Extremely Dull Home Game

Yawkey · #1 08-13-2004, 02:11 AM

My friends started this poker night at their apartment, it originally started as dealers choice but with a little nudging from me they have switched to pure NL Texas Hold'em. It's only a $5 buy-in (we're poor college students) and I walk away with money every week, but the problem is the game is just so dull. There are two problems, the first major problem is that none of the regulars are gamblers. No one pushes the limits, we allow re-buys and maybe one person will re-buy a night. If someone is up and their stack begins to dwindle they cash-out and leave. The other factor is that none of the players there have even a half decent understanding of poker. What usually ends up happening is I sit back and fold nearly every hand until I have a real monster, bet huge and get paid off as nearly everyone calls.

As you can imagine playing at this game really isn't about the money having the HUGE buy-in of $5, so how do I improve the quality of the game? I thought inviting them to play at my place in a game with some half decent players would be a good start. Let me tell you that was wrong, one guy came and was cleaned out so fast, it was absolutly brutal (I'm sure it wasn't a fluke, I was having flashbacks to Mike Caro's Poker Tells video whenever he played, btw I made him pay for it too). Now they refuse to play with us card sharks.

Do I point them to this site, or loan them a book, or talk about starting hands? Even play after the flop is terrible, they are calling stations trying to slow play any inking of a hand. How do I make this game an interesting match of wits?

hobnob · #2 08-13-2004, 02:53 AM

These "dull"players have to start somewhere. How long has the game been going on for? Are the really at the max of their bankrolls? Maybe this is fun for them. A night out with the boys might be all that they are looking for.

To spice it up a bit try watching some of the big money events, or maybe introduce tournaments in the home game for them. You can give a lot more chips for the same buy ins....that might help liven things up a bit.

Yawkey · #3 08-13-2004, 03:35 AM

This particular game has been going on for at least 6 months I joined about 2 months ago. Most of the guys have been playing in some sort of game for at least a year. The thing that strikes me as very odd about the whole situation is that most of them are very smart guys, the type who would do a good deal of research on the game being so gung ho about it. They are playing in 2-3 games a week loosing money most nights yet can't get enough. The game is really so dull that they have trouble getting repeat visitors, so their solution for the time being is to make it as easy as possible to buy-in or cash-out. This way players can arrive late or leave early, because of this they have been very reluctant to play tournament style. I'll keep pushing the tournament style games, that's what I do at my place and that has been great. I wouldn't be suprised if I'm hosting the largest poker night on campus now.

dakine · #4 08-13-2004, 05:27 AM

The games will remain dull unless you change the buy-in, or learn how to play Omaha Poker. It's just like hold-em except... you are dealt four cards face down (Hole cards), and you can only, and must use two of your hole cards and three out of the five flop cards to make your hand. It's a challenging and exciting game. Good book to learn the game is Ken Warrens-"Winners Guide To Omaha Poker". Printed in 2003. Have Fun! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

dakine · #5 08-13-2004, 05:32 AM

To clarify the time posted on the reply, It's 11:30 PM here in Hawaii, and 5:30 am some where out there in the east coast.

chesspain · #6 08-13-2004, 08:08 AM

I personally think that NL cash games can be really boring, although I occasionally attend a home game with this format because I like the host and his friends. In addition, Mason has opined that NL games provide a huge edge for the skilled player over the unskilled player, which can help to kill a game when the weak players decide that it is no fun to lose constantly.

Why don't you consider switching the format to limit? Or maybe play an NL SNG with limit poker to follow?

Gahnia radula · #7 08-13-2004, 08:57 AM

I think you made a mistake by pushing for pure NLHE.

I think you should add some more games, it throws in some variety and breaks the monotomy, specifically i think you should play Omaha hi/lo

This is a great game for generates a lot of action

Also keep pushing for SNG type tournies, with a buy in of $0.50 where the winner takes all.

Gahnia radula

rocky · #8 08-13-2004, 09:42 AM

Sounds like a good "problem" to me. The home game I started playing with about a year ago is a supposedly no limit game but more resembles pot limit. These guys all started years ago playing wild dealers choice type games and then picked up on Hold em later on. Most of them are somewhere between loose passive and wild. I make money by being patient and waiting for premium hands and playing them aggressively. This has limited some of the action I get from the more perceptive players but I will take a steady income with few big fluctuations any day. It is a lucrative game but kinda hard to put some players on a hand when most see about 99% of flops. As for playing more Omaha, since they have now seen it on TV it has become the new darling for some of them. When they look at 4 cards their hands get even more "good looking" and they see even more flops. In a nutshell, most of these guys are action hounds and a player with patience can do well by trying to play best game at all times and not get caught up in the flow.

ddollevoet · #9 08-13-2004, 10:29 AM

As long as you are winning against these guys, why don't you play a tournament each night? They will eventually learn to loosen their game and go all in or they will be consumed by the blinds. It should be a more exciting game as you/they can get knocked out on any given hand.

donkeyradish · #10 08-13-2004, 11:04 AM

Play some games where you can't avoid action.

Like "follow the queen", a 7 Stud variant where not only are there wildcards, but the cards designated as wild change in the middle of the hand. Or "Guts", a game where pots can grow exponentially.

Whilst seemingly more 'luck' and less skill is involved in such games, this is just an illusion. Normal poker theory still applies.