[Ignatius]

I occasionally host a (very small) home game, so for what it's worth, here's how I go about it:
.
- I never play with strangers: OK, this might be a problem if you want to mantain a weekly full game, still it goes a long way in avoiding the kind of problems you mentioned
.
- Any newbie will get emailed a short 4-page summery of the rules before the session: Even if most ppl. won't read much more than the hand-chart, it's a non-confrontive way to send the message that we're playing a game with fixed rules which are not up to be bargained about.
.
- At the beginning of the session, if there are newbies, we play a few sample hands w/o money until everybody understood the mechanics of the game (we usually only play pot limit Hold'em)
.
- We use a fixed buyin and ppl. may only rebuy for the same amount if their stack goes below the original buyin: This has the great psychological advantage that ppl. can never lose more than twice their buying in one hand unless they've won it before.
.
- I keep track of the amount of money (we play cash, not chips) at the table as well as any money that has been borrowed between players.
.
- Rules which ensure the integrity and tracability of the game are strictly enforced (no deal w/o a cut, no money into the pot before the betting round is closed, no short or overbets, no additional money at the table etc.), even and esp. at 6am.
.
- Minor issues (like someone wanting to retract his bet b/c he misread his hand or unintentional string bets) are solved amically. Nobody should be forced to take an action he obviously didn't intend, as long as nobody hasn't yet acted on it.