Sisu41
Pair
How can I get a home game at my school going? I have a decent population and have had people approach me who play, I'm just having trouble getting them in.
How to advertise a college game? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Sisu41
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OP
OP
Sisu41
Pair
I have a set of chips and we'd play micro-stakes or for nothing at all
NotRealNameNoSir
4 of a Kind
Be careful doing this. Its really easy to host a poker game with friends, just tell them to come over and play poker. What do you mean trouble getting them in?
As soon as you're advertising to a whole college/outside world, you invite lots of unwanted attention. People that are much better/can crush your game, people looking to rob you, and RAs (if on campus, careful)/Cops.
If you really want to grow the game, find the reddit/facebook/whatever for your college and advertise an NLHE party, message for details.
As soon as you're advertising to a whole college/outside world, you invite lots of unwanted attention. People that are much better/can crush your game, people looking to rob you, and RAs (if on campus, careful)/Cops.
If you really want to grow the game, find the reddit/facebook/whatever for your college and advertise an NLHE party, message for details.
OP
OP
Sisu41
Pair
most of my friends are either commuters who can't come over, or people who don't play at all.
drdr
3 of a Kind
Sounds similar to how mine started back in 2005. First game was 4 players only but numbers increased steadily until games were up to 20 players every fortnight. Advertised by word of mouth stating no-money games only, that the group will teach you if you are new. That appealed to my extended circle at the time who were almost all starving post grad students. They wanted a cheap social night, and the game offered that.
OP
OP
Sisu41
Pair
My problem is that I don't know who to offer the game to. It's hard to tell who's into poker because the field of payers is so diverse.
drdr
3 of a Kind
Anyone you are interested in hanging out with, those you get along with well. People have to enjoy the company in order to want to come back.
OP
OP
Sisu41
Pair
Most of my friends I live with aren't players, and most of the players I know don't live on campus.
drdr
3 of a Kind
My game is a little unique. In the 18 years only two of the many were players before they joined us; me and a friend's father. Think this is an example where you don't need to find poker players. Just allow friends to bring friends. If you are thinking of offering no-money or micro stakes... poker players aren't likely to be too interested.
andrebttx
Two Pair
My college game formed organically, and it’s still a major bloc of the core players in my home game today. I don’t know if you are in any extracurriculars, but we were all members of the same org, so we had that in common first before we starting playing poker together, and it grew from there word of mouth.
We played such small stakes that it was definitely social first, game second, which made it a more welcoming environment for inexperienced players / those without any confidence. We rotated through host apartments, and I don’t think I ever would’ve been comfortable meeting a stranger for the first time via them coming to my place to gamble.
I’d be totally fine starting small just to get some games under your belt and get other players in the habit of playing. A little 4-handed winner takes all tournament sounds better than no game at all to me.
We played such small stakes that it was definitely social first, game second, which made it a more welcoming environment for inexperienced players / those without any confidence. We rotated through host apartments, and I don’t think I ever would’ve been comfortable meeting a stranger for the first time via them coming to my place to gamble.
I’d be totally fine starting small just to get some games under your belt and get other players in the habit of playing. A little 4-handed winner takes all tournament sounds better than no game at all to me.
OP
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Sisu41
Pair
I don't think there are many serious players, just people who liked the game already/
quintooo
Flush
how big is your school? my school was 25k students, enough so that there was an official poker club on campus. There are likely several games already going on in your school, just have to find them.
You could simply post on your schools subreddit or there should be a facebook group for your class.
You could simply post on your schools subreddit or there should be a facebook group for your class.
OP
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Sisu41
Pair
I'm in a Mario Party club, which was essentially my gateway drug to poker. I'll probably not play for cash with them but the ones that like it can stick around and we may upgrade to super micro one day.
