Poker Party - Hosting Poker Home Games
Hosting poker home games can be a great way to get together and enjoy a fun, relaxing evening with friends and family. Of course, there are a lot of things to be taken into consideration, as well as a good amount of planning and thought that should be put into hosting a poker party, lest the game be a miserable time for all.
First and foremost, you’ll want to take into consideration the atmosphere of which you will be playing in. You’ll want to make sure you have a large, sturdy table that is more than big enough to accommodate every player. Comfortable chairs are a must, too; many poker games last for round after round, and many poker home games have been known to go well into the night. For this reason, you will want to make sure you choose a location where you and your poker buddies can play that won’t interfere with any others who may live in the house, i.e. a spouse or significant other.
Lighting is an important consideration to take into account when planning a poker party, too. If possible, try to center your card table directly underneath a ceiling light. If this is not possible, you may want to place a small lamp in the center of your table. As previously mentioned, many poker games last for hours on end, and some of the player’s eyes may be straining by the end. Adequate lighting can ease this problem, however.
Next you’ll want to make sure you have all of your accessories ready. Some people prefer to play their poker games with plastic or clay poker chips; if you are responsible for taking care of a set like this, open up the case prior to the game and make sure all of the chips are inside. There is nothing worse than gathering a bunch of friends and sitting down at the table ready to play, only to realize you have no chips. You may also want to make sure you have a couple of new, fresh decks of playing cards on hand, too – many games have come to a premature end due to an unexpected mishap involving one or more of the playing cards.
Also, make sure to clarify any specific house rules with all of your players beforehand. Some games, for example, allow drinks and food at the table, while others strictly forbid it. Some houses are non-smoking or non-drinking households, and if you expect players of your poker home games to respect this, it is your responsibility to inform them beforehand. Some people simply don’t like to play unless they can drink or smoke while doing so, and because of this they may choose to pass on your party.
Whether or not you allow food and beverage at the table is completely up to you, but some kind of snack food should be provided. If necessary, ask the other players of your game to each bring a dish to pass. If poker games are going on for hours at a time, chances are highly likely that both you and your guests will start to get hungry over time. Pretzels, chips and popcorn make excellent snacks, though be careful about getting grease or crumbs on the playing cards.
You’ll also want to make sure everybody at the poker party is familiar and comfortable with the betting rules of your poker games, too. For instance, Texas Hold ‘Em games that are played at home usually start with one person as the dealer, and the two people sitting directly to their left are responsible for placing the small blind and big blind, respectively. In the next round, the deck is passed again to the left, and this person deals out the round, and then again passes it, and this continues on throughout the night.
Hosting poker home games are a great way to share one of your hobbies with your friends and family as well as hone your poker skills. So get planning and get playing.