How to Start a Weekly Home Poker Game, Gen Z edition
Poker is a game that has been around for centuries, but in an age of live-streamed hands and online cardrooms, young people are entering a completely different poker landscape than generations before. As a member of Generation Z, I want to advise from my 2 years of poker hosting experience, and what better way to do that than to compile a numbered list?
Step 1: Find a Venue.
If you have your own place, then you have a poker venue. If you live with your parents and they have come to terms with your degenerate gambling, use your basement or a spare room that the rest of the household can avoid. If you’re at school, find an empty room on campus or in your dorm. Otherwise, I would save the hosting job for another person for the time being.
Step 2: Buy Supplies
Obviously, for a poker night, cards and chips are mandatory. A table is too, but it doesn’t have to be a poker table. a dining room table works just fine. Paper cards get damaged easily, so get plastic ones. And shop around for chips in your price range that are still high quality.
Step 3: Gather Your Crew
Let a few interested friends and family members come to your game to start. You can expand this later but it’s best to start small. Give them a specific time to show up, because you don’t want some people waiting a while for everyone to get there.
Step 4: Establish Rules
Almost all poker games are played for money. You can play for nothing, but cash stakes make people treat the game more seriously, so it’s highly recommended. If you do play for real stakes, decide what the buy-in is and whether or not it’s a cash game or tournament. Make sure you all know what type of poker you’re playing, and what happens if certain issues arise, such as misdeals.
Step 5: Start Playing
This step is pretty self-explanatory, just play by the ruleset you’ve all agreed to.
Now there’s more to it than just following these steps, there are also some general rules of advice for when you play, that don’t change with the game’s ruleset.
Rule 1: No Rake
Rake is defined as a part of every pot taken for profit by the host. Not only is it illegal, but it also makes the home game less fun.
Rule 2: Ensure Safety
When handling large amounts of money, there are bound to be security concerns. Robberies, cheating, and other foul play can hurt your game’s reputation and your pockets. Make sure you only let in people you know and trust. Additionally, if a player is making others feel uncomfortable, tell them to stop doing what they’re doing. You want to ensure a safe space for everyone involved.
Rule 3: Make Sure the Math Checks Out
When counting money for cashouts at the end of the session, make sure everyone is compensated fairly before anyone leaves. Keep the chips where they are on the table so you can make sure what everyone is owed.
There is also an online option for home games. Apps like ClubGG and PokerBros allow users to create custom clubs and play with their friends. Mention this to your home game in case there’s a week where many people can’t make it. And with that, you’re ready to shuffle up and deal!
