So you’re planning a poker night with your friends and family? That sounds fun! But in order for you to successfully host a poker night you need to have a plan. Luckily we’ve made a to-do for the perfect poker night.

1. Know your rules

First you need to decide what kind of poker you are playing. There are lots of different types of poker games out there so you need to choose which game to play. The most common poker game is Texas Hold’em. Next step is to know all the rules, how big your buy in is and how the hands are ranking.
We’ve made a quick and simle video showing you How to Play Poker.

With little ones in your group, family-friendly group games or puzzles probably make the most sense, but if you're hosting an adults-only game night, feel free to try something a little more challenging. To make it extra fun, treat the crowd to a few glasses of vino and a few friendly hands of poker.

So you’re planning a poker night with your friends and family? That sounds fun! But in order for you to successfully host a poker night you need to have a plan. Luckily we’ve made a to-do for the perfect poker night. Know your rules. First you need to decide what kind of poker you are playing. Host a Perfect Poker Night: San Antonio Edition Friendship is an important part of our emotional well-being. It's so powerful that people with strong friendships have a lower risk of depression, high blood pressure and obesity. There’s more that goes into a successful poker night than meets the eye. You need to make sure you have all the tools needed to play poker — cards, chips, a table, etc. You also need snacks and drinks. A nice jazzy playlist adds to the environment. A poker party or casino night is a fun theme party idea. Black and most the green is the perfect! Decorate your space with fake money, chips and cards.

You should also plan on when you raise the blinds (or if you are doing this at all). When I play poker I normally like to raise the blinds every 15 minutes.

Bonus tip: If you plan on having a cash buy-in, then make sure to collect the money up front. This makes sure that no one forgets about it after the game. It’s also very motivating for players when they have actually seen the potential winnings in the pot.

2. Have the right facilities

You will need (of cause) a full poker set with playing cards and poker chips (or the EasyPoker app). Other than that you should have a big table and chairs to sit all players. If you are a perfectionist the table should be round or oval and have a green tablecloth. Remember to leave enough space for the players chips, cards, beverage or what else they might need while playing.

If you are a cool host you should plan a surprise visit from a massage therapist that can massage players during the poker game. This will truly make you popular among the friends and can help you focus even better during the poker night.

3. Use music to set the tone

Music is an important element of the poker night. It should just be a subtle thing in the background to set the tone. I like to use a mix of jazz, old songs, classic music and some soundtracks from Casino Royale and Rounders.

Feel free to use our Playlist on Spotify.

4. Create an Atmosphere

Music is a great way to set the tone. But you will also have to create a more casino like vibe in your house. Clean up your place, lower the lights and pull out the heavy Chesterfield furniture (if you have those).

Make sure to keep the room darken with a light on the poker table. LED strips and Hue lights are also great for creating an exciting poker night atmosphere with warm tones.

5. Snacks & Beverages

It is important to have finger foods and snacks such as chips with dip, nuts, crackers, popcorn, pigs in a blanket, pretzels etc. Everything that does not require the player to have a plate will work.

It’s a good idea to have both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages when playing. It’s always cool to have a straight up whisky or cognac but if you don’t like that, you could go for a whisky sour (one of my favorites).

Poker Night wherever you are

Hosting a poker night is fun but also a lot of work. You often need to plan your night of playing poker weeks in advance. But what about those spontaneous poker games when you’re just hanging out? Chances are that you are not carrying around a poker set, so you will need to figure out something else (or end up not playing at all…). But don’t worry – we have your back. Just download the free EasyPoker app and you’re ready to go. No need for poker chips, playingcards or a table.

Poker night is a rite of passage for many individuals. Not only is it a fun and class activity that can be partaken by both men and women, but it is also a great way to catch up with friends as you engage in some friendly competition.

Though hosting a poker night has numerous benefits, it can be a bit hard to pull off the perfect night especially when you are doing it for the first time. Having a little savoir-faire can go a long way in ensuring that you have a successful night. If your poker night becomes a smash hit, you can even make it a regular thing.

