Do you send a recap email to your group? (1 Viewer)

[ngmcs8203]

I have a list of about 40 folks who I emailed/texted leading up to my game last night. I know out of the list I may never see some of them at the table, but there were at least a tables worth of players who couldn't make it due to other commitments. I feel like a post-night email that also includes a way of gauging interest for the next night is a good idea, even if that game may not be for another couple of months.

What do you guys do with your groups? Do you send follow-ups or is your next poker related email just about the next night?

 

[Gunnar]

My group has a facebook group and I post updates there after the night and people seem to like it

 

[Moxie Mike]

Yup after league tournaments I always send a recap. I try to make it an entertaining read, so people are more likely to open the email. I don't bother with cash games or non-league events, though since there's not much of a point.

Spoiler: Here's an example

Event #1 of the New Season is in the books!​

Although we had a few last minute cancellations, we still managed to get 14 warriors to brave the elements and the stairs at the ivory tower known as the Moxie World Headquarters to play some cards!

A solid turnout was bolstered by the presence of Hardcore Bob, who lived up to his legendary nickname by scaling the steps despite undergoing knee replacement surgery just 2 weeks ago. That's right - why should anyone follow the doctor's orders when there's fun to be had!

Fittingly enough, Bob's perseverance that can only be seen as an ode to degeneracy was rewarded with a 1st place finish! Great job man! The season's first Red Puck Bounty will be on you next week!

A few housekeeping items:

Have you ever been on a plane and during the flight you hear the sound of a beep followed by the flight attendant announcing that the captain has turned on the 'no farting' sign? Well the Moxie office doesn't have a sign like that. But if I have to install one, I will and it will be funded out of the prize pool and might look something like this:

Keepin' it classy as always.

We need players to volunteer to deal for at least part of the evening. Dave has graciously volunteered repeatedly and doesn't seem to mind. But it's not fair to expect him to do so every event. The final table usually is set before the second break, so dealing at the second table is only for about 7 or 8 levels.

The alternative is to pass the deal around the table, and no one wants that.

When I was cleaning up, I noticed a 5k chips was missing. I'm not saying I suspect someone walked off with a souvenir, but if it happens that someone took it home accidentally or whatever, I need it back. No questions will be asked. Thanks in advance.

I know the parking situation sucks at the moment - it's going to be that way for the foreseeable future. The public lot behind Brann's is a good alternative if the lot is full.

The next game is Tuesday the 15th. Seating is limited and many seats are already spoken for. Please RSVP ASAP with Mike.

Season 7 Event # 1 Results:

PLACE	PLAYER
1	Hardcore Bob
2	Stormcloud
3	Moxie Mike
4	Iron Mike
5	Moyer
6	Emir
7	North Pole Troll
8	Crown Royal Dave
9	Triple J
10	Stiletto Sandie
11	Hitchcock Blonde Lavonne
12	Martin
13	Karla
14	Kurt

Season 7 Standings Through 1 Event:

RANK	PLAYER	TOTAL POINTS
1	Hardcore Bob	25
2	StormCloud	18
3	Moxie Mike	13
4	Iron Mike	9
5	Moyer	6
6	Emir	4
7	North Pole Troll	3
8	Crown Royal Dave	2
9	Stiletto Sandie	1
9	Martin	1
9	Hitchcock Blonde Lavonne	1
9	Triple J	1
9	Kurt	1
9	Karla	1

 

[yoke386]

My games not quite that big, but the following day I always send out a message in our group thread thanking those who came, and biggest winner of the night. (.25/.50 cash game )

 

[pltrgyst]

I always put the results on the game's Web page.

 

[merkong]

I host a twice weekly cash game and while I don’t send a recap communication (individual texts) per say, I do text everyone and say thanks and let them know we’ll be in action next week.

 

[merkong]

My games not quite that big, but the following day I always send out a message in our group thread thanking those who came, and biggest winner of the night. (.25/.50 cash game )

I text individually the day after all sessions but don’t engage in how anyone did or didn’t do.

