"Invite list" management. (1 Viewer)

[legonick]

How do you manage your invite list?

For example, say you have a monthly game, and you like to run 9 person tournaments. I can imagine it could be hard to get 9 reg.s that can attend 12 games a year. Do you have a "last game gets first invite" system? Or do you do "sell-out racing" where your entire pool knows about the game at the same time, first 8 (8+you = 9) to respond get in?

If you do "last game gets first invite" system, what happens in more complex scenarios?

Say for 3 months you have the same players. Then 4th month, player9 doesn't make it. You sub in sub1. You have a deep sub list, at least 5 subs. You don't have attendance information on subs - they've never played in your game. Then 5th month, sub1 can't make it. Do you re-invite player9, or do you pull sub2? How do you "rank" your sub list?

Also, do people ever get offended? If they know you have a monthly game but don't get an invite after missing 1 game, are they upset?

How do you make this all work in a league context?

Am I over thinking? Oh, probably. But that's what I do best! LOL.

 

[Eloe2000]

We play(ed) weekly religiously with 9 regs that are on the “priority” list for the 9 seats. They have first dibs on the seats to confirm earlier in the week until the morning of game day at which time I open the seats up to the “B team” list that fill up the seats on a first come first serve basis. We play cash and tourney in a social “friendly” environment. We play single table and will never play two table so our seats are limited with excess demand to play.

We have been very serious about building and maintaining the right group of people for our game. No one is invited with out a reg vouching financially and credibility wise for the guest player. The guest player had to play three times at a minimum before the regs voted them out of probation and into the group chat with regular invites. That is how we grew from 4 regs from someone else’s game 8 years ago (for me, although the others had been playing longer).

 

[legonick]

@Eloe2000 so you are all about the reg.s! I like the probation idea if you are going that direction.

How does a reg. get moved to the "B team"? Have you ever had to do that? Do you have a "missed game limit"?

It sounds like a good game and that you'd have competition to become a reg. Do the "B team" guys ever get upset about not being invited every week? Do they know they are "B team"?

 

[ekricket]

We play(ed) weekly religiously with 9 regs that are on the “priority” list for the 9 seats. They have first dibs on the seats to confirm earlier in the week until the morning of game day at which time I open the seats up to the “B team” list that fill up the seats on a first come first serve basis. We play cash and tourney in a social “friendly” environment. We play single table and will never play two table so our seats are limited with excess demand to play.

We have been very serious about building and maintaining the right group of people for our game. No one is invited with out a reg vouching financially and credibility wise for the guest player. The guest player had to play three times at a minimum before the regs voted them out of probation and into the group chat with regular invites. That is how we grew from 4 regs from someone else’s game 8 years ago (for me, although the others had been playing longer).

Do you guys do background checks and credit scores?

 

[redeagle]

In Miami, you also do bloodwork and body cavity checks just in case.

 

[madforpancakes]

I have always just done first come first serve. My text list was probably 60 people pre-covid, and we usually had about 6-7 players who mostly never miss a game with supplemented by a rotation of the rest. But since we started playing online, I have actually grown my game pretty well. We used to play cash 95% of the time live, but I decided to start doing weekly tournaments as well. Since there's unlimited space in online tournaments, it's gotten lots of friends of friends involved. Our weekly turnout is now usually 20-25 for the tournaments, with maybe 10-15 people sticking around for cash games. Not quite sure what I'm going to do once we enter a post-covid era and we transition back to live - I definitely don't have room for two tables in my basement!

 

[Eloe2000]

@Eloe2000 so you are all about the reg.s! I like the probation idea if you are going that direction.

How does a reg. get moved to the "B team"? Have you ever had to do that? Do you have a "missed game limit"?

It sounds like a good game and that you'd have competition to become a reg. Do the "B team" guys ever get upset about not being invited every week? Do they know they are "B team"?

We have bumped one guy off the reg list for confirming and then no-showing a couple times and another guy just for not responding enough times. We have had to have talks with another younger guy for a couple reasons to straighten him out.

We have a half dozen casinos within 15min away so if people are just playing to win cash there are other places for that. This is a friendly social game that people make absolutely a point of not missing. Really the only social thing most of us do except a couple youngsters. Yeah, they know they aren't automatically getting invites.

 

[Eloe2000]

Do you guys do background checks and credit scores?

There are some shady people in Miami. I am not letting randoms into my house.

 

[legonick]

I have always just done first come first serve. My text list was probably 60 people pre-covid, and we usually had about 6-7 players who mostly never miss a game with supplemented by a rotation of the rest. But since we started playing online, I have actually grown my game pretty well. We used to play cash 95% of the time live, but I decided to start doing weekly tournaments as well. Since there's unlimited space in online tournaments, it's gotten lots of friends of friends involved. Our weekly turnout is now usually 20-25 for the tournaments, with maybe 10-15 people sticking around for cash games. Not quite sure what I'm going to do once we enter a post-covid era and we transition back to live - I definitely don't have room for two tables in my basement!

