Last spring I had the same problem and I didn’t care what the stakes were, provided people actually played to win. Too low and the shove fest happens, as
@sammydj mentioned. The nearest casino to me is nearly 2 hours and $1/2 with a max $300 buy in is the smallest game. So, I had some custom business chips made by BRPoker Pros that had my club name and logo on one side with our Discord page and my cell on the reverse. If a player at the casino was cool and lived closer to me than the casino, I gave them a chip and invited them to my game with the same stakes, only no rake. I started posting on my own FB poker page and a couple other poker group pages. We played our first “new format” game in May of last year. It wasn’t easy and I’ve certainly had a ton of turnover, but I also have 6 regs who I’d move mountains for and vice versa that I didn’t even know a year ago. And I have close to 100 others who jump in when they can and I have room. We never miss a weekend these days and the main table usually has $15k+ in play. I opened a smaller stakes table once the main table got too big for some of the guys. The small table has fewer circus games, smaller blinds, no match the stacks, etc.
Works out pretty great. When players bust out and go home from the main, the small table is usually breaking up and the big winners always want a seat at the main. Everyone gets to play for the stakes they want now and the main is full as long as I can stand it.
But, I confess I thought I was tendering on the brink of not having any game every other week for months. I had to recruit non stop and I still recruit today. I just get to be way more picky now. I used to take about anyone and now if they won’t join discord and agree to the club rules, we don’t continue. If they do, the next phase is a one on one meeting with me just to chat, give them the lay of the land, expectations from each party, etc.
I would strongly advise not worrying about pleasing the others. I only had success when I said to hell with trying to be a people pleaser and make the game I WANTED. Decide what exactly you’d like your game to be and then make it happen. I have built an amazing poker room, tables, chairs, all that to make people want to stay once they’ve played. But, those are all luxuries that aren’t needed. The first game was one mediocre table and we all had to shuffle and deal, like most home games. Just make your game YOURS first.
I’m not saying I don’t listen to my regs. I just didn’t listen to anyone until they became regs at the new format. We added the 7/2, race car game, bomb pots, etc all over time and as players asked for them. But, when an idea is presented, we just post a poll and put it to a vote on the discord page. Best part is, we can add a game on one table without adding to the other, so if we want to play every other orbit is PLO or whatever, we can. We just shuffle players to the table they prefer.
Now that we’ve had a consistent weekly game for 6+ months, it’s kind of funny. The main table has a reputation of being big and crazy, which the players who leave go and bitch about to their other poker buddies. Half my new recruits come directly, because they hear those things and it’s appealing to them.
I played tournaments for $20 with buddies for years and was always bored to death by the cards. I enjoyed the socializing aspect, but cards were a distant afterthought. I’ve never had more fun than the game we host now. And I say we, because after I got a shuffler, my wife started dealing the main table and our 15 year old son is one of our regs. He’s the one trying not to smile.
But, I can break him to get a smile from time to time.
Good luck building! You’ll get there before you know it.
