Poker Room Cleanup or Cleaning Fee? (2 Viewers)

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Most nights I host a single table cash game, with drinks, chips and hotdogs. Cleanup isnt that bad so I handle it. Occasionally we have a two-table tournament with dinner served in addition to the drinks/snacks and late night hotdogs. After the recent tourney event the poker room was a huge mess, and a lot of dishes from my main house were brought there in order to cook the food. Of course no one has ever volunteered to help clean the next day.

So that brings me to the question: When you host a bigger event like this, do you take a fee for cleanup, food or both? We had a total of $4300 in the prize pool. I could have easily taken $100 and got some maids to come the day after.
 
Most nights I host a single table cash game, with drinks, chips and hotdogs. Cleanup isnt that bad so I handle it. Occasionally we have a two-table tournament with dinner served in addition to the drinks/snacks and late night hotdogs. After the recent tourney event the poker room was a huge mess, and a lot of dishes from my main house were brought there in order to cook the food. Of course no one has ever volunteered to help clean the next day.

So that brings me to the question: When you host a bigger event like this, do you take a fee for cleanup, food or both? We had a total of $4300 in the prize pool. I could have easily taken $100 and got some maids to come the day after.


nope. I get enough guys that will donate a bottle of bourbon, bring snacks, ect.....
 
I host because I love it, and the cleanup is part of the job.

I also charge $20/player for hospitality as part of the tournament buy-in which covers the spread.
 
I would always try and steer clear of taking fixed payments along with buy-ins for the obvious reasons and legalities.

I would ask for donations of food or booze. Or push a cleanup and food donation jug. Maybe placed on the food table or near where everyone buys in. If people still aren’t donating you can literally have it passed around and people will feel a bit more compelled.

But fwiw my game is smaller with regs who always tend to bring stuff or have given gifts to the house on occasion.
 
Food and drinks arent the main issue, I shouldnt have brought that up. People bring beer and bottles, as well as chips/snacks. The main course was covered as a gift because it was one players birthday. I usually get some donations from winners each game. My main issue is just the cleanup after a big event is more than I want to deal with.
 
Most nights I host a single table cash game, with drinks, chips and hotdogs. Cleanup isnt that bad so I handle it. Occasionally we have a two-table tournament with dinner served in addition to the drinks/snacks and late night hotdogs. After the recent tourney event the poker room was a huge mess, and a lot of dishes from my main house were brought there in order to cook the food. Of course no one has ever volunteered to help clean the next day.
Man, don't you have a wife?
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I've never heard of a clean-up fee anywhere...
 
Food and drinks arent the main issue, I shouldnt have brought that up. People bring beer and bottles, as well as chips/snacks. The main course was covered as a gift because it was one players birthday. I usually get some donations from winners each game. My main issue is just the cleanup after a big event is more than I want to deal with.

I wouldn't collect anything for clean up. I wouldn't ask either. If your players are making a mess simply point out where the fucking garbage can is and inform them to properly pick up after themselves.
 
Food and drinks arent the main issue, I shouldnt have brought that up. People bring beer and bottles, as well as chips/snacks. The main course was covered as a gift because it was one players birthday. I usually get some donations from winners each game. My main issue is just the cleanup after a big event is more than I want to deal with.
Change what you serve. Pizza and disposable plates and what not are way easier to clean up than if you cooked a bunch of shit. Make it easier for you if you hate the after.
 
Yup, I used to run into massive messes, bottles , cans, and crap everywhere.
I now have very convenient trash and recycle bins, and cleanup is much easier. yup, poker players are often lazy, or don’t want to take a few seconds away from the action to visit a garbage can.. but if that can is RIGHT there, (same with recycling) those items often time wind up right where they should be.
 
Yup, I used to run into massive messes, bottles , cans, and crap everywhere.
I now have very convenient trash and recycle bins, and cleanup is much easier. yup, poker players are often lazy, or don’t want to take a few seconds away from the action to visit a garbage can.. but if that can is RIGHT there, (same with recycling) those items often time wind up right where they should be.

I dont mind cleaning up trash or a few dishes. Its that I dont want to spend 1 or more hours doing dishes and cleaning the kitchenette.
 
I don’t let the degens eat off our real plates and cups. That’s what disposables are for. Except for my tumblers. I won’t let people drink good alcohol out of plastic.
 