Pre-COVID-19...do you mean "first respond, first serve"? How does that work with the 6-7 who never miss? They were always first to respond even with a list of 60 people, or did they get advance notice?

 

[madforpancakes]

Pre-COVID-19...do you mean "first respond, first serve"? How does that work with the 6-7 who never miss? They were always first to respond even with a list of 60 people, or did they get advance notice?

They are generally just quicker to respond! There are probably some people on my list who could do with being removed due to lack of attendance, but you never know when some long absent player will decide they are in the mood to gamble!

 

[legonick]

We have bumped one guy off the reg list for confirming and then no-showing a couple times [...]

Yeah, that is the ultimate sin! If that happens it better be a BDT situation (bleeding, dying, throwing up) for the player or immediate family!

 

[redeagle]

Also, do people ever get offended? If they know you have a monthly game but don't get an invite after missing 1 game, are they upset?
.....

Am I over thinking? Oh, probably. But that's what I do best! LOL.

I think there are may hosting scenarios and you are probably overthinking it a bit but that is ok.
First, people can get offended at anything these days, but I have not had anybody get offended by our list management or invites.
Grossly offended by our language and behavior maybe , but not about invites.

Like many on this forum (but not all) our game is mostly friends and while competitive, it is more about getting together. Our kids play sports together, some of us go to the same church, work together or we are neighbors. The core group likes to make every game and when we are short it is due to travel or somebody's wife mandated a schedule conflict. We have had two or three regulars leave over the years due to moving away and some secondary list guys happily move in to more regular attendance. It is not the weekly grind game where everyone is hoping for new fish to show up each week.

At the end, I think it is key just to make clear how it works. If somebody wants to come more often you discuss how to work it out. Back when it was at its peak, we had 2 or 3 of the core group hosting different nights so met more often, which also meant more room for others to join for their once a month poker fix. We even had some guys show up just to hang out, eat and drink with the crew.

For what its worth, I think a whatsapp group is better than basic text messages for managing logistics and invites.

 

[redeagle]

We have a half dozen casinos within 15min away so if people are just playing to win cash there are other places for that. This is a friendly social game that people make absolutely a point of not missing. Really the only social thing most of us do except a couple youngsters.

Well said. That is our game too. I didn't mention the other point but it does make a difference. We are lucky that if you just want to play, you have multiple card rooms here within a short local drive. We do that also and will sometimes all agree to sign up to a local tournament.

 

[legonick]

We even had some guys show up just to hang out, eat and drink with the crew.

I am tempted to go this route eventually, but going to start with just the players. It would be nice to have "live backup" in case someone on the confirmed list goes AWOL.

 

[redeagle]

With covid situation I guess you have time to figure it out, but otherwise, the best way is just to begin. Pick a night, your initial crew, send the invites and see what you get. If you don't make your 9 or 10, invite a few more. Then during the game, hammer it out with everyone what they think works for them. These days, just get your group on a zoom call and discuss it. Or meet at a pub for lunch and do the same. Not everyone will want a weekly game. Some will want monthly. Some will want cash, others tourney, etc. Some can't do weeknights, others like Friday, some Saturday.

At the beginning it is like herding cats but you will find something that works. There is no hard and fast rule for a social game. (except maybe good food, good drinks, and "what is said at poker night, stays at poker night").

 

[Dugthefish]

Single table, weekly Saturday night cash game here.

I have a messenger chat with about 8 of my hard core regulars who are down to play most weeks. Most generally just post when they will not be playing; I usually get 4-6 of them for 10 available seats. Semi regs know they need to reserve their seat early in the week, so by Thursday I usually have pretty close to a full table.

Once I have an idea if how many seats are left, I start messaging to fill the remaining seats. Bad players/whales get the first round, followed by good players who are fun to play with and/or tip well. Finally, if the game isn't full by Saturday morning, I post on my local FB poker group. I have a couple players that nobody likes but are quite often down to play anytime, so I keep them on ice until the last minute for cancelations and the occasional less than full table.

Once we're at 10, the waitlist starts. Most weeks I end up with 3-4 guys in the list, and usually end up with 11-13 total players on the night.

 

[LeLe]

We have a few regular that is more or less around every week and we will invite a few new to fill up the slot every week. It does have its risk for inviting someone new as there is really a lot of greedy people who just not honest over small money, or someone may just show up with an unhappy face throughout the game like i just killed their family.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Send out a group text to all players at the same time and day each week. First nine to respond are in.

 

[TexRex]

Last year I had 35 unique players attend one of our 9 tournament (2 tables of up to 9). I have an A list and a B list. I have 4 people on the permanent list. They are pre-signed up, but to be on that list, they have to let me know if they can't make it. We have 16 tournaments (12 on Friday; 4 on Saturday) on the schedule this year and haven't had to cancel any of them yet, but we did have to postpone one due to the snowmegeddon here.

