Poker Night Essentials
Hosting the Perfect Poker Night. By Shawn Peters; Posted on December 11, 2018 December 13, 2018; Hosting a poker night at home is a great way to spend time with your buddies and (most importantly) maybe win some cash too. All you need is a poker table, two decks of cards, chips and a few pals who either know how to play or are willing to learn. The food you choose, or lack thereof, can make or break an otherwise successful poker night. One tip to really wow your poker buddies is to set out a buffet server. Make some meatballs and a couple of other warm dishes. Well fed guests are happy guests! What are the essentials to a poker night with the boys? A friend from my class is throwing a poker night tomorrow, for the guys in class and I was wondering apart from cards and a table, what do you guys bring to a poker night to make it more fun?
Having a poker night is one of my favorite ways to spend an evening in – it’s cheap, sociable, challenging, fun, and gives you a chance to win some money!
As a veteran of holding home poker nights, I know what the essentials are for holding a great one. From getting the mood right to having all the correct tools, these are the four things you need for a guys poker night like no other!
Get the right mood
Las Vegas has the glitz, the glamour, and the games, which is why it’s the mecca of gambling. But you don’t need to book a flight to the Nevada desert to get the spirit of Vegas, all you need is to get the right mood at your home poker game.
Setting the mood for your poker night in is simple, you just need to get a few basics right:
● Food: Quick and dirty snacks, such as crisps, are a must. Just make sure you have enough dips for all your guests!
● Drink: It’s not only about having a tipple for everyone, but you also need a place for people’s drinks to rest – if they’re too close to the table they’ll interfere with the game.
● Music: Something that’s not too involved is ideal – my personal pick is Cold Water Music, by Aim.
● Space: You need enough room for all the guys to feel comfortable, so pick an environment that doesn’t squeeze everyone in.
A decision on the game you’re playing
It’s really simple, your poker night will crash and burn if there’s no consensus on the game you’re going to play. This means it’s essential you decide what variant of poker best suits the night you want:
● Want a game that’s easy to play and moves rapidly? Pick Texas hold’em.
● Want something that’s gentle and involved? Opt for seven-card stud.
● Want to gamble methodically and intellectually? Choose Omaha hi-lo.
Once you’ve decided on the type of poker you’re going to play, you need to make a decision on whether it’s going to be a cash or tournament game. The differences between the two can be boiled down to this:
● In a cash game: players can cash out and rebuy at any time.
● In the tournament: you play until you’re out and then you’re out.
A grasp of the rules
While the type of evening you want influences the poker game you choose, a key detail to consider is the rules of the game.
Now, as you’d expect, some types of poker are more complex than others – for example, Texas hold’em can be learned in minutes, while Omaha hi-lo can take a long time to grasp. There are a couple of ways you can get around this:
● Have the hand rankings on the table during the game.
● Give your fellow players an overview of the rules.
If you opt for the former, make sure the hands can be seen by everyone. If you opt for the latter, you might want to send the guys a video by one of poker’s best teachers. My personal pick is Daniel Negreanu.
The appropriate tools
Alongside the atmosphere, one of the best reasons to play poker in a casino is that all of the tools and equipment you need are there for you – cards, chips, baize, and a dealer to keep things in check. To have a poker night that functions like no other, you need to have all these things to hand.
Now, you may be thinking: “I’ll get the cheapest options for each of these things.” This is a mistake, as I’ll explain:
● Cards: Cheap cards bend, meaning that they quickly become useless because people can see other players’ hands.
● Chips: I’m’ talking poker chips here. Lighter ones get lost easier, as they don’t sit as firmly on the table.
● Baize: This is the matt that rests on the table. You want your baize to be slick, but not too slick – if it is the cards will slip off!
● Dealer: Your dealer players a crucial role in your poker night – they keep the game flowing. Make sure your dealer is good at time management and knows how to shuffle!
While there’s plenty of inessentials you need for a guys poker night in, I’ve covered off the things you can’t live without. So, all that’s left is for you to tick off everything I’ve mentioned and arrange a guys poker night like no other!
