While it’s undoubtedly a ton of fun to play poker online with poker fans from around the U.S., sometimes you just want to enjoy some fun poker games with friends at home. With the right poker setup, hosting a poker night at home can be an excellent way for everyone to relax and unwind.
But what do you need to play poker games at home? Find out here.
How To Host a Poker Night At Home
Wondering how to set up a poker game at home? Whether you want to have fun playing a few hands of poker or host a home poker tournament for you and your friends, there are a few key items that you’ll need to have a memorable night.
1. A Poker Set
The most important thing you’ll need to host a successful poker night at home is undoubtedly a poker set (unless you plan on playing online poker at your favorite online casino instead). A poker set typically comes in an aluminum case and includes the following items:
- Two decks of cards.
- Stacks of different colored poker chips (available with 100 to 1,000 poker chips).
- Dealer button.
- Big blind button.
- Small blind button.
The quality of a poker set can vary, with the most affordable starter poker kits available from as little as $20. However, if you’re interested in only the highest quality poker sets made from the finest materials, you could end up spending as much as $875 or more.
While you could get away with a cheaper set for the buttons and poker chips (or even play without poker chips entirely), it’s a good idea to make sure you have a decent deck of cards. Cards can take quite a bit of a beating when handled, so it’s a good idea to have good-quality cards made from high-quality paper and printing to prevent them from wearing down too quickly. These expensive sets also have poker chips made from more costly ceramic or clay that feel better and last longer than their cheaper counterparts, which have plastic chips.
2. A Poker Table
Once you have a poker set sorted out, you’ll need a suitable table to play on. While you can play at any table large enough for all the people in your game, if you want the poker night to be truly special and to immerse you and your friends in the game, a dedicated poker table is a must.
Basic folding poker tables start from about $40, but this won’t get you much more than a green felt top and some legs to support the tabletop. Mid-range tables start at about $200 and resemble the real deal more closely, with an interesting design on the play area, LED lights, and cup holders for eight players. High-end poker tables start at $1,000 and go up from there. These luxury poker tables are made from premium materials, like oak, leather, and felt, with custom designs.
If you play regularly and want to create a playing space that feels like a poker room, investing in a premium poker table that truly enhances the atmosphere of the game will be worth your while.
3. Snacks
While you may have everything you technically need at this point for an at-home poker night, the last thing you want is for your guests to go hungry or thirsty. Providing snacks and drinks can be as simple or as extravagant as you want. Whether you end up serving peanuts, nachos, chips, sushi, chocolate, or anything else, it’s important that your snacks aren’t too messy. You don’t want to spend ages cleaning up after a game, and you don’t want players messing up your cards or casino chips, either.
Another critical thing to remember is whether anyone has specific dietary restrictions. Make sure to ask ahead of time so that you don’t accidentally lay out a spread of snacks that could trigger someone’s allergies or that they simply can’t eat.
4. Drinks
Drinks are another part of your evening that you can make as extravagant or as simple as you want. Consider a range of alcoholic options (bearing in mind that responsible players should be sober), as well as non-alcoholic choices, including sodas, juice, and even bottled water for the especially health-conscious.
Again, just like with your snacks, find out about preferences before you go shopping to make sure your drinks “menu” has something for everyone.
5. Music To Set the Mood
Music is similar to snacks and drinks in that everyone has different tastes. What might be considered an excellent soundtrack for an evening of poker by one person may be considered less than listenable by the next. To avoid this, consider a curated playlist where everyone gets to suggest some tunes for the evening. You might even find some existing playlists on services like Spotify or YouTube music that already fit the bill.
If you’re looking for some specific artists to set the scene, consider the following classic lounge musicians:
- Curtis Mayfield.
- Frank Sinatra.
- Sammy Davis Jr.
- Louis Armstrong.
- Tom Jones.
6. An Introduction to the Game For New Players
As popular as poker may be, not everyone will have played the game. This is why it’s important to give all new players a quick rundown and maybe even do a test run with some fun and easy poker games to play at home before you get into the real money poker games. This will also allow you to educate players about poker etiquette and lay down house rules regarding the game.
For example, you can teach less experienced players about some of the unspoken rules of poker, like why it’s considered bad manners to touch another player’s cards or poker chips, what banter is or isn’t regarded as acceptable, and why taking too long to make up their mind is frowned upon.
When it comes to house rules, it really depends on how serious or casual your group of poker players are. If you and your friends are very competitive poker players, you can decide to ban phones during the game and limit bathroom breaks to only between rounds or when a person has folded. If you’re playing for fun, you can be more relaxed on these guidelines.
Simplify Your At-Home Poker Night By Playing at Borgata Online
If you don’t have the time or energy to organize a poker set for your home poker games, why not make your night easier by signing up to play at Borgata Online? Borgata Online has everything you and your friends could need, including exciting cash games and online poker tournaments. These poker games are available for you to play in two exciting variants: Texas hold’em and pot-limit Omaha.
When your poker night is winding down, but you and your friends still want to have some fun gambling, you can also enjoy other casino games, including online slots, table games, variety games, virtual sports, and other exciting gambling experiences.
Register at Borgata Online to take part in all the online poker and gambling thrills.