Poker Home Game

Organizing the Perfect Home Game

Nothing beats a good poker home game. Of course a bad home game sorta' sucks, so what can you do ensure the only flops stick to the table?

The simple answer is be prepared. You don't want to be worrying about anything but the game, so make sure you're covered before the players arrive. Below is a simple checklist that can help you organize a great home game.

Poker table - what are you playing on? Poker tables have felt surfaces for a reason. Nobody wants to chase poker chips across the floor after they slide off your well polished dining room table. Table tops are available for most common dining room table dimensions, so a new poker table isn't necessary. At the minimum, visit your local fabric store and get a few yards of felt. Cut it to shape, and you're set.

We Do it ALL Vegas has a nice line of poker table tops and folding poker tables, as well as a few other gaming tables for sale online.

Chairs - don't make anyone sit on a cooler. If you don't have enough chairs, get a reliable player to bring a few extras before the other players show up.

Poker chips - for a normal home game of 5 to 7 players you'll want at least 300-500 chips. Don't ask the other players to bring chips. You'll end up with a mess of mismatched chips and the task of sorting them all out at the end of the evening. Get a decent set of chips. Visit our poker chips page for more information on types of chips and where to buy online.

Change - make sure you have a variety of denominations available to make cashing out at the end of the evening as smooth as possible. If everyone brings a $20, you'll want to be able to make change at the end of the evening.

Cards - sounds like a no-brainer, but have a few decks of casino quality cards available, the newer the better. Crap cards crease and go flaccid after only a few hands.

Beverages - it's my opinion that guests should bring their own beverages, but I like to keep a good stock of 'backup beverages' on hand. I guarantee someone will bring only a couple fancy beers, run out quickly and be very thankful you bought a case of cheap beer as backup. Another key element is a place to stash all those beverages. A large cooler with some of those blue freezer blocks is perfect and keeps melted ice water from dripping all over the place.

Snacks - it's a great idea to have a variety of snacks available, but try to stick to snacks that won't get all over the cards, chips, felt and so on...

Dice - it never hurts to have some available. They can be a nice break from the cards every so often.

House rules - decide on your house rules before players show up. Know the antes, max bets, number of raises allowed, etc. If everybody knows what's what before the game starts, everybody starts on the same foot.

A spare bed - driving drunk or tired are bad options after a game. Not everybody drinks when they play cards, but if your guests do, try to make some space available, even a couch or air mattress. Let people know before the game starts that anyone is welcome to stay.

Smoking - if you allow smoking at the poker table, make sure you have adequate ventilation. If you don't, providing a covered area out of doors with a good sized ashtray may save you some clean up time.