Sounds nitpicky but I don’t feel like sharing who crushed it or who got crushed. Just a simple thanks for playing and because I’m close to all my players some specificities relative to myself and them.

 

[detroitdad]

I text individually the day after all sessions but don’t engage in how anyone did or didn’t do.

Sounds nitpicky but I don’t feel like sharing who crushed it or who got crushed. Just a simple thanks for playing and because I’m close to all my players some specificities relative to myself and them.

this

 

[andrebttx]

My game has a group chat on Signal, which is alive outside of just game invites - like for example, discussing the Vegas hacks, or sharing clips when the WSOP was on, etc.

During games, players might share pots or stacks in that chat the same way we do here in the Home Game and Live Stacks threads.

So all of this is to say no, there’s no real formal recap. After a quarterly tournament I’ll shoot a message saying who was 1st-4th and what the high hand and bad beat were, but don’t really do anything like that for cash.

 

[CraigT78]

I don't send a post game email, but will send an email a couple of weeks later with updated standings and next game sign up. I try to schedule the league games 2-3 months in advance.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Yup! I follow up and list the biggest losers, and what I think they're doing wrong in their personal lives. Its a real hoot.

 

[JustinInMN]

Sounds nitpicky but I don’t feel like sharing who crushed it or who got crushed. Just a simple thanks for playing and because I’m close to all my players some specificities relative to myself and them.

You save that for your PCF pictures , you crusher.

 

[TheRealTeddyKGB]

I post something here on PCF in the Home Game Pics thread for all my PCF players. (The ones who seem to care about that stuff) I've sent the link to other players that aren't part of PCF & recieved mostly crickets.

 

[Dodger]

Yes on the post-game recap for league tournies. We have good player parity, so different guys do well in different games throughout the season. I find that calling out their accomplishments in a recap is a lot of fun for them, and our guys look forward to it.

Additionally, we have a 24-player cap per game, but a 40-player list. So, writing up a fun recap similar to @Moxie Mike helps create added interest for those that missed the game. I find that if we can keep interest high in this regard it helps with player retention throughout the season and for future seasons.

 

[Huskerchipper]

I always send a group text identifying the spots that paid the following day. Its nice to give recognition to those that did well. We are a close group of around 20 that have played together for 20 years so people who left early are interested to see how their friends did. I feel it gives us a family feel and for those who couldn't make it because of other commitments it stokes their fire for the next game.

 

[Fran]

I have a WhatsApp group to discuss and send pictures of set up, detail info on the game to come, to send pictures during the game and to communicate the results.
For the invite process I use the really nice invite tracker tool from @Al Azouri
Normally the week after we played I send the invite for the next session

 

[CSW]

I send a recap email (that is admittedly probably too long and detailed, but hopefully entertaining as well) a week or two after our event for several reasons.

1. We host only 6-8 times per year (every 6 weeks or so with larger breaks in the summer and for the holidays at the end of the year), and I like to keep the interest level up between games. So, we have a game, I take a week or two to finish the recap email (which includes a date for the next event), and then I send a formal invite for the next game with details a couple weeks after that. That way, we never go more than a few weeks without poker being in the minds of the attendees.
2. We have a league format each year, so at a minimum, I like to circulate updated point standings after each event.
3. When people don’t attend due to a scheduling conflict, they sometimes asked me after the game how it went, so I noticed there was at least some appetite for some post-game info.
4. We have a few people on our invite list who haven’t yet made it to a game, and I am hoping that seeing photos and a recap of the action will entice them to join the fun.
5. Perhaps most important, I have too much time on my hands and enjoy poker more than most of my attendees. My group doesn’t have much interest in a more frequent game, and I need to get my poker fix somehow in between events (especially during seasons where there are no major local tournament series to play in). Reliving the prior event while writing the recap scratches that itch.

I’ve also found it to be helpful in improving my play against my rather eclectic and inexperienced group. As I recap how certain hands went down, I get a better sense of how certain players play. This wasn’t (and still isn’t) my reason for doing the recaps; it just turned out to be a side benefit.

