I recruited a couple of my favorite players while playing at the casino. I’m positive this makes me an outlier. But, I had BRPro make me some custom biz chips with my logo on one side and my discord QR code/cell phone on the other. I don’t give chips out to just anyone. Only after getting to know them over a long session or two. For me, the nearest casino is 2 hours away, so it’s pretty easy to ask where people are from. No one is local. It’s an Indian casino in the middle of nowhere. So, if the player seems cool and lives nearer me than the casino, I don’t have a problem giving him a chip and getting to know him better via social media.
A chip isn’t a game invite. It’s an invitation to join the poker clubs discord page. From there, we will see how it goes. If the person in question is a family type, for example, way more likely to get an invitation. Even then, when I have new players I don’t know, I take added security precautions until they’ve convinced me they are going to be cool. For the most part, no one drinks (much at all, but certainly not to excess) at my games, so that’s never an issue. Maybe this sounds like no fun, it’s just one of my rules. If you’ve drank too much, I’ll call you an uber once. The second time will be the last. So, a few players probably skip my games, because of that, which works for me.
I once had a player say that he wasn’t comfortable answering my questions, because they were personal. I agreed. And so is coming into my house, so if we aren’t going to be friends, let’s just find out now. He’s a reg now. Being 100% direct works for me. I explain exactly what type of game I host and what I’m after. If that’s a fit, fantastic! If it’s not, no worries. Best of luck. But, I’m not looking for fish. I’m looking for cool people who love poker. They may be amazing card players. Great! I love a challenge. I’m in it for a safe and fun night. Win or lose, everyone has fun at my games. Or they don’t come back. Either are acceptable.
I don’t see this as a whole lot different than meetup games, which most on here take no issue with. Just ask lots of questions and remember it’s your house. I offer something they don’t have in my area that’s desirable. A clean, not notch poker experience that’s fun and safe. I think the biz chip helps establish that aspect (nice shit aspect anyway) right from the jump. Then they see the discord page with all the pics and get the atmosphere from some of the regs, then we get to know each other a little. Kind of like getting to know other people on the forum.
