Omitting Players, really? (1 Viewer)

shorticus

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I've recently gotten permission from the wife to get back rolling with my home game. My only caveat to being able to host is that my wife requires she will only allow players who are vaccinated to attend (not a problem because all of my players are vaccinated). It's not a "check your card at the door" type of deal, but more like an honor system. I've decided to limit my players to 8 just for a level of comfort (it's a personal preference of mine at this point) which is why this conversation is even relevant.

One of my players has a friend who "loves Texas Hold Em". Said player is a donor, but he's pretty awesome to have around. His request was for me to hold a game one week and omit a regular player to invite his friend to play. My immediate response was that I will not do that because I think it's unfair to just randomly not invite a regular player to play in this situation. However, I did advise him that he is more than welcome to give up his seat at the table to let his buddy play.

Should I have handled this differently? Any other solutions or similar situations that you all would like to share?
 
I've recently gotten permission from the wife to get back rolling with my home game. My only caveat to being able to host is that my wife requires she will only allow players who are vaccinated to attend (not a problem because all of my players are vaccinated). It's not a "check your card at the door" type of deal, but more like an honor system. I've decided to limit my players to 8 just for a level of comfort (it's a personal preference of mine at this point) which is why this conversation is even relevant.

One of my players has a friend who "loves Texas Hold Em". Said player is a donor, but he's pretty awesome to have around. His request was for me to hold a game one week and omit a regular player to invite his friend to play. My immediate response was that I will not do that because I think it's unfair to just randomly not invite a regular player to play in this situation. However, I did advise him that he is more than welcome to give up his seat at the table to let his buddy play.

Should I have handled this differently? Any other solutions or similar situations that you all would like to share?
My standard reply to this request is that I'm happy to wait list his buddy, but I'm not giving up a seat for a regular.
 
Nope. It's your game. You can invite who you want. If someone doesn't get along with someone else, it's their problem. If their buddy wants to play, the friend can give up their seat.
 
How regular are the 7 other players? Maybe just give this friend an option to have the first open slot if/when someone else can't make it.
Well, they were all regulars prior to covid with one guy who's a friend of mine being a new addition since we started back. In his case, regular is he's been there for the last 2 games in the last couple weeks. I would definitely add his friend to the first open slot since I've not officially started a wait list yet.
 
Another way to do it is that you compile a list of those interested in playing. Do a random number drawing to see who misses out. Those players that get bumped go on the wait list and can't get bumped again until everyone else has taken their turn to sit out.
 
For me it would depend on who your current regulars are, how regular are they, and are any of them problematic to the game in anyway. Assuming regulars are “fairly” regular and you don’t have any bad apples I’d do just what you did.
 
Another way to do it is that you compile a list of those interested in playing. Do a random number drawing to see who misses out. Those players that get bumped go on the wait list and can't get bumped again until everyone else has taken their turn to sit out.
Yeah, this.
 
2 tables! lol but joking aside you handled it well. i would put his buddy on a wait list incase someone who is a regular player can't make it.
 
I've recently gotten permission from the wife to get back rolling with my home game. My only caveat to being able to host is that my wife requires she will only allow players who are vaccinated to attend (not a problem because all of my players are vaccinated). It's not a "check your card at the door" type of deal, but more like an honor system. I've decided to limit my players to 8 just for a level of comfort (it's a personal preference of mine at this point) which is why this conversation is even relevant.

One of my players has a friend who "loves Texas Hold Em". Said player is a donor, but he's pretty awesome to have around. His request was for me to hold a game one week and omit a regular player to invite his friend to play. My immediate response was that I will not do that because I think it's unfair to just randomly not invite a regular player to play in this situation. However, I did advise him that he is more than welcome to give up his seat at the table to let his buddy play.

Should I have handled this differently? Any other solutions or similar situations that you all would like to share?
Yeah waitlist. There’s no issue. Or just go to 9 players.
 
I would have told your friend that his friend is first on the waitlist for the game already planned. And advise his friend can be on the invite list for the next game. First 8 to reply to the invite get a seat.
 
I stop inviting at 8 players, but will seat a 9th if someone messages me they would like to play. I hate to turn someone away, they may not come back.
 
I'd just add him to make it nine a week. If you wanna keep eight, make him the first call in if one of the main eight takes a week off. Then he gets a shot with the group.
 
Email the invite out to everyone at the same time. First come, first serve. If friend's buddy responds before the regulars do, he gets the seat. Tell your regs that they better RSVP ASAP.
 
I welcome all friends of friends, gotta keep the group thriving.

Go to 9 a couple times as pointed out, or skip a regular on occassion. Grow your game pool at every chance.
 
If there was extra room at the table, you did the wrong thing poker-wise, just to satisfy the Tyrant (there are more ways to keep Tyrants happy).
If there was no extra room at the table, you did the right thing.
 
New friend is first to call and fill seat if one of the 8 regulars doesn’t make it.

Alternatively, can your regular (who wants the invited player) host? He hosts, he invites who he wants.
 
It is amazing how things will work themselves out the vast majority of the time. There is a good chance someone cancels last minute or busts early etc.


Right after I got my game back up after the pandemic I added BigO to the rotation of Hold’em and PLO. Which means we could only play 8 handed. Well one of the regulars had been lobbying for a player in our wider group to get an invite and I said similar to you that when one of the regulars misses he can have the seat first. Well it hadn’t happened for several games so I said fine, we’ll play 9 handed and have the Button player sit out if we are still full when we get to BigO.

We went through a few orbits of each game before the 9th player showed up. The last player to show up doesn’t like BigO very much and volunteered to be dealt out for that orbit to start while she got settled in to the game. Literally in the first 2 hands of the BigO orbit the player that whined to get into the game goes bust and leaves. And of course he parked at the top of the driveway forcing 3 people to have to move their cars. Nobody had to sit out a hand the rest of the night.

And nobody has lobbied to get someone a seat since then either. :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
 
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Do you have a waitlist of sorts currently? If so I would have made that offer.

Whenever people want to bring (vouched for) players I give my regs some time to respond before extending the invite to a newbie and handle it that way. So it's not a 'no', but an 'if there's still room after the initial invite'.
 
It is amazing how things will work themselves out the vast majority of the time. There is a good chance someone cancels last minute or busts early etc.


Right after I got my game back up after the pandemic I added BigO to the rotation of Hold’em and PLO. Which means we could only play 8 handed. Well one of the regulars had been lobbying for a player in our wider group to get an invite and I said similar to you that when one of the regulars misses he can have the seat first. Well it hadn’t happened for several games so I said fine, we’ll play 9 handed and have the Button player sit out if we are still full when we get to BigO.

We went through a few orbits of each game before the 9th player showed up. The last player to show up doesn’t like BigO very much and volunteered to be dealt out for that orbit to start while she got settled in to the game. Literally in the first 2 hands of the BigO orbit the player that whined to get into the game goes bust and leaves. And of course he parked at the top of the driveway forcing 3 people to have to move their cars. Nobody had to sit out a hand the rest of the night.

And nobody has lobbied to get someone a seat since then either. :ROFL: :ROFLMAO:
You can do 9 handed Big O as long as you don't use the last burn card, I believe.
 

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