How to Host a Poker Night

The popularity of poker has exploded across the country thanks largely to the television coverage of The World Series of Poker, and other tournaments. This has resulted in a large number of home poker games across the country. If you're interested in hosting a home poker game for your friends, here's how to get started.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Table and chairs
• Poker table or poker table top (optional)
• Playing cards
• Poker chips
• Snacks
• Beverages

Preparing for Your Poker Night

1. Make sure you have a chair and enough room at the table for each guest that will be playing poker. Your guests should have room for their chips, a beverage and snacks they will be eating during the game. If you have a poker tabletop, or better yet, an actual poker table, this will have poker chip holders and beverage holders for your guests making your job easier.

2. Make sure you have plenty of poker chips to supply your guests with. If you are playing a standard game and not a tournament you will want to have enough chips for everyone to purchase the same initial amount of chips. As a general guideline you will also want to have enough chips so everyone can buy additional amounts equal to their starting amount if they run out. Not everyone will have to rebuy, but this gives you enough to be safe.

3. Purchase light snacks for your guests. The best suggestions include potato chips, tortilla chips with salsa, and cookies for later. If your guests are expecting a meal, you might want to have menus available from local delivery restaurants to order subs or pizzas from.

4. Have the playing cards sitting on the table before your guests arrive, and have the initial quantity of chips counted out for each person. This way they can just place their buy-in in the poker chip case as they arrive. Also have a glass on the counter for each of your guests.

Hosting During Your Home Poker Game

5. Decide that, as the host of the home poker game, if a conflict over rules should arise, your decision will be the final ruling. If you are involved in the hand where there is a disagreement, it is good etiquette to let someone who is not involved in the hand make the ruling instead. Also make sure you set house rules before the first hand, such as if you will be playing five of a kind as the top hand (in games with wild cards), and what the maximum bet is per betting round.

6. As the host during the game, it is a good idea to suggest some new variations of poker games on your deal if you are playing dealer's choice.

7. Set a definite ending time for the evening that everyone agrees upon. This way, it will be decided before you know how many chips everyone has at the time the game is supposed to end. This will eliminate any accusations of favoritism toward yourself or other guests.

8. Have a large number of ones at your house. These don't need to be used as your buy-in, but should be available in case your guests bring large bills. It will make it easier to make change at the end of the evening. Also, if you order delivery food during the game, it is not your responsibility to pay, but having bills to make change with makes things easier on everyone with their dinner order.

9. Make sure everyone has a good time. You can't guarantee everyone walks away a winner (it is mathematically impossible), but you can do your best to make sure everyone has fun.

Tips & Warnings

• You won't believe how many times you will have a home poker game with five guests and all five bring $20 bills as their buy-in. Having small bills to help with the end-of-the-night payout makes things run smoother.
• Poker nights are supposed to be fun. If you are playing with too much money for one of your guests to have fun, it's not enjoyable.