Necessary Equipment For a Home Poker Game

With poker having grown significantly in popularity over the past few years, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the types of equipment that you may want to purchase for your next home game.

Years ago, it was common for someone who was hosting a home game to have a bunch of thin, cheap, plastic poker chips, a bag of Doritos, and a few six packs of skunky beer. Everyone would sit around the table and play the same one or two games with little variety. Nowadays it is much more common for a host to provide a poker table complete with built in chip racks, custom clay poker chips which match the quality of those found in casinos, a variety of table-safe foods, and a variety of high end beers and/or hard liquor. And while Texas Hold'em is by far the most common game played today, home players like variety. It isn't uncommon for a group to play over a dozen different games throughout the night.

Here are the basics you should consider for your next game:

Poker Chips
The #1 item that can make home players feel like pros are the poker chips they play with. There are a variety of weights and materials that chips are made of but if you want the same type and feel that most casinos use, you'll want to order 11.5 gram clay chips. If your budget is limited, you can go with lighter chips or chips made of clay composite or non-clay materials. But if you can afford it, go with the best you can find. You also want to be sure to have enough chips for the number of players you'll be hosting. Although you could get away with 50 chips per person, you'll probably want 2x that. This allows players to buy-in for more chips in the middle of play without the bank having to buy back other player's chips to cover the buy-in. There is also a good chance that you'll find your home games start to grow once word gets out that you and your friends take the game so seriously! Plan on purchasing 500 chips for 5 players or 1,000 for as many as 10. It's also a good idea to buy a popular design from a supplier who has been around for awhile. That way, if you later want to add to your collection, you'll be able to buy more of the exact same chips. Make sure you have a variety of colors too as you'll want to define a value for each. For my personal set, I have Green (25 cents), Blue (50 cents), Black ($1), Red ($5) and Purple ($10). The colors are up to you.

Cards
No matter how good (or bad) your chips are, make sure you only play with high quality cards! Cheap, no-name brands that are made overseas tend to be thinner, smaller, bend easier and stick together when you try to shuffle. Your best bet would be to pick up a few used decks at your favorite casino. If you do decide to buy some instead, go with known brands such as Bicycle, Bee or Hoyle. Using the freebies that your local beer distributor gave out last St. Patrick's Day can cause problems through the night. (Hey, how did the Ace of Spades get a bent corner?) You'll also want to get at least 3 different colored decks. This way the decks can be shuffled together and sorted easily for a quick round of Blackjack or other players can shuffle decks in preparation for the next hands during play without the risk of "accidentally" mixing in the cards they're shuffling.

Table
Now let's suppose you have a quality set of chips and plenty of casino-grade playing cards. The last thing you should do is deal on a folding card table! Those were made for old ladies playing bridge. If your budget (and your storage space) allows for it, make the investment in a felt topped, padded poker table with built in chip racks. The felt top makes it much easier to deal and pickup the cards and reduces the tendency of chips to roll or slide around. Note that the felt top should be heavily protected with a spray on water repellent such as Scotch Guard and should be resprayed every 6 months to a year. This way when someone commits a party-foul and spills beer, cleanup will be much easier. (By the way, clay chips clean up easily too. But cheap playing cards are not plastic laminated and will be ruined if spilled on.) To reduce the risk of spills, make sure your table has built in drink holders or that you purchase some portable holders that slide under the table edge - just like the casinos use. If you don't have the room for a nice table, you may want to consider a folding top that can sit on the kitchen table. Try to find one that is the same size as your normal playing table. If it extends too far over the edges, you can bet that someone will lean on it during the night and flip the chips, cards and drinks right onto the floor.

Miscellaneous Accessories
There are a few other items that aren't necessary but can make any home game just a little more enjoyable:

Dealer Button: This is the black and white button used in Texas Hold'em that says "Dealer" on it. Helpful for remembering whose turn it is to deal when you pass the deck around. A necessity if you're going to have Hold'em tournaments.

Blackjack Shoe: The "shoe" is the card holder that casinos deal Blackjack out of. Almost every home game I play in has a player who likes to deal Blackjack when it is his turn. Why not make it a little easier?

Discard Rack: This is the rack that cards are put into whenever a player folds or a Blackjack dealer clears played cards off of the table.

Table Brush: To help protect your felt top, you'll want a quality brush to wipe it off. Casinos use this on all of their tables to remove crumbs, dust and other debris.

Portable Chip Racks: If you are hosting games that offer more than one table or if you want people to have an easy way to stack their winnings, chip racks are a good thing to have. Be sure you have at least enough to hold your entire chip collection in.

Chip Case: An aluminum or leather carrying case makes taking your chips to friends houses much easier. If your chips aren't going to leave your home, a nice wooden case is both elegant and practical.

Food
Nothing is worse than serving foods which are greasy or sticky as people tend to get their slop all over the chips and cards. Stick with foods that aren't saucy, wet, sticky, or greasy. If you are going to order pizza, make sure everyone uses a napkin before they sit back down to play. Ideal foods for keeping on the table would be nuts, M & M's, Pretzels, Chips, etc. Buffalo wings, greasy burgers and ice cream are not good ideas!

Drinks
Again, if you're trying to host a quality game, don't cheapen it by serving Busch Beer, Generic Vodka or Store-Brand Soda! Offer your guests premium drinks for an overall positive impression.

Conclusion
As you can see, hosting a quality game can be expensive. But most of the supplies are a one-time investment. I've been playing with a set of custom clay chips for about 8 years and people still comment on how much better it is playing with quality supplies. But be careful - Most of your friends will insist on only playing at your house!