Finding players (1 Viewer)

[Oryx]

I'm having a hard time finding a regular group of guys to play with. The people I know don't want to prioritize poker in their lives and that's fine but it makes it hard to wrangle them together for a session.
I could easily find a 1/2 game but I'm not in a financial position to regularly play those stakes. .05/.10 or .25/.25, .25/50 would be manageable on a regular basis.
Where do you find people to play outside of friends and family?

 

[DZPoker]

At those stakes, unfortunately (for me at least) it’s several different games but ALWAYS just friends and family. I can’t see strangers getting together to play for less than the gas it took to get to the game?

Edited to clarify I’m talking about the lower end of your range

 

[Oryx]

At those stakes, unfortunately (for me at least) it’s several different games but ALWAYS just friends and family. I can’t see strangers getting together to play for less than the gas it took to get to the game?

Edited to clarify I’m talking about the lower end of your range

Ya that thought definitely came to me. It's a tough spot to be in. 25¢/50¢ with $40 min buy is probably still too low stakes for strangers.
I'm close...ish to a casino but I don't love the thought of a rake and I would much rather play for fun.

 

[Oryx]

I would post in the meetup thread but I don't have my 90 posts yet. Plus I'd still likely hit the same wall I'm hitting now.
I see posts of people who have put together successful groups on low stakes so I thought I could maybe get some juice from PCFers that made it work but it's likely they started within a friend group as well.

 

[DZPoker]

Stick around for a while. You may find you make some friends here! I’d invite you to a game…but it’s a bit of a drive!!

 

[MrBoosh]

Sometimes it can take a little time to build a stable game with a regular group of committed players that you can count on to be there. If your game is good and well ran, it helps. I find that getting people to join you the first time is the hardest thing. Once we can get them in the door that first time, they usually have a good time and it is much easier to get them to return. But you ALWAYS need to be promoting your game and looking for new possible players.

Once you get a bit of a stable crew, you may want to dial in the buy-in amount to whatever the majority feels comfortable with just to keep everyone happy. You want it to be enough to be taken serious, but not enough to make people feel uncomfortable.

Getting things started from scratch is tough. Maybe post on a local Facebook group if you want to speed things up. I personally would rather build our game a little slower with friends and friends of friends so we can have a little more control over who shows up. If you do a good job hosting a fun evening of poker then it will eventually grow into whatever you want it to become.

 

[chippitydoodah]

Stick around for a while. You may find you make some friends here! I’d invite you to a game…but it’s a bit of a drive!!

Plus you'd need a passport

 

[Godzilla28]

Go to local meetup cash games, tournaments and bar tournaments. Usually you'll find some like minded people that will play stakes you're comfortable with. It's also a good place to screen them before you invite them to your home to play.

 

[Oryx]

Sometimes it can take a little time to build a stable game with a regular group of committed players that you can count on to be there. If your game is good and well ran, it helps. I find that getting people to join you the first time is the hardest thing. Once we can get them in the door that first time, they usually have a good time and it is much easier to get them to return. But you ALWAYS need to be promoting your game and looking for new possible players.

Once you get a bit of a stable crew, you may want to dial in the buy-in amount to whatever the majority feels comfortable with just to keep everyone happy. You want it to be enough to be taken serious, but not enough to make people feel uncomfortable.

Getting things started from scratch is tough. Maybe post on a local Facebook group if you want to speed things up. I personally would rather build our game a little slower with friends and friends of friends so we can have a little more control over who shows up. If you do a good job hosting a fun evening of poker then it will eventually grow into whatever you want it to become.

Hey thanks for the reply, I guess I'll just keep plugging away at it. I guess I don't need a full 9 handed to get started 5 guys is plenty too if I want to start somewhere. Seems to be a busy time of year for my friend group. I like to think I host a good game. I've never had complaints before. I introduced the guys to cash games and they like it a lot more than tournament so that's a start. Just a matter of finding days where guys are available.