How do you prepare... (1 Viewer)

[Pinball]

How do you prepare yourself for a poker grind (Homegame, Casinos...)?

 

[MaxB]

How do you prepare yourself for a poker grind (Homegame, Casinos...)?

Tang

 

[detroitdad]

If I'm hosting, I start drinking 2 hours before everyone gets there. If I'm traveling I don't start drinking until I arrive on site.

 

[MeridianFC]

Homegame: I nervously stack and re-stack the starting stacks. Count through the decks to be used. Fan the decks. Realize the fan isn't perfect, so recount the cards and re-fan. Restack the stating stacks. Adjust the card fan. Try to remember if I actually have cash to play in my own game. Add songs to playlist. Try to figure out which player will felt me. Restack starting stacks. Think about having a beer. Don't have a beer want to stay sharp. Definitely want to stay sharp. Focused. Have a beer. Restack starting stacks.

Casino: Think about how I can stretch my initial buy in to the 30 minute mark.

 

[DrStrange]

I go for a nap. That is not always possible, but for a late night session it offers a nice edge plus makes the game more enjoyable.

DrStrange

 

[detroitdad]

I go for a nap. That is not always possible, but for a late night session it offers a nice edge plus makes the game more enjoyable.

DrStrange

Same here. I don't usually sleep well at night. Anytime I can get a nap in prior to a game is a huge bonus. Your right. It definitely makes it more enjoyable.

B

 

[bergs]

Casino - tell myself to "play tight", have at least 3 beers.
Home game (someone else's) - pray that nobody remembers how I play, identify the people that I can paypal for chips if I confirm busto, have at least 4 beers
Home game (hosting) - remind myself that Tim and I always run it twice, have at least 5 beers, desperately try to get my wife out of the house before she hears "FUCK! MY EIGHTH BUYIN"

 

[chipjoker]

I set the table, chairs, chips, and cards, then get all the food and drinks out and then tell the Wife "Sorry, I thought I told you a week ago".....





Just Kidding, on the Wife part....
After I set up, I usually just chill with the wife until people arrive..

 

[Andrew Marks]

Yes but after you tell your wife that the guys are coming over to play like they do every Wednesday, does she say "Whaaaaat?" as if you had tried to pull a fast one on her?

 

[bmichaelhorn]

Homegame: I nervously stack and re-stack the starting stacks. Count through the decks to be used. Fan the decks. Realize the fan isn't perfect, so recount the cards and re-fan. Restack the stating stacks. Adjust the card fan. Try to remember if I actually have cash to play in my own game. Add songs to playlist. Try to figure out which player will felt me. Restack starting stacks. Think about having a beer. Don't have a beer want to stay sharp. Definitely want to stay sharp. Focused. Have a beer. Restack starting stacks.

Casino: Think about how I can stretch my initial buy in to the 30 minute mark.

I have the same pre-game hosting restlessness which leads me to adjust lights, table, cards etc until about 1 min before guests are supposed to arrive. Then I spend the next 30 minutes sitting at the table aimlessly looking at my phone waiting for the first (late) guest to arrive, wondering why I started setting up so early. Every. Single. Time.

 

[Andrew Marks]

How often do you all have your home game to warrant such OCD behavior before the guests arrive? We play once a week and I host about 3/4 of the time. My routine is: prepare any food that I am making for the game; vacuum off the table (occasionally using vinyl cleaner for the rail when required); set up some of the food and drinks I am serving (the other players typically help bring down the rest of the food and drink to the basement poker room when they arrive); and wait upstairs for them to arrive (typically after the family eats dinner so I am oftern helping to clean up when they do arrive).

What is simlar to bmichael's game is that everyone always arrives late. Seems that everyone expects eveyone else to arrive late and no one wants to be the first to arrive, although I always offer coffee or a drink to those arriving on time while we wait for a quorum. Eventually when the first person starts showing up 30 minutes late, we have to once again promise each other that 7:30 start means 7:30 and not 8:15 and I have to threaten to end the game one minute early for every minute late that we actually start (although I have never followed through with that threat).

Hosting is a bit of a thankless task. Sure everyone appreciates it, but I don't think most understand the effort involved in setting up and then cleaning up. Of course, maybe I put in too much effort. The other player that hosts the other 1/4 of the time gets lower quality food, never prepares anythying himself, is often not even at his house at the time the game is supposed to begin, often is missing cups and napkins; serves soda, chips and pretzels that were left over and opened from the last game; occasionally goes to bed before the game ends; and does whatever he can to have everyone else clean up. I find that a twisted interpretation of "hosting" which in my mind means I am responsible for everything including making sure my guests are comfortable, have what they need and cleaining up after everyone leaves. Sure I'll accept offers to help clean up (like taking stuff upstairs when the game is over), but I would never feel right about telling the others that they have to clean up as our other host has been known to do.

 

[tripleflatbarrel]

Setting up my homegame is always an ordeal. It's bad, but the only reason I'd ever want to move would be to get a house with a dedicated gameroom type area where I could have everything set up ready to go. Instead I have dinner, bath the kiddo, first attempt to get her down, pull table and chairs out of garage/ backyard, 2nd attempt to get kiddo down, move around the living room furniture and set up the table, hopefully now kiddo is down, people are arriving, dog is barking, kiddo is back up.......

If I'm playing at the Casino or some other game, I'll usually listen to a Crush Live Poker podcast on the drive and down a SugarFree Redbull on my way inside.

 

[DrStrange]

Interesting - - - - my problem on the Saturday game is early arrivals. Food is served nominally at 6:45 but someone is often there by 6:30 and rarely at 6:00. I don't remember ever staring that game late.

DrStrange

 

[detroitdad]

Interesting - - - - my problem on the Saturday game is early arrivals. Food is served nominally at 6:45 but someone is often there by 6:30 and rarely at 6:00. I don't remember ever staring that game late.

DrStrange

My wife is usually working at start time. I gladly tell the guys to come out early for a bite to eat, have a beer before the game starts, ect.....Last time I hosted we had an 8 player table rolling before the actual start time

 

[courage]

Casino: grab earphones, a card capper chip, and go.

Someone's home game: book flight. Sometimes rent room.

Hosting home game: continuing from previous day's trip to grocery and cooking, clean bathroom, vacuum poker room and tables, take trash out. Put away chips from previous game, rack dealer chips and buyins, finish up cooking food, start Spotify degenalist, start slideshow, turn on TVs, ignore RSVP texts half hour before game time, crack open a beer.

 

[Irish]

I have the same pre-game hosting restlessness which leads me to adjust lights, table, cards etc until about 1 min before guests are supposed to arrive. Then I spend the next 30 minutes sitting at the table aimlessly looking at my phone waiting for the first (late) guest to arrive, wondering why I started setting up so early. Every. Single. Time.

This made me chuckle, glad to see I'm not the only one.

 

[detroitdad]

Hosting a 16 player tourney tonight (and hopefully cash). Tables/chairs/chips are set up and ready to go. Chip stacks only double checked twice.

Ice is made and ready to go.

Food is either thawing, or ready to be prepped.

Beer run still needs to be completed.

Outside of that I'll clean up a little around the house. I am going with a new TV/Wifi/Phone company. Of course I scheduled that to be installed this morning, lol. They are supposed to be here by 1030 am. 4 hour max installation. If they happen to be running late and are not here by 11 I will simply resechedule.