Another side benefit is that some of the (again, inexperienced) players are learning a bit from my commentary on certain hands as I recap the action (noting what outs a particular player had, what the odds were on an all-in situation, whether a particular action was unusual, etc.). When I am involved in a hand that I recap, I sometimes share what I was thinking at a decision point. I’m not worried about giving away info to this group because the stakes are low, I’m one of the only players that really knows any level of strategy, and I would actually love it if the quality of the play improved over time.

I format the email so that the key info about the next game is at the top, followed by the detailed recap, followed by the standings. That way, people can skim to find what they want to read, but I try to keep the reader in suspense and wanting to read the full recap — for example, by not leading with the results, by identifying some themes and storylines from the night, by adding narrative between the hand recaps, and by including updated chip counts a couple of times from each night night.

Many of the players completely ignore the recap part, but I get a handful of responses from each game from people who loved reading it. That’s enough for me to keep putting in the effort.

As with everything in my game, I put way more time, money, and effort into the game than the vast majority of hosts, but that’s because I love it and want to make it as much fun for everyone as possible.

 

[Huskerchipper]

I send a recap email (that is admittedly probably too long and detailed, but hopefully entertaining as well) a week or two after our event for several reasons.

1. We host only 6-8 times per year (every 6 weeks or so with larger breaks in the summer and for the holidays at the end of the year), and I like to keep the interest level up between games. So, we have a game, I take a week or two to finish the recap email (which includes a date for the next event), and then I send a formal invite for the next game with details a couple weeks after that. That way, we never go more than a few weeks without poker being in the minds of the attendees.
2. We have a league format each year, so at a minimum, I like to circulate updated point standings after each event.
3. When people don’t attend due to a scheduling conflict, they sometimes asked me after the game how it went, so I noticed there was at least some appetite for some post-game info.
4. We have a few people on our invite list who haven’t yet made it to a game, and I am hoping that seeing photos and a recap of the action will entice them to join the fun.
5. Perhaps most important, I have too much time on my hands and enjoy poker more than most of my attendees. My group doesn’t have much interest in a more frequent game, and I need to get my poker fix somehow in between events (especially during seasons where there are no major local tournament series to play in). Reliving the prior event while writing the recap scratches that itch.

I’ve also found it to be helpful in improving my play against my rather eclectic and inexperienced group. As I recap how certain hands went down, I get a better sense of how certain players play. This wasn’t (and still isn’t) my reason for doing the recaps; it just turned out to be a side benefit.

Another side benefit is that some of the (again, inexperienced) players are learning a bit from my commentary on certain hands as I recap the action (noting what outs a particular player had, what the odds were on an all-in situation, whether a particular action was unusual, etc.). When I am involved in a hand that I recap, I sometimes share what I was thinking at a decision point. I’m not worried about giving away info to this group because the stakes are low, I’m one of the only players that really knows any level of strategy, and I would actually love it if the quality of the play improved over time.

I format the email so that the key info about the next game is at the top, followed by the detailed recap, followed by the standings. That way, people can skim to find what they want to read, but I try to keep the reader in suspense and wanting to read the full recap — for example, by not leading with the results, by identifying some themes and storylines from the night, by adding narrative between the hand recaps, and by including updated chip counts a couple of times from each night night.

Many of the players completely ignore the recap part, but I get a handful of responses from each game from people who loved reading it. That’s enough for me to keep putting in the effort.

As with everything in my game, I put way more time, money, and effort into the game than the vast majority of hosts, but that’s because I love it and want to make it as much fun for everyone as possible.

Your situation is virtually identical to mine!! I like your approach! I was thinking about creating a Facebook group for my poker club. Anyone else do this? I'm pretty sure I've read where some groups have a page.

 

[CSW]

I think quite a few people do Facebook groups. I avoid most social media like the plague, so I’m trying to avoid that.

