Best ways to find local home games? (8 Viewers)

[shokimol]

How did you find home games when you first started playing the game? I'm located in Oklahoma which has a ton of tribal casinos, but not that many with poker rooms in them. Where are some unexpected places IRL or online where you could find like-minded individuals?

 

[Mushmanchuman]

Post aome chips or a table on fb marketplace. I’ve met numerous game runners and connections thru listing poker stuff.

 

[BEANO52]

Casino players, fraternal club, golf course, PCF

 

[PapaWheelie]

I ask around at work and then asked some of the guys I cycle with. Then I asked them to ask their friends. Since January, I've had 31 different people fill the eight seats at my table

 

[ockt]

I wonder the same thing, unfortunately none of my friends are (as) into poker (as me), and the nearest casino to my house is ~1.5-2 hrs away. And I'm far too broke to join a country club or pick up golf

 

[ismokerocks]

Seeking out the poker table searches is definitely true,,,ive been keeping eye on fb marketplace/offerup/craigs and certain listings are just details for their games,,, great method

Also the meetup web page has couple games listed

 

[Fingerz]

Our local firehouses host low stakes poker games twice a month. We also have bingo halls that will host nights as well.

 

[Labrat]

Unfortunately the safest way is via friends and friends of friends. Otherwise, you really don't know what you're getting yourself into.

 

[Labrat]

Our local firehouses host low stakes poker games twice a month. We also have bingo halls that will host nights as well.

Are these actually fire stations, or is that code for something else?

 

[TheYeti]

A friend of mine who is also one of my regulars started working at a car dealership a few years back. I can't tell you how many of those guys now play in my game. Car salesmen (and women) seem to love poker.

 

[shokimol]

I wonder the same thing, unfortunately none of my friends are (as) into poker (as me), and the nearest casino to my house is ~1.5-2 hrs away. And I'm far too broke to join a country club or pick up golf

I feel ya! I'm stuck between not being in the position to start my own home game and not having enough connections to find other people's games. I would also feel awkward just randomly bringing it up to everyone I kinda know.

Our local firehouses host low stakes poker games twice a month. We also have bingo halls that will host nights as well.

Do you feel like it matters what age group you are in? There are some local charity and free tournaments that go on in bingo halls or bars around here, but I feel like everyone there is retired or close to retirement, while I'm half their age.

 

[Moxie Mike]

How did you find home games when you first started playing the game? I'm located in Oklahoma which has a ton of tribal casinos, but not that many with poker rooms in them. Where are some unexpected places IRL or online where you could find like-minded individuals?

I only host games... I almost never attend other private games so I'll tell you how I recruited a mailing list that grew to over 100 names over time.

When I first got the idea for the Moxie Poker League, I didn't know ANYONE in the local poker community. I'd been going to the local charity rooms though so while I didn't really say much to people, I'd gotten a feel for who the connected people were.

So I talked to the room proprietor and a couple influential regulars about what I was thinking... and we got 15 players to the first event. After that players brought in more players and before too long we were running 3-table events regularly.

All that's to say I'd suggest looking at local FB groups, asking around, see who knows someone that can get you into a game. Many private games are rather picky about who gets invited, so the more people you know, the better your chances are.

 

[joeyshin]

honestly...just go to the members location thread and just message some of the people and ask if you can play in their game

 

[Candazor]

My biggest worry is always if these home games can be trusted or not. How do you guys handle this when you do happen to find a local home game?

 

[BuckMason]

My biggest worry is always if these home games can be trusted or not. How do you guys handle this when you do happen to find a local home game?

My general rules:
Always be on guard regardless if you trust the home game or not. Don't play if host rakes. Using two decks of cards where previous dealer shuffles, then next person cuts, and there’s a cut card. When you shuffle, every now and then count the deck to make sure all 52 cards are there. Lookout for marked cards. Are the chips, buyins, and rebuys only handled by the host? Does the bank match the # of chips in play at the end of the night, so payouts end up perfect? And always stay strapped (j/k).

 

[BuckMason]

How did you find home games when you first started playing the game? I'm located in Oklahoma which has a ton of tribal casinos, but not that many with poker rooms in them. Where are some unexpected places IRL or online where you could find like-minded individuals?

I’ve found a lot of players over the years from playing slow pitch softball, coworkers, church festivals (where they have a yearly poker tournament), American Legion, Eagles, casino.

 

[TheYeti]

My general rules:
Always be on guard regardless if you trust the home game or not. Don't play if host rakes. Using two decks of cards where previous dealer shuffles, then next person cuts, and there’s a cut card. When you shuffle, every now and then count the deck to make sure all 52 cards are there. Lookout for marked cards. Are the chips, buyins, and rebuys only handled by the host? Does the bank match the # of chips in play at the end of the night, so payouts end up perfect? And always stay strapped (j/k).

You don't need two decks to ensure a proper cut is made.

If any of my players randomly stopped to count the deck when there hadn't been any cards dropped on the floor, they would be berated mercilessly. lol

 

[Candazor]

My general rules:
Always be on guard regardless if you trust the home game or not. Don't play if host rakes. Using two decks of cards where previous dealer shuffles, then next person cuts, and there’s a cut card. When you shuffle, every now and then count the deck to make sure all 52 cards are there. Lookout for marked cards. Are the chips, buyins, and rebuys only handled by the host? Does the bank match the # of chips in play at the end of the night, so payouts end up perfect? And always stay strapped (j/k).

These are some great tips, which I suspect have come from prior painful experiences

 

[Fingerz]

Are these actually fire stations, or is that code for something else?

It is an active fire station with fire personnel. Several of the stations have banquet halls or spaces attached to them. They use that space to play poker.

 

[BuckMason]

These are some great tips, which I suspect have come from prior painful experiences

100%. Have caught a cheat at another home game that I played in regularly. Long story. Once I started hosting, I wanted to make sure my game has as much integrity as a poker game can.