OP
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Sisu41
Pair
7k students, but a lot of commuters
OP
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Sisu41
Pair
My high school had a card game club started by a freshman when I was a senior. She even had her own chips.
andrebttx
Two Pair
Yeah, that could definitely be a great start. There is a lot of overlap between my board game friends (which Mario Party essentially is!) and my poker friends. If any of the folks are at all interested in poker, then you’re probably not too far off from getting them to put down $5 each for a quick little tourney, which I find to be a little friendlier than a cash game (and also what people are a little more familiar with from TV or random WSOP stuff on social media).
OP
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Sisu41
Pair
fortunately, it meets tonight, so I can get people now and have a friday night game tomorrow
My friends aren't poker players but I have a regular monthly game. Check out what worked for me here:
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/sustainable-game-with-friends-that-arent-poker-players.94681/
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/sustainable-game-with-friends-that-arent-poker-players.94681/
OP
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Sisu41
Pair
but I'm nervous if we play cash we'll get in trouble, as opposed to a non-money tournament.
OP
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Sisu41
Pair
maybe a .05/.05 would be ok because we could just sort the payments out later because it's not enough to put on the table
Long story short, make it low key as if you are smoking weed in dorm.
NotRealNameNoSir
4 of a Kind
I think the play is slowly introduce it. Don't compare your brand new games to games you see on here or TV, just play for free, introduce it as a game to your current friends. Some may end up liking it more than you think. Don't overtalk strategy, or stats, or anything like that, just a game. Make a big deal when someone wins with a big bluff or a monster hand, that's what its all about.
Play for free, then at some point everyone can throw in $5 and play for that. If you're illegally gambling, just don't make it obvious, no ones going to jail for your $5. Don't keep the cash on the table, they're not using pinhole cams to catch you exchanging money for chips llol.
Play for free, then at some point everyone can throw in $5 and play for that. If you're illegally gambling, just don't make it obvious, no ones going to jail for your $5. Don't keep the cash on the table, they're not using pinhole cams to catch you exchanging money for chips llol.
What? lol
ekricket
Royal Flush
Put flyers up for a “Poker and other card games clinic”. And do just that for the first few games. Teach rules and etiquette for a tournament. Or don’t play for cash, make the buyin $5 McDonald’s gift cards or gas cards, or maybe make it a prestige thing with their name on the wall or something or a traveling trophy, or maybe straight up pony up a couple of free tourneys that you pay out $25 -and a trophy- or so to the winner. Costs you $50 that you were going to lose anyway and generates some chatter.
OP
OP
Sisu41
Pair
that sounds good
You said your friends are gamers? I'd play for no money as I enjoy strategy games regardless. Maybe they will too...
To make it "interesting," you could all chip in for pizza/beer and split the costs based on chip counts.
OP
OP
Sisu41
Pair
That sounds like a good idea
ArielVer18
Flush
Does your school run charity poker tournaments? That's where I met some poker friends. Mostly my college poker circle grew because we openly played in common dorm areas and empty classrooms where we literally get walk-ins. It was glorious.
My advice
1) Don't advertise campus-wide. Limit your area to something definable, such as 1 academic department or 1 dorm building. Specify how many people you are looking for e.g. 8 to 10.
2) Have a way to vet people. Don't advertise open or drop-in game to start. Use e-mail or message drop box contacts only.
3) Play in a semi-open area where you can get some walk-by exposure, like many an empty classroom or office or cafeteria corner.
4) Don't use physical cash. Keep a ledger and do money transfers by Venmo or other fee-less system.
1) Don't advertise campus-wide. Limit your area to something definable, such as 1 academic department or 1 dorm building. Specify how many people you are looking for e.g. 8 to 10.
2) Have a way to vet people. Don't advertise open or drop-in game to start. Use e-mail or message drop box contacts only.
3) Play in a semi-open area where you can get some walk-by exposure, like many an empty classroom or office or cafeteria corner.
4) Don't use physical cash. Keep a ledger and do money transfers by Venmo or other fee-less system.
OP
OP
Sisu41
Pair
Problem about keeping it to a single dorm is that the RAs might get wise, even if we aren’t playing for cash they still might not allow it
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