Hosting a home game tomorrow : tips?

[Kaz The Original]

I'm hosting a home game tomorrow, .25/.50 nlhe, $20 buyin. Two tables, second table is must move for the first. Have all the chips and a little short on chairs but I'm sure something will work out.

Anything I should watch out for or any general tips? Thanks in advance!

[Wyers]

I hosted my first game about two months ago and it went very well. Since then I have hosted two more and there have not been any problems. I was prety anxious the first time but I used the guidelines from homepokertourney.com and they worked well. I printed out the guidebooks and charts - no disputes. We play with a $30 buy in with rebuys.

Good Luck

[smoore]

For a tournament:

Download this: The TournamentDirector (http://www.thetournamentdirector.net/)

Read what looks important here: homepokertourney.com (http://www.homepokertourney.com/)

If you're going to do rebuys, I suggest having a chip color designated at exactly the buy in or exactly 1/2 the buy in so that rebuys are as easy as reaching in your pocket... they can make change from whoever busted them /images/graemlins/wink.gif You put 5 (or 10) chips in your pocket and you need $100 cash when the're gone kinda thing. Works well for me.

Put the money up somewhere... doesn't need to be locked but make it away from traffic, chipcase works great. I put the chipcase in full view of everyone so that all feel partly responsible for keeping an eye on the money. Under my chair when I'm playing and on the table in my seat when I'm not seems to work well. Separate envelopes with each prize in them make things easier when it gets down to the money.

Limit either the amount of rebuys or the time that rebuys can take place. Decide this BEFORE you start and stick to it.

For a cash game:

Put the money away. Keep many $20 buy-in stacks set up so that rebuys are quick and painless... it's a lot more palatable to just give your $20 over and get a stack quick than it is to watch the host count it out.

For Both:

Have extra cards, quite a few extra cards if you're using regular paper cards. If you buy similar decks then you have replacements as soon as one deck gets marked.

If you need cheap chairs you can call a party rental company (weddings and such). They have "brown sams"... brown plastic samsonite chairs. I bought 20 for a little less than $7 each, no cracks. Make them give you any feet that are missing, they have bags of them. They aren't cushy but the're chairs and they stack really small.

Make every money exchange in full view of everyone involved. Make a big deal out of counting and having them count. They may trust you but lets just keep it simple, right?

And possibly most important; Make sure your attitude is good the whole way through. Completely dissasociate yourself with whatever money you will be wagering. Write it off as "hosting a party expense". If you as the host get in a bad mood the game will deteriorate quickly.

[Kaz The Original]

Great post. TY.

[SDA004]

I'll definitely vouch for The Tournament Director. I downloaded it before the last tournament I had at my house, and it was incredible. Big hit with everyone. Definitely gives your tournament a more professional feel. Probably the 3rd most important extra to have a tournament. First would be a good set of cards, KEMs preferably. Second would be a legitimate set of chips. And I'd say the Tournament Director would be third. It's that cool. It's a little hard to get acclimated to it, but after fooling around with it for about 15-20 minutes I had a good grasp on how it worked.

[ky70]

We no longer do rebuys in the 2 homegames that I play in....nothing worst than having to knock out the same person twice. In the first homegame I ever hosted I allowed rebuys and when it got down to the final 3 it was me (I had yet to be knocked out) and 2 guys who had bought back in...I finished in second place. We Play an average of 4 - 5 games per poker night so getting knocked out isn't the end of your night.

Also, I like to start the small blinds at 1/50th the total chip count (and big blind at 1/25th the total). I found that doubling blinds every 30 min. is too slow and that doubling them every 15 min. is too fast. 20 minutes works for us BUT, I don't know how the time should be adjusted when playing more than one table.

Have a great time and let us know how it goes!

[PokerGoblin]

don't cap the buy-in.

Other than that, just remember that whether you realize it or not, as the host they are looking to you for leadership. If there is a discrepancy or dispute it is up to you to resolve it.

PG

[TwinTowers]

How did the hosting go? I would have added to not take on too many roles as a host. You dont have to provide food/drinks/change for everyone. Just a nice place to play some cards and some organizational skills.

I help run a 1-2 table tourney every Sunday night. My brother has the apartment and chips, and I take care of chips/Tournament Director/rules.

Our group runs pretty smooth on its own now, but sharing the load is a great tip for any new host.

[homegame]

how did the 25/.50 nlhe, $20 buyin game go? What were the big wins/loses for the night?

My concern with nlhe is that in a loose game the buyins goe quick. In our friendly game, we don't want people taking big losses. Any advice? (Nice thing w/ tournaments is that they limit your losses, but escalating blinds make luck a bigger factor and busting out and waiting sucks.)

[unlucky513]

we had a .25/.50 $20 nlhe cash game last night...

it was nice. the pot got up to around $330+
7 or more people most of the way.

[Eric H]

The most important thing in my opinion is to have a set of clearly defined rules in place BEFORE the inevitable problem occurs. I would suggest Roberts Rules of Poker for Home Games by Bob Ciaffone. You can find it here:

http://www.diamondcs.net/%7Ethecoach/RobsPkrRulesHome.htm

Print out a copy and have it at your game. Players can get very upset if you make rules "on the fly," especially if the rulings are inconsistant with established practices.

If you having a tournament, I would recommend the rules established by the Tournament Directors Association. You can find them here:

http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/behindtable/tda-rules.htm

At our games, the players each pay the house $10. The host provides pop and sandwiches or some other type of food (more than just snacks). You could just provide pop and snacks and charge a lower amount such as $5. This works well for us. It is a lot of work putting on a game and you have invested in your table(s), chips and quality cards (you have Kems or Copags don't you?). Our playes are happy to pay the small price just to have a place to play, and it is way cheaper than paying the rake at a casino.

Just have fun!

[Kaz The Original]

Why would I not cap the buy in?

[Kaz The Original]

lol you guys in 'home poker' are so friendly. Went smoothly and will now be a regular weekly think. Nothing uneventful some people up $20, others down.