Poker night is a rite of passage for many individuals. Not only is it a fun and class activity that can be partaken by both men and women, but it is also a great way to catch up with friends as you engage in some friendly competition.
Though hosting a poker night has numerous benefits, it can be a bit hard to pull off the perfect night especially when you are doing it for the first time. Having a little savoir-faire can go a long way in ensuring that you have a successful night. If your poker night becomes a smash hit, you can even make it a regular thing.
To ensure that execute the perfect poker night, here are some things that you have to think through:
The planning
Though you may be an undeniably first-rate poker player, you may be a little shorthanded when it comes to hosting the perfect poker night. This is why the planning phase is one of the most important stages of hosting the perfect event. As the host, you need to hit the jackpot on all levels; which means getting the ambiance, snacks and food, drinks, the entertainment, the poker essentials and even the poker players right.
Take your time during this phase to go through everything that is required for a successful night. Create a checklist so that you can be well organized- the last thing you want to do is wing it. It is the attention to detail that makes all the difference between creating an amazing bonding experience with your friends and throwing a crappy event.
Who’s invited?
Before you invite every Tom, Dick, and Harry, first determine how many people your space can accommodate. If you are strictly playing poker, it may be a good idea to invite between 8 and 10 players as that is the number a normal casino poker table accommodates. Choose the people that you want to invite wisely as you still want it to be a fun and relaxed atmosphere at the end of it all.
One of the best parts about hosting a poker night is the friends or colleagues that you invite. During that night, you will probably spend most of the time catching up and exchanging stories. As such, only invite individuals that will get along.
Don’t forget to include a mix of personalities and financial capabilities. You will definitely need some players with deep pockets. You know; those that aren’t afraid to keep going for a few hands even if they lose.
Determine the intensity of the poker night
Since you will be inviting a mix of individuals to partake, it is essential to set expectations for the intensity of the game. You might invite some action players that will have a conservative and serious approach to the game, which will make it harder for those attending on a ‘purely fun’ basis’ to enjoy themselves.
You might also invite a complete novice that might be iffy on the rules, which is bound to be a problem, especially when playing high stakes poker. Therefore, try and invite a mix of players to balance things out. If you do invite a complete beginner, be sure to warn them about the intensity of the night so that they can try and learn a few rules beforehand.
Get the essentials of the game
While any dining table will do the trick when playing poker at home, having a poker table and a set of chips will help you to recreate the casino atmosphere for the best experience possible. If you are not able to afford a table straight away, you can opt for a poker table top instead. Most poker table tops are 8-player and come complete with individual trays to hold poker chips, as well as drink holders so that you can be well hydrated throughout.
Poker Night Essentials
You will also need a quality set of poker chips to set the ball rolling. A chipset of 500 should be sufficient but it may be a good idea to have another set on standby. The majority of poker chip sets come with 4 differently colored chips, and you will need to determine what the value of each color is.
You will also need at least two or three decks of cards. While only one deck will be used at a time, the other decks will be on reserve so that you can keep the pace of the game moving.
Create the perfect atmosphere
Poker Night Essentials 1
Although recreating a casino atmosphere can be tasking, the right setting can help to make your night as close to the real thing as possible. Your room should be dim to create a more authentic casino ambiance. You will also need music to set the mood. The genre that you pick is really up to you. However, low jazzy tunes are a great pick as they will keep you entertained without being too distracting.
Snacks should also be included at a designated table, away from the poker action. You will want to go for simple snacks that can be eaten at a go such as chips, wings, nuts, pizza and so on. When it comes to drinks, it is important to keep your guests’ preferences in mind.
If you are not sure about what drinks to include, you can even ask your guests to show up with their favorite wine or growler of craft beer. Remember to include some non-alcohol options as well for the teetotalers and designated drivers.
Final thoughts
Poker Night Essentials Pdf
Poker night can be a pleasant and super rewarding experience for all involved. Rather than pull off a haphazardly planned event, you should take your time figuring out the specifics. This will not only ensure that you have fun, but it will also allow for some healthy rivalry that works to make the entire experience great for everyone.
If you do it and do it well, your poker night might just end up becoming a monthly or bi-monthly event. But no pressure; whatever you put together, you will still end up having great fun.