To ensure that execute the perfect poker night, here are some things that you have to think through:

The planning

Though you may be an undeniably first-rate poker player, you may be a little shorthanded when it comes to hosting the perfect poker night. This is why the planning phase is one of the most important stages of hosting the perfect event. As the host, you need to hit the jackpot on all levels; which means getting the ambiance, snacks and food, drinks, the entertainment, the poker essentials and even the poker players right.

Take your time during this phase to go through everything that is required for a successful night. Create a checklist so that you can be well organized- the last thing you want to do is wing it. It is the attention to detail that makes all the difference between creating an amazing bonding experience with your friends and throwing a crappy event.

Who’s invited?

Before you invite every Tom, Dick, and Harry, first determine how many people your space can accommodate. If you are strictly playing poker, it may be a good idea to invite between 8 and 10 players as that is the number a normal casino poker table accommodates. Choose the people that you want to invite wisely as you still want it to be a fun and relaxed atmosphere at the end of it all.

One of the best parts about hosting a poker night is the friends or colleagues that you invite. During that night, you will probably spend most of the time catching up and exchanging stories. As such, only invite individuals that will get along.

Don’t forget to include a mix of personalities and financial capabilities. You will definitely need some players with deep pockets. You know; those that aren’t afraid to keep going for a few hands even if they lose.

Determine the intensity of the poker night

Since you will be inviting a mix of individuals to partake, it is essential to set expectations for the intensity of the game. You might invite some action players that will have a conservative and serious approach to the game, which will make it harder for those attending on a ‘purely fun’ basis’ to enjoy themselves.

You might also invite a complete novice that might be iffy on the rules, which is bound to be a problem, especially when playing high stakes poker. Therefore, try and invite a mix of players to balance things out. If you do invite a complete beginner, be sure to warn them about the intensity of the night so that they can try and learn a few rules beforehand.

Get the essentials of the game

The Perfect Poker Nightmare

While any dining table will do the trick when playing poker at home, having a poker table and a set of chips will help you to recreate the casino atmosphere for the best experience possible. If you are not able to afford a table straight away, you can opt for a poker table top instead. Most poker table tops are 8-player and come complete with individual trays to hold poker chips, as well as drink holders so that you can be well hydrated throughout.

You will also need a quality set of poker chips to set the ball rolling. A chipset of 500 should be sufficient but it may be a good idea to have another set on standby. The majority of poker chip sets come with 4 differently colored chips, and you will need to determine what the value of each color is.

You will also need at least two or three decks of cards. While only one deck will be used at a time, the other decks will be on reserve so that you can keep the pace of the game moving.

The Perfect Poker Nights

Create the perfect atmosphere

Although recreating a casino atmosphere can be tasking, the right setting can help to make your night as close to the real thing as possible. Your room should be dim to create a more authentic casino ambiance. You will also need music to set the mood. The genre that you pick is really up to you. However, low jazzy tunes are a great pick as they will keep you entertained without being too distracting.

Snacks should also be included at a designated table, away from the poker action. You will want to go for simple snacks that can be eaten at a go such as chips, wings, nuts, pizza and so on. When it comes to drinks, it is important to keep your guests’ preferences in mind.

If you are not sure about what drinks to include, you can even ask your guests to show up with their favorite wine or growler of craft beer. Remember to include some non-alcohol options as well for the teetotalers and designated drivers.

Final thoughts

Poker night can be a pleasant and super rewarding experience for all involved. Rather than pull off a haphazardly planned event, you should take your time figuring out the specifics. This will not only ensure that you have fun, but it will also allow for some healthy rivalry that works to make the entire experience great for everyone.

If you do it and do it well, your poker night might just end up becoming a monthly or bi-monthly event. But no pressure; whatever you put together, you will still end up having great fun.