
2. Get the beers and munchies in. If your opponents are drinking, it’s easier to take their money! Plus if people go out early they’ll want something to do. A good sideline activity for losers is to set up the Wii if you’ve got one, have a prop bet going on Tiger Woods golf or something to keep entertainment levels up. Alternatively feed your laptop into the TV for some online poker as long as it doesn’t distract from your core game.
3. Decide on the game you want to play. Ensure everyone knows the rules and have info on winning hands within easy reach or view if you have any newbies in the group. It’s not subtle but it will save them asking all the time and giving away their hands.
4. Agree on the chip values, buy-in amounts, total chips, starting blinds etc before the game. All of this will depend on how long you want the game to last and the flushness of your poker playing guests.
5. Also agree whether you’re allowing people to buy back in and what the limit is on number of re-buys. Re-buys are great to keep everyone involved but you could find yourselves in a never-ending game. Keeping re-buys to a minimum is sensible. For a quicker game, don’t allow them at all.