How silly (bad) of a game will you play (1 Viewer)

ThrowBack

Two Pair
Joined
Mar 1, 2023
Messages
392
Reaction score
372
Rewards
56
Location
CA
Over a few years of playing in half a dozen games here and there and hosting home games, I had come to the conclusion that PCF members are spoiled.

The passion for chips means needing a good looking table to set them on and nice cards to compliment. Good chairs become standard and of course dog rollers and cold beer.

Naturally, I have learned that this is Instagram perfection, that is not often duplicated out in the wild

I know part of this comes from me playing micro stakes, $.25 50 Cent blinds. And a few $1. 1 dollar games.

With that being said what I have found to be the NORMAL
A kitchen or plastic table with a runner that does not cover anything but the middle
A set of full and complete dice chips to cover everyone is a luxury, mixed sets can be common.
Paper cards
People who are receptive to learning about and using a cut card, and a two deck deal behind system, but currently don’t
People who to either do not understand or can’t do the math to keep up with the minimum raise rule, again usually receptive

I generally keep my full and complete set in the truck when I come to new games and I am picking up a felt now

For me personally I have stayed at every one of these games, I have played goofy five man tournaments where we doubled the blinds after every time someone got knocked out and a few other weird things. In the end, I felt that I was the one getting the edge,
 
To answer the question, as long as security isn't an issue, I'm happy to play just about in any game. I don't enjoy holdem, but I play in two holdem games because of the people; I enjoy them.

As for being spoiled, I would say my players are spoiled. I paid for my shit, they're living rent-free!
 
I see the setups people post here and feel small and inadequate. I have a 9-person table with generic suited speed cloth; Table 2 is an folding oval topper that goes on the dining room table. Significantly upgrading isn't "in the cards" — my kids are 17 (about to hit college) and 11 (with special needs). Found chairs at a liquidation auction that are "good enough". My chips are 20-year-old Nexgen River Poker Tour (an upgrade's on the boat with the rest of the December group buy), so I don't post in Home Game Photos. I do have good Copag/Kem/Broken Arrow cards, bought dealer buttons and cut cards on here and use Tournament Director so it feels organized. When others host I bring the topper, chips, cards and laptop, but chairs are often an issue for them.
What I do get regularly are compliments from players about how well it's run. I'd rather have that than a swanky table and chips.
 
Screen Shot 2026-01-14 at 1.00.16 PM.webp
 
I have definitely become much more selective about games I will play in now. Not so much because of the table/chairs/cards but for how it is run or more accurately not run. I look at it as I can have a game anytime I want to now, so if I’m going to give up a night of doing something else I would enjoy the game needs to be decent.
 
Game has to be fun or very profitable. Many blessed games are both, but needs to be one or the other if I'm spending time there. I've enjoyed games with dice chips and been bored at games with Paulsons.

Time is a currency! I don't want to waste my time, I'd much rather lose money to my apes than win small amounts from a boring group.
 
I think there is a good balance for everything. When I see the amazing looking tables and basements, chips, the whole 9 yards, I do feel a little jealous and envy...for a minute, then I feel like I wouldn't love playing in those "perfect" setup places. There's just something about playing in a garage or unfinished basement with your buddies that appeals to me.

So for me I think having nice or decently nice chips, any "poker" table (throwing on a table topper adds a wow factor to most people) and with $30 cards that you bought years ago makes the experience "better" than 90% of home games. I think this can be relatively easily accomplished and for not too big of investment, like in the $300-500.
 
I have definitely become much more selective about games I will play in now. Not so much because of the table/chairs/cards but for how it is run or more accurately not run. I look at it as I can have a game anytime I want to now, so if I’m going to give up a night of doing something else I would enjoy the game needs to be decent.
Is that why you stopped coming?
 
I think I'd play 2c/5c at 15 hands/hour if I liked the folks I was hanging out with well enough. Dice chips and paper cards if I really like them. They can even make the denominations 1c/5c/10c/25c if the food and drinks are free. I host more for the social aspect though, if I were to attend a game with randoms I'd want it to be well enough run that I'm not sitting there bored as every hand takes 5 minutes to play out. That being said, the nice chips I have are for me not the game experience, and the rest of my setup is a compromise on what you can fit in a small apartment. In my ideal world I'd have a game room with a quality table, chairs, and a shuffler, but until then I'll make do with pulling my barrington and FB marketplace folding chairs out of the storage room when I have a game.
 
I think "spoiled" is the wrong word. I have played in all of those types of games. My core group of hosts have all elevated their equipment (except for Jim). If you can afford the good shit, why not!
The members of PCS may not be spoiled as they are recurring their cost. But I assure you, their guests are. 😂
 
My setup is actually a triton mat on my dining room table. Its a good table and quite comfy though. Excellent lighting from the overhead chandelier. Most game nights are board games. Its actually quite cozy but nothing compared to most here. That said, pizza and cold beer are always staples.

