Poker night ideas

Pick a format

• A relaxed cash game suits a night where people arrive and leave when they like. Everyone buys in for chips and can top up.
• A tournament suits a group who can start together and want a winner. Plan the levels with the blind structure maker so it ends on time.
• Both: a tournament first, then a cash game for those who go out early and anyone who wants to keep playing.

Themes that work

• Christmas poker night. Jumpers on, mince pies out, and a bomb pot every time someone pulls a cracker. End with a tournament so there's a champion to toast.
• New Year's Eve. Time a tournament to finish just before midnight: start about four hours before with Standard levels, or use the blind structure maker for your exact finish.
• Casino night. Dress up, dim the lights, and run the game like a card room: a dealer button, a clock on the wall and proper table manners.
• Birthday night. The birthday player picks the house special for each orbit: a straddle round, run it twice, or the 7-2 game.
• Learner's night. One table for regulars, one for new players with longer levels and a regular helping out. Print the hand rankings for every seat.

Food and drink

The rule is one hand free: anything you can eat with one hand without greasy fingers. Think sliders, wraps, skewers, sausage rolls and pretzels, rather than wings and crisps. Put the food away from the table, so a break is a chance to stretch. Plan a break about every hour; the tournament clock can take them for you.

House rules that keep everyone in

• Agree the finish time before the first hand, and announce the last orbit.
• Side games for the quiet spells: a bomb pot puts everyone in a pot with no betting before the flop, and the 7-2 game rewards the worst hand in poker. All the side games.
• Straddles make the pots bigger for those who want them, without forcing anyone.
• Be kind to new players: no slow-rolling, and explain a hand when asked. More house rules.

Can't all be in one room?

Play the whole night online instead: start a private table on Poker Rooms, send the link, and get everyone on a video call alongside. How to set it up. It's free and chips only, and the table does the dealing, the chips and the settle-up.