How to Host a Poker Party at Home

Texas hold’em poker is very popular, and it makes a great theme for a party. If you want to have a great poker party, it’s not very difficult, nor is it very expensive. Just follow this easy guide to help you get started. First, you’ll want to decide how many guests you’re having. If you’re having a lot of guests, you’ll need to set up a tournament, which is more difficult than setting up a regular game. Texas hold’em is best played with up to eight players at a table. This is the limit for most online casinos. Some Las Vegas casinos prefer to keep the tables even smaller. You can also choose to let people play ring games without any tournament structure. Another option is simply to assume that not everyone will want to play at once.

To determine the number of tables you’ll need, you should divide the number of guests by eight. For every eight players, you’ll need a deck of cards, a package of multi-colored chips, and a dealer button. You can choose to play for something other than chips, such as candies or peanuts, but players may end up eating the antes. If you want the party to stay fun and light rather than getting into a serious poker game, this is a perfect way to do it. You can use Skittles, M&Ms, Smarties, or Reeses Pieces as chips. Try making each color have a different value, and you’ll confuse everyone hopelessly. Remember, though, that this type of play encourages cheating, particularly by eating the opponent’s chips.

For a dealer button, all you need is a sign of who the current dealer is. A piece of cardboard with a D on it is fine, but you can lighten the mood by making the dealer wear a funny hat, or make the game seem more serious by buying a professional set that comes with a dealer button. For cards, you’ll need to buy a deck of poker cards and remove the jokers. These can be purchased at toy or hobby shops or, for an authentic feel, you can get a leftover deck from a Las Vegas casino or another land-based casino. Casinos use each deck only once, and after a use, they punch a hole in them. These authentic cards usually say the name of the casino and are a complete deck, other than the hole punched in the middle.

Once you have your cards, your chips, and your dealer button, you’re ready to play poker. Add a green tablecloth, and you’ll feel like you’re really at the felts.