But I found HomePokerSystem.com, which I’ve used thus far to track league results. I might start using its forum features to post updates, photos, etc., and to encourage conversation between games. Possibly also to post house rules. I’ve considered using it to do invite and RSVP tracking, but I like sending graphic flyers for each game and attaching the structure for each tournament, and HPS doesn’t yet allow either graphics or attachments.

Maybe Facebook is the way to go. But I just can’t bring myself to do it for now …

 

[Huskerchipper]

I think quite a few people do Facebook groups. I avoid most social media like the plague, so I’m trying to avoid that.

But I found HomePokerSystem.com, which I’ve used thus far to track league results. I might start using its forum features to post updates, photos, etc., and to encourage conversation between games. Possibly also to post house rules. I’ve considered using it to do invite and RSVP tracking, but I like sending graphic flyers for each game and attaching the structure for each tournament, and HPS doesn’t yet allow either graphics or attachments.

Maybe Facebook is the way to go. But I just can’t bring myself to do it for now …

I completely understand. There is no way the people in my group would go to another platform to check things out unfortunately. I wish like hell that was the case. FB would just be a super easy place to keep POKER in front of them so to speak. I'm going to look into it a bit further.

 

[CSW]

Yeah, I should probably just bite the bullet and do Facebook too. I have probably logged into Facebook twice in 2 years, but it’s a pretty logical place to post updates, photos, etc. And a lot of people spend at least some time on there anyway. I think they even have a feature for setting up events

 

[Huskerchipper]

Yeah, I should probably just bite the bullet and do Facebook too. I have probably logged into Facebook twice in 2 years, but it’s a pretty logical place to post updates, photos, etc. And a lot of people spend at least some time on there anyway. I think they even have a feature for setting up events

I just was fiddling around last night and set up my own group and scheduled the 1st event (since we play this weekend). Super simple and easy and have already gotten some positive feedback. I'm going to spread the word more this Saturday. We will see what happens!

 

[Nymor]

I'm finding it difficult to continue to avoid all social media as SMS has limitations and is a bit of a pain when it comes to including more than a few people with varying interests. I have a couple of main groups and they like different games & stakes and some can't make certain days etc so I like to mix things up a bit rather than stick to a rigid game schedule.

I'm currently thinking of using Whatsapp, as most of the people I'm targeting use that (and keep suggesting it's use), and setting up a Community for my home game. When a new game is scheduled I'd post a Community announcement and also create an appropriately named Group for that game. Community members can reply to the announcement if they're interested in playing and join the group for any game specific chat/info. Once the game is over I just delete the Group. The Community thing makes it easy for players to see any upcoming games and reserve a seat.

I'll also keep a simple schedule on Google Sheets that is linked, and easy to remember as a custom bit.ly link for those not using the app. The schedule will summarise the state of each upcoming game and suggest dates for ones more distant. Something like...

That, combined with the Whatsapp Community (+Groups), should allow me to quickly get the word out about newly scheduled games and also make it simple for members to find the latest status, join games with open seats and keep in touch with what's happening in general.

As long as I restrict mu usage to just this then hopefully I won't waste too much time - that's what Forum and Feedly are for

 

[JustinInMN]

Isn't Whatsapp basically FB Messenger?

 

[Nymor]

Isn't Whatsapp basically FB Messenger?

Similar I think.

There's a few reasons Whatsapp never took off in the States - mostly to do with how mobile telephony and sms developed differently there than elsewhere.

 

[broose]

I always correspond with my players via text and usually send out pics/media to relevant individuals afterward while thanking them for coming by. People appreciate a follow-up even if it’s a simple thank you.

 

[TKEUofM]

For tournaments I send an event recap and the updated season rankings.

No recap for cash game nights.

 

[merkong]

Yup! I follow up and list the biggest losers, and what I think they're doing wrong in their personal lives. Its a real hoot.

I’ll play at your game just for the input. My life is a mess.

 

[BottomPair7]

I have a FB group that I use for the majority of my communication. I have a few members who are not in FB that I text. I do post a follow-up on who showed and the big winners with some pictures of the night, bit those who aren't on FB don't get that.