{"id":4115,"date":"2021-01-12T15:04:41","date_gmt":"2021-01-12T15:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/?p=4115"},"modified":"2022-09-07T15:45:23","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T15:45:23","slug":"guide-to-setting-up-the-perfect-poker-night-at-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/blog\/guide-to-setting-up-the-perfect-poker-night-at-home","title":{"rendered":"Guide to Setting up the Perfect Poker Night at Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/home-poker.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2108\">If you\u2019re interested in throwing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/blog\/ultimate-guide-to-setting-up-home-poker-games\">ultimate poker night<\/a> or tournament party at your house, you will need much more than a deck of cards and a table. <\/p>\n<p>To organize an event that will be the talk among your circle of friends, you will need a bit of investment, including a decent playing surface, a set or more of poker chips, a timer, and a few other things that I will go through in the article.<\/p>\n<p>Although playing poker at home sounds relaxing, you will still have to follow the rules if you plan on staying true to the game. Thankfully, with the help of my guide to setting up the perfect poker night at home, you will know how to exactly achieve what you\u2019ve set up to accomplish.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget that you will also need just the right mix of knowledgeable players!<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"before-you-start\">Before You Start<\/h2>\n<p>Before you start organizing the ultimate poker night, pull the brakes and go over a few basic things. Before anything, you should determine what type of poker you would like to play. I\u2019ve taken the freedom of limiting the choices to the three most commonly played and popular poker variants, and it\u2019s up to you to choose your cup of tea.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/top-10-poker-games\/texas-holdem-poker\">Texas Hold\u2019em<\/a><\/b> \u2014 Each player has two-hole cards and shares five community cards. The player with the strongest five-card poker hand in the last round of betting is the winner of the game.<\/li>\n<li><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/top-10-poker-games\/omaha-poker\">Omaha<\/a><\/b>\u2014 Players are dealt four-hole cards and have to make a hand with two hole cards and three community ones. The community cards are dealt three upfront, followed by one apiece for the next two rounds of betting.<\/li>\n<li><b>Seven-card stud<\/b> \u2014 Players are dealt three-hole cards, two of which are face down. The player with the lowest value card starts the betting. Players are dealt seven cards each in total, without community cards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ultimately, it\u2019s up to you to pick the style, but I recommend sticking with Texas Hold\u2019em as it has the fewest rules and it might be the easiest to concentrate on around your friends. If you plan on going for the win, there are things you can do to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legitgambling.com\/blog\/must-read-books-to-improve-poker-strategy\">improve your strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"6-essential-tips-to-get-you-started\">6 Essential Tips To Get You Started<\/h2>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve chosen the poker style, start thinking about who you\u2019re inviting. A good number of players to start with is around 10, as you can take turns, and someone can act as the dealer. Think about inviting people with the same expectations from this poker night. And then consider the following tips to ensure the poker night goes off with a bang.<\/p>\n<h3>#1 Table, Cards, Chips, Timer<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/poker-shot-clock.jpg\" alt=\"Poker Shot Clock\" title=\"An example of a poker Shot Clock\" width=\"250\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-4209\">Once you\u2019ve gotten the basics down, you\u2019re ready to move on to setting up the playing environment. If you\u2019re going for a professional-looking setup, start with the poker table. A round dining table, or any bigger table, will work just fine as long as it\u2019s large enough to accommodate all the players. Think about investing in a high-quality green felt to cover the surface of the table.<\/p>\n<p>You can always spring for an authentic poker table, but if you\u2019re on a budget, stick with the previous solution. Keep in mind that players should have enough space between them to avoid cheating.<\/p>\n<p>Now, let\u2019s move on to the poker cards. When talking about any table game, cards are the backbone of the game. Luckily, they are not a big investment. Purchase a few plastic laminated decks like the ones used in Vegas casinos. They don\u2019t crease or bend easily, and they can be wiped clean and preserved for the next poker night.<\/p>\n<p>If you prefer using cash to chips, that\u2019s totally fine. Go for it. But if you want to recreate the genuine casino feel at home, go for the chips. The chips will bring the game to a whole new level of authenticity and stop you from looking like amateurs. It\u2019s up to you to choose whether you want to stick with the cheaper plastic chips or you want to invest in professional chips.