Checklist for Hosintg a Home Poker Game

The day before

• Buy beer and drinks
• Print out your poker rules or have your players go over them on your personal website.
• Buy enough playing cards and couple extra ones in case cards are bent or spilled on.
• Make sure you have enough chips for your poker tournament or cash poker game.
• Download one of the poker tournament softwares, install it on your laptop and learn how to use it.
• Paper towels, paper plates for food – Order food a day or two before if you are going to provide it
• Mainly for cash games, get enough $1 and $5 bills as you will have people who walk in with only $100 bills

The game day before the players show up

• Clean your place – even though you will have to clean it afterward again.
• Setup your poker room - remove any un-necessary items from your poker room.
• Put the drinks in the fridge, have the snacks ready on the table.
• Have the food out.
• Have a copy of your rules out in case anyone wants to go over it again.
• Count chips for as many players as you expect and maybe couple more for the new playrs.

Right before the game

• Get the money from players.
• Advise everyone to go over the rules if they haven’t yet.
• Give cards and cut cards to each table.
• Announce if there is a rebuy or not, blind periods, and such.
• Wish everyone and yourself good luck. Shuffle up and deal.

last updated - January 3, 2007