Playing Poker at Home

The traditional boy’s poker night has been around since the game was invented. So whilst they do their thing, why not organise a girls poker night. It doesn’t have to have a serious tone unless, that’s how you all want to play, but you can have a laugh and polish up your skills.

Time Limit: If playing cash games it could be worth while setting a time limit at the beginning of play. This way it will stop losers pushing play into an unreasonable hour. The host should announce near time up that playing will stop in 3 or 4 hands. This gives everyone a chance to adjust their play accordingly.

Food and Drink: What you eat and drink will depend on what your friends and you like. The boys normally manage to muster up crisps, dips, nuts and pizza with of course the customary beer. Keep things simple, you don’t want to end up in the kitchen all evening. Also get friends to bring food too so that the cost is shared.

Poker chips: If you don’t know if you will make it a regular thing, try borrowing a case of chips from one of the lads. If you decide to purchase chips for your self there are many sets around including pink poker sets if you decide to make it truly girly.

Real Money and costs: Poker doesn’t have to be big league to have fun. The aim of the night is to have a good fun social evening, not gamble the housekeeping bills away. There are two ways you can do it. A simple tournament or cash game for small amounts.

Tournament. This is where you all put a set amount into the pot as a buy in. All the players get a set amount of chips, normally about 2000 or 3000. The money pot can then be divided into 1^st and 2^nd (more if you have more playing) this gives nervous new players a chance to relax from parting with money on regular bases as they just buy in at the beginning. Once you have lost all your chips your out of the tournament. But does mean the first person, and subsequent players, are left watching till the end of the game. Being a girly night this might fit the bill for those who want to natter too.

Cash. This is where you buy in and receive a set amount of chips. If you loose all your chips you then can decide to re-buy another stack of chips. You can use your own ruling to whether players are allowed to buy more chips whilst in play as well. At the end of play you cash out your chips to the value. So the one with a huge chip stack would cash in the most.

Etiquette: You can read more in depth about poker etiquette but the basics are:-

Be honest, don’t short change the pot or cheat in any way.

Play quickly. No one like slow play

Be polite and courteous

Be a good winner

Be a good loser

Play in sequence

Don’t look at other players cards

Don’t give advice to other players.

What to play. There is the most well known Texas Holdem but also Seven Card Stud, Omaha High, Five Card Draw and Five Card Stud.

Seven Card Stud – is very popular. It can be played high only or high low. Two down cards are and one up card is first dealt to each player. Four more cards are dealt, three up and one down with betting intervals following each card. From the seven cards played, the best 5 cards win.

If you want to try out Seven Card Stud it can be found on Poker Stars, Full Tilt , Absolute, Titan, Carbon, Mansion, Ladbrokes and VC Poker

Omaha High. Each player gets four cards face down and then a bet occurs. Three cards are dealt face up all at once on the table as common cards with a round of betting. Then the fourth common card is dealt face up followed with a round of betting. Then the firth common card is dealt face up with a round of betting. A player must use two cards (and only two) from their hand with three on the common cards. Hands in Omaha tend to be higher than those in seven card stud of Holdem due to the greater number of cards and possibilities.

If you wan to try out Omaha High it can be found on Poker Stars, Full Tilt, Absolute, Titan, Carbon, Mansion, Ladbrokes and VC Poker

Five Card Draw. Each player is dealt five cards face down. After the deal a round of betting takes place. A player may discard one or more of his cards and the dealer deals replacement cards. A player doesn’t have to draw but can stay pat (if they already have a straight, flush or full house) after the draw another round of betting followed by the show of hands. Some play this with a limit to in the number cards drawn. Another variation is when a play can only bet if that have a pair of jacks or better.

Five Card Draw can be played on Ladbrokes and Carbon

Five Card Stud. Each player gets dealt one card down and one card up followed by a bet. Then each player gets a second up card followed by a bet. Third and fourth cards face up is dealt to each player, each followed by a bet. The best hand at the ends wins. A high pair can often win the hand.

You can play Five Card Stud on Poker Stars, Mansion, Ladbrokes, Carbon and VC Poker

Playing Poker at Home

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