I use email primarily. I rarely text unless I know someone is having email issues. I email the first invitation out to the A list (currently 72 people) 12-14 days prior. I email the second invitation 5-7 days prior. If I don't have 12-14, the B list is included in the third invitation 2-3 days prior, sometimes early the morning prior (like Thursday before the Friday tournament).

There are several people on the A list who haven't come but who have expressed an interest. About once a year, I adjust the lists. Some of the B list people are removed if they haven't even responded, but surprisingly to me, some ask to stay on the list.

Some on the A list hardly ever come, but they do suggest people who might be interested, so I don't really have 72 players who I think might actually come to a game.

Over the years, our unique players range for 30-45 a year.

Over the last 47 games, we've averaged about 12.6 players. I have some regulars, semi-regulars, and occasional players.

Players have, within a 25 mile radius, a lot of choices that I know of, and probably a don't I have no idea of. We have a couple of casinos about an hour away.

Our game is casual and friendly, but I think competitve.

 

[mummel]

Use SignUpGenius. I have 10 seats open with an invite list of 40 people. Invite gets emailed to everyone at the same time. First come first serve.

The list always fills up in under an hour. The guys that truly want to be there will sign up and be committed. A no show or late cancellation before the seat can get refilled instantly gets you removed from the 40 person list, permanently. Everyone knows this.

This is truly the easiest way as a host to fill a table consistently and not have to chase people down or micromanage individual schedules. You’ll drive yourself nuts. It’s also fair to everyone as the invite is first come first serve, as you’re not cherry picking friends. It very quickly weeds out the flakes from the die hards.

Try it. This is the way.

 

[legonick]

Use SignUpGenius. I have 10 seats open with an invite list of 40 people. Invite gets emailed to everyone at the same time. First come first serve.

The list always fills up in under an hour. The guys that truly want to be there will sign up and be committed. A no show or late cancellation before the seat can get refilled instantly gets you removed from the 40 person list, permanently. Everyone knows this.

This is truly the easiest way as a host to fill a table consistently and not have to chase people down or micromanage individual schedules. You’ll drive yourself nuts. It’s also fair to everyone as the invite is first come first serve, as you’re not cherry picking friends. It very quickly weeds out the flakes from the die hards.

Try it. This is the way.

The one thing this is missing is consistency. Like say you had a table of 9 you were looking to fill - with this system you may easily get 9 new people every game!

You could have a regular who played 6 games in a row, has a great time, everyone loves, isn't a fish but isn't a shark, basically "the perfect player"...you send out an invite, and he's on a camping trip, doesn't immediately respond, and he's out of the game! I feel like good players deserve a "first stab". If he declines, of course, move on and get someone else, and frankly, he may not be in that first round invite next time.

 

[mummel]

The one thing this is missing is consistency. Like say you had a table of 9 you were looking to fill - with this system you may easily get 9 new people every game!

You could have a regular who played 6 games in a row, has a great time, everyone loves, isn't a fish but isn't a shark, basically "the perfect player"...you send out an invite, and he's on a camping trip, doesn't immediately respond, and he's out of the game! I feel like good players deserve a "first stab". If he declines, of course, move on and get someone else, and frankly, he may not be in that first round invite next time.

Yeah but all these guys are close friends. So to keep it totally fair, it’s first come first serve. The flip side of your argument is that the list fills extremely quickly, which is a huge plus IMO. No hanging around to find out if this guy is getting his nails done that weekend and can’t make your game etc. It’s too tedious to micromanage.

 

[legonick]

Yeah but all these guys are close friends. So to keep it totally fair, it’s first come first serve. The flip side of your argument is that the list fills extremely quickly, which is a huge plus IMO. No hanging around to find out if this guy is getting his nails done that weekend and can’t make your game etc. It’s too tedious to micromanage.

Another "minor fear" is that people will RSVP yes to reserve a spot, then go find out if that's going to work. You basically have to. A lot of guys in my age group are tied to family obligations which they may not be 100% aware of in the moment..."let me ask my wife" stuff.

Insta-filling your game and removing micromanagement are nice though. Just need to be weighed with what you are trying to accomplish with your game. It sounds like it's working for you, but I think I like some of the micromanagement/overthinking tied to building a "better system", albeit a bit more complex to run.

 

[mummel]

Another "minor fear" is that people will RSVP yes to reserve a spot, then go find out if that's going to work. You basically have to. A lot of guys in my age group are tied to family obligations which they may not be 100% aware of in the moment..."let me ask my wife" stuff.

Insta-filling your game and removing micromanagement are nice though. Just need to be weighed with what you are trying to accomplish with your game. It sounds like it's working for you, but I think I like some of the micromanagement/overthinking tied to building a "better system", albeit a bit more complex to run.

Ah. However, ever January, I send out the dates of our games, which occur every 3 weeks. So in January my boys have our Dec game date/dates. It works really great.