I host because I enjoy it. I don’t mind the cleanup. Strangely enough, I find it relaxing. I also try to simplify it as much as possible. I have it catered for the most part so I don’t have to cook. I also use disposable dishes and utensils. Any barware that is used goes into my bar dishwasher, so the cleanup is never bad. My guests routinely try to give me money for food and stuff but I never take it.
 
My main issue is just the cleanup after a big event is more than I want to deal with.

I dont mind cleaning up trash or a few dishes. Its that I dont want to spend 1 or more hours


To me this is just part of hosting. when I'm at other people's houses for gatherings I repsect their stuff and make it a point to spend five minutes or so at the end of the nightwalking around and grabbing cans, bottles, dishes, etc and throw them away, recycle, or get all dishes to a central point. I like to think it saves the host just a little time because most people don't do that.

Please don't take this as me trying to be a jerk when I say if you don't want to cleanup then you don't want to host. Honestly, I'm not judging one way or another, I just truly believe that accidents are going to happen, garbage is going to be made, and humans are going to be humans when you invite people over. And the bigger the event the more those rules apply and compound. If any of that creates stress in your mind and body then be a guest most of the time and not a host. I've been in both phases over the years, right now I'm in a "let's have the game at your house" mode. :)
 
One of the cons of hosting. To me, it’s just part of the whole package. I will ask everyone to toss stuff in the garbage as they leave. Usually gets most of that taken care of. So just leaves taking it out, vacuuming and cleaning up the bar and rest. Not too bad to be able to stay home and play poker.
 
Most nights I host a single table cash game, with drinks, chips and hotdogs. Cleanup isnt that bad so I handle it. Occasionally we have a two-table tournament with dinner served in addition to the drinks/snacks and late night hotdogs. After the recent tourney event the poker room was a huge mess, and a lot of dishes from my main house were brought there in order to cook the food. Of course no one has ever volunteered to help clean the next day.

So that brings me to the question: When you host a bigger event like this, do you take a fee for cleanup, food or both? We had a total of $4300 in the prize pool. I could have easily taken $100 and got some maids to come the day after.
To answer your question here standard is the tips only dealers do it before they go home.
 
Nope, but my events are much smaller and more casual.

Hotdogs seem to be the way to go. Get a roller, toss the dogs on, people can gobble a dog down between hands or on a break, and you don't even need plates.

I'm going to try to pick up some of those little hotdog trays for the next event, but this one I didn't even have plates out. Hold your dog like a man!

After the event, turn the roller on and let it heat up, then wipe it down. Wet papertowels work for me, just watch your fingers. Toss out the tinfoil covering the fat tray. Seems to be pretty easy cleanup.
 
Alright well then seems I just gotta deal with it on my own. It looks worse than it is, shouldnt be too much time. But yeah, it does look really bad, I will grab a pic in a little bit.
 
It's repeating what others have said but to sum up -

1) Don't do messy things as a host (real plates, messy foods, etc.)
2) Encourage a culture of cleaning up at your game. My players each take out their own stuff generally and I just have to wash a few glasses/dustbust the table/put away chips.
 
It's repeating what others have said but to sum up -

1) Don't do messy things as a host (real plates, messy foods, etc.)
2) Encourage a culture of cleaning up at your game. My players each take out their own stuff generally and I just have to wash a few glasses/dustbust the table/put away chips.
Exactly.

I usually do tacos or Italian. Disposable plates and utensils are a must. Real glassware but that’s easy. A few garbage cans around. Cleanup at most is a couple hours, and this includes vacuuming, garbage being taken out, liquor bottles getting wiped down and put away, food put away, and glassware in the dishwasher, along with wiping down the bar.
 
There is a trash can literally 2 feet away from all this crap. Flipping squirrels!
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My wife never minded helping after, except when guys left spit bottles laying around from pinching or chewing. She HATED that, just wondered why they couldn’t put it in one of the four garbage cans I had out.
 
The way I see it a person has two choices.

Choice 1. Go to someone else's home and play. That entails paying attention to how much of what you are drinking so you can drive home at the end of the night.

Choice 2. Host yourself. If you don't have to travel you can drink to your heart's content. No DWI, no worries. Of course you have a headache and a hot mess to deal with in the morning, but wow you can really tie one on. Lots of fun today, but lots of work tomorrow.

To me this is a no brainer. I am hosting, and you can hook the Jack Daniels DIRECTLY TO MY VEIN.

I know you are looking for an easy way out, but there isn't one. Sorry man.
 

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