<\/p>\n<p>A timer (<em>as shown above<\/em>) is a necessity if you\u2019re hosting a poker tournament. If you\u2019re just playing a round or two with your buddies, you can skip this section. For sticking by the rules, you will need to keep track of the blinds with a timer. You don\u2019t have to purchase a poker timer; you can download an app or use the stopwatch on your smartphone or smartwatch.<\/p>\n<h3>#2 Playing Etiquette<\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019re determined to make this poker night more than just a night in with the guys, you should stick to some playing etiquette. I don\u2019t mean you should wear a 007 type suit, but there are some ground rules that are considered proper poker table etiquette.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, talking or texting on your mobile phone should be considered a big no. Similar rules apply to acting out of turn. Acting out of turn on purpose can seriously damage other players\u2019 thought process. Make it clear that there are some consequences for these actions.<\/p>\n<p>If everyone agrees, you can opt for some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legitgambling.com\/blog\/10-best-songs-to-gamble-along-to\">background music<\/a> that\u2019s not too distracting.<\/p>\n<p>Also, think about discarding cards once you fold or you\u2019re finished with the round. It\u2019s considered bad etiquette to discard cards away from the muck or throw them toward the chips if the game is still up and running. It\u2019s important to stay true to sportsmanship after all.<\/p>\n<h3>#3 Rules<\/h3>\n<p>Now that the question of etiquette is taken care of, let\u2019s move on to the rules of the game. Before anything, it\u2019s up to you to decide on the stakes, structure of the game, blinds, and chip distribution, so I won\u2019t go into further details about that.<\/p>\n<p>Make sure the rules of the game are clear \u2014 it\u2019s less important how you\u2019re going to accomplish that, over the phone, group chat, in-person, or any other way, but it\u2019s crucial to make the rules crystal clear to everyone.<\/p>\n<h3>#4 Payout<\/h3>\n<p>Determine the payout structure or the tournament\u2019s prize structure beforehand. For example, a thought out payout structure would look something like this: 40% to first place, 25% to second, 20% to third, leaving 15% to the player who places fourth.<\/p>\n<p>If you prefer to distribute the winnings in any other way, it\u2019s your choice.<\/p>\n<h3>#5 Buy-ins and Rebuys<\/h3>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.top10pokersites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/rebuy-poker-tournaments.jpg\" alt=\"Rebuy poker tournament\" title=\"Rebuy poker tournament\" width=\"250\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-3229\">The game or the tournament should have a clearly stated buy-in number that players are aware of before starting. <\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re allowing rebuys, something that I recommend for home games, specify up to what point in the tournament rebuys are accepted. Don\u2019t forget to also set the number of buy-ins allowed in one sitting.<\/p>\n<h3>#5 Timings and Breaks<\/h3>\n<p>Remember to mention that when the blinds timer sounds, the next blind level is ready to start, and the timer resets. Also, don\u2019t forget about breaks, especially if you\u2019re organizing a tournament. <\/p>\n<p>Let the players breathe, go out for air or a smoke, grab a bite and a drink. Let everyone know when the breaks are scheduled and stay true to the schedule.<\/p>\n<h3>#6 Winning<\/h3>\n<p>Make the rules regarding winning clear. If you opt for freeze-out tournaments, you might be playing endlessly. That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to determine at what point the winners will be judged and be sure that every player is aware of that.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"conclusion\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Now you\u2019re all set! By closely following my guide to setting up the perfect poker night at home, you shouldn\u2019t experience any other issues. You should be able to take this perfect poker night off the ground in no time. Remember not to stress out and just enjoy the night!<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t forget to check your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legitgambling.com\/us\/states\">local laws<\/a> when organizing a poker night at home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re interested in throwing the ultimate poker night or tournament party at your house, you will need much more than a deck of cards and a table. To organize an event that will be the talk among your circle of friends, you will need a bit of investment, including a decent playing surface, a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Guide to Setting up the Perfect Poker Night at Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re interested in throwing the ultimate poker night or tournament party at your house then have a look at our 6 tips to ensure the poker night goes off with a bang\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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