I'll never own a Paulson set. Maybe a CPC if they are still open when I'm close to retirement. I also have unique chip needs since board games are the main attraction (like designing a victory point chip).
 
I think "spoiled" is the wrong word. I have played in all of those types of games. My core group of hosts have all elevated their equipment (except for Jim). If you can afford the good shit, why not!
I agree with this 1,000% It's great playing in the cold over-stocked basement or at the plain ole kitchen table but if someone can afford a table, chairs, chips, buttons, etc....then why not!!! They probably have a great job or worked really hard and saved up to acquire those items, so enjoy!!! Right now I'm the basement or kitchen table guy but have bought chips since I've joined here through Justin's group buy, many decks of cards from broken arrow to different group buys on PCF for EPT Fournier's, dealer button group buys, cut cards dam almost anything I can afford. So I cant afford it all at once but am chipping away, starting basement semi renovations soon to spice it up some and am working on finally getting Gorilla gaming Home table or illuminati (crazy expensive to me) but like I said Chips earlier this year, random small items throughout the year, now hopefully table ordered this week. Not rich, Not spoiled but chipping away to have a great set up that I see on PCF that I'm jealous of but working towards, grinding it out!!! All those poker rooms I envy here, I am working hard to have a set up similar but it's a two year slow process.
 
There's one game that I used to play in. It was a league format that played NLHE tournaments.

I don't go there anymore.
  • It wasn't the plastic tables with a hinged surface that sagged and bent
  • It wasn't the very old used paper cards that I could cut to an Ace 10 times in a row
  • It wasn't the undenominated Dice chips
  • It wasn't when the host started raking $5 per player every game so that he could buy a table topper "for the group".
It was after I attended a few games hosted by PCF members, where there were:
  • beautiful custom Chanman tables,
  • amazing and durable plastic cards,
  • incredible Paulson chip setups literally worth thousands (and sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars
And the hosts didn't take or expect a nickel from their players to cover the costs. That is when I saw what hosting was really about, and it was hard to return to anything less.
 
I once played on an epoxy covered Star Wars themed poker table that allegedly cost $10,000.

Expensive? Yes.
Would I play there again? Definitely not.
 
I have played for ramen soups in county jail. We had to use playing cards that had been cut into little squares as chips. We were trying to get the guards to get us all the checkers in the facility for chips but couldn't.
 
I have played for ramen soups in county jail. We had to use playing cards that had been cut into little squares as chips. We were trying to get the guards to get us all the checkers in the facility for chips but couldn't.
Did you use an ante? Seems common with the people I have play who learned in county
 
1/2 blinds tournament style. Blinds went up upon a player losing. 80 chips starting.
lol!! The guy I played with also doubled blinds when someone went out

Not bad for a casual one table lol
 
Over a few years of playing in half a dozen games here and there and hosting home games, I had come to the conclusion that PCF members are spoiled.
People with the funds for a luxury hobby like collecting casino chips tend to have more disposable income than your average kitchen table / VFW host. It can make a big difference in the equipment (and stakes).

For me a well-run game is the most important thing. I'll play on just about any surface that's reasonable. Only place I really draw the line on equipment is that the seating needs to be tolerable for a long stay, and the cards need to not be so old they're basically marked.
 
There's one game that I used to play in. It was a league format that played NLHE tournaments.

I don't go there anymore.
  • It wasn't when the host started raking $5 per player every game so that he could buy a table topper "for the group".

Does this work???! If so, I need to get-me-a-rake'n !!!!

:ROFL: :ROFLMAO:


In all seriousness, that kind of thing would bug me to no end. IF I was to attend such a game I'd likely get kicked out because I wouldn't be able to stop myself from making snide quips and comments about it whenever possible.

For my games it's a "never have raked; never will rake" policy.
 
I see the setups people post here and feel small and inadequate. I have a 9-person table with generic suited speed cloth; Table 2 is an folding oval topper that goes on the dining room table. Significantly upgrading isn't "in the cards" — my kids are 17 (about to hit college) and 11 (with special needs). Found chairs at a liquidation auction that are "good enough". My chips are 20-year-old Nexgen River Poker Tour (an upgrade's on the boat with the rest of the December group buy), so I don't post in Home Game Photos. I do have good Copag/Kem/Broken Arrow cards, bought dealer buttons and cut cards on here and use Tournament Director so it feels organized. When others host I bring the topper, chips, cards and laptop, but chairs are often an issue for them.
What I do get regularly are compliments from players about how well it's run. I'd rather have that than a swanky table and chips.
Sounds like a good game to me! Keep it up 👍
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom