Restarting game? (1 Viewer)

Killed the game this Friday and resent for next Friday, the 21st, and already have at least 4 unofficially confirmed! I think I can easily get another 1, maybe 2. Really targeting 8 or 9, but we'll see! Let it mélange until at least Saturday to see where we stand, then consider inviting others. Went with the spam approach...invited 12, so first 8 to respond win!
 
The May 21st game went well, somehow got a full table, and even 1 observer. And everyone was actually there on time so we had an on-time start!

My pull for this Friday's game has been brutal. I'm at 8 and cannot for the life of me get a 9th.

3 people from the first game can't make this one - one's on vacation, one didn't give a reason, and one's doing "wedding planning" (at 8 PM ET on a Friday - yeah right).

I managed to the get the observer from last game to play, and pulled 1 more who I think could be a nice reg., but I'm still 1 short. I've been beating down nearly every door but with no luck yet. "Already have plans" left and right. Hey, 8-handed is pretty good, can't complain too much, but I'm worried about future games. I'm surprised 2 of these guys actually came back which is good, and I'm shocked 2 of the 3 who can't make it (the 2 who didn't give a reason or had a crap reason) aren't coming back this month...I thought they'd be "easy reg.s". Maybe some legit stuff going on there and it'll clear up on the next one.

Getting a game up is tough work...hoping this gets easier over time, LOL.
 
Maybe I forgot something from earlier in the thread, but what is so critical about getting a full ring? 8 is a great game. For that matter, so is 7. Why sweat it if you don't get a full table?

Yeah, you are right, it'll be a great game.

Mostly I'm worried about future games.

Of the guys coming I know at least 1 is unlikely to make many more in the future - busy guy and it seems like his wife is not keen on him getting out of the house much, LOL. And another is just very busy and I expect him to miss lots. A 3rd falls in the same "busy, unlikely to make a lot more" camp. That leaves 4 that seem to be more reliable...3 which are repeats from last month, and 4th which I think will be reliable from what he's told me.

Just looking for more that'll show up on the regular! I was hoping with 1 game per month most would swing it pretty easily. We'll see going forward. July and August I've heard are tough months as people are all over the place with weddings, BBQs, vacations, etc.
 
Yeah, you are right, it'll be a great game.

Mostly I'm worried about future games.

Of the guys coming I know at least 1 is unlikely to make many more in the future - busy guy and it seems like his wife is not keen on him getting out of the house much, LOL. And another is just very busy and I expect him to miss lots. A 3rd falls in the same "busy, unlikely to make a lot more" camp. That leaves 4 that seem to be more reliable...3 which are repeats from last month, and 4th which I think will be reliable from what he's told me.

Just looking for more that'll show up on the regular! I was hoping with 1 game per month most would swing it pretty easily. We'll see going forward. July and August I've heard are tough months as people are all over the place with weddings, BBQs, vacations, etc.
You'll generally get a late cancel (or two as well). Getting a steady stream of good regs is important - will be hard to tell probably who that might be until you are 10+ games in.

Definitely would start recruiting - people will move, lose interest, lose too much, etc. and you'll find yourself needing to replenish soon.
 
You'll generally get a late cancel (or two as well). Getting a steady stream of good regs is important - will be hard to tell probably who that might be until you are 10+ games in.

Definitely would start recruiting - people will move, lose interest, lose too much, etc. and you'll find yourself needing to replenish soon.

I had my first late cancel - dude calls me like 1 hour before game time, he lives probably 40/45 minutes away, saying he started a new diet and he's wiped out and can't leave his house. Oh man...are you serious!? I gave him grief but couldn't get him to budge on it. Kiss your next invite goodbye bub! LOL.

For structured events like this, it should be BDTCF - please don't attend if you are bleeding, dying, throwing up, have SARS-CoV-2, or a family emergency (death or unexpected hospital visit)! Otherwise, a 1 hour notice is just the worst evil!

Anyways, I was at 8, that was going to knock me down to 7. But my neighbor, who had ghosted me for a long time on this game which pissed me off to no end, saw all the cars pulling up, and I hit him up via text once more when people started showing, and he was like "let me do the dishes and I'll come play"...he was like 1 minute late to the start, but no worries, so we played 8-handed. The game didn't have the energy of the first one - the first game had 9 players and 1 observer, and no one had hung out for a while together due to SARS-CoV-2. But I think most people still had a good time, I know I did. I ended up in 5th after losing a flip of AK vs 66. I thought I had more fold equity since I had been pretty card dead and nitty the entire game - that call of my all-in with 66 was either genius (pushing a ~4% edge) or donkey, LOL.

For the next game I'm going to try to pull in 3 other friends I know and fill up from there. I think the group of 3 will make it but I don't think they'll be regulars. But so far I've been surprised at those who have made every game (of 2) and those who noped - not fully who I expected. But in July I expect it to be hard to pull together a full game like it was in June, so yeah, we'll see. A lot of people I hit for June were allegedly interested but had other plans so I think I'll be able to hit 9 for July. I'm also switching to a spam approach...going to notify the reg.s a little early, then slam the invite to like 15, maybe 18, maybe 20 people with the caveat - first 9 to respond are in! Others are welcome to be backups and come hang out. It's been too draining trying to individually pull 8 others, or really fill the seats after the initial 8/9 ghost until the last minute then 2/3 "no". Others have recommended this system so I'll certainly give it a shot!
 
One of the worst things about hosting is late cancellations. I think I'd rather just have the guy say "I can't make it" instead of all the terrible excuses that they try to come up with. Saying "my diet wiped me out" is definitely a new one though lol. How about you eat some real food right now and come play some cards!
 
One of the worst things about hosting is late cancellations. I think I'd rather just have the guy say "I can't make it" instead of all the terrible excuses that they try to come up with. Saying "my diet wiped me out" is definitely a new one though lol. How about you eat some real food right now and come play some cards!
LOL. I should have tried that..."dude I have carbs in the house...eat a slice of bread and you'll make it!" He was (is? - who knows, never talking to his ass again! LOL, I kid.) messing with keto. Because that's a great time to start a new disruptive diet, when you are supposed to attend a social poker game that night...right....
 
I had my first late cancel - dude calls me like 1 hour before game time, he lives probably 40/45 minutes away, saying he started a new diet and he's wiped out and can't leave his house. Oh man...are you serious!? I gave him grief but couldn't get him to budge on it. Kiss your next invite goodbye bub! LOL.

For structured events like this, it should be BDTCF - please don't attend if you are bleeding, dying, throwing up, have SARS-CoV-2, or a family emergency (death or unexpected hospital visit)! Otherwise, a 1 hour notice is just the worst evil!

Anyways, I was at 8, that was going to knock me down to 7. But my neighbor, who had ghosted me for a long time on this game which pissed me off to no end, saw all the cars pulling up, and I hit him up via text once more when people started showing, and he was like "let me do the dishes and I'll come play"...he was like 1 minute late to the start, but no worries, so we played 8-handed. The game didn't have the energy of the first one - the first game had 9 players and 1 observer, and no one had hung out for a while together due to SARS-CoV-2. But I think most people still had a good time, I know I did. I ended up in 5th after losing a flip of AK vs 66. I thought I had more fold equity since I had been pretty card dead and nitty the entire game - that call of my all-in with 66 was either genius (pushing a ~4% edge) or donkey, LOL.

For the next game I'm going to try to pull in 3 other friends I know and fill up from there. I think the group of 3 will make it but I don't think they'll be regulars. But so far I've been surprised at those who have made every game (of 2) and those who noped - not fully who I expected. But in July I expect it to be hard to pull together a full game like it was in June, so yeah, we'll see. A lot of people I hit for June were allegedly interested but had other plans so I think I'll be able to hit 9 for July. I'm also switching to a spam approach...going to notify the reg.s a little early, then slam the invite to like 15, maybe 18, maybe 20 people with the caveat - first 9 to respond are in! Others are welcome to be backups and come hang out. It's been too draining trying to individually pull 8 others, or really fill the seats after the initial 8/9 ghost until the last minute then 2/3 "no". Others have recommended this system so I'll certainly give it a shot!
I had the get my list to about 25 (7 or so who are regs and will attend the majority of games) before I was filling tables.

That allows you to push on the 'flakes' a little bit. I had one game where I had a full table and had turned a couple folks away - and then had FIVE cancellations afternoon of the game, all unrelated, and then had to cancel the game. Definitely focused on building my "good" list after that.
 
I had the get my list to about 25 (7 or so who are regs and will attend the majority of games) before I was filling tables.

That allows you to push on the 'flakes' a little bit. I had one game where I had a full table and had turned a couple folks away - and then had FIVE cancellations afternoon of the game, all unrelated, and then had to cancel the game. Definitely focused on building my "good" list after that.

DUDE.

Those 5, or at least some of them without BDTFC excuses...OFF your list! LOL. That's just brutal...I would have been beyond steamed, unless it was legit bad luck - like they all got sick within hours of the game (???).

7 reg.s is great though. I don't have enough games under my belt yet, but I feel like at least 3 players will be back, and a 4th I thought was going to tilt off as he hasn't had good placements mentioned on his way out the door early last game, that he'll make the money someday! So + me, that's 5. But I feel like the last 4 I'm pretty far on. 1 guy is whippity-whipped and only by luck has been able to hit up the last 2 games. 1 guy who hasn't placed well I think won't be returning soon...just a feel I get. 2 guys who I thought were going to be easy reg.s - one didn't show for the last game which shocked me, the other gave me a weak excuse...so not sure what's up there.

So next game hoping to get my 3 reg.s, the other maybe-reg., myself...5...another who is very busy, especially in the summers, but likes to play, as a 6. Then if I get my wonky 3-banger in there, of which I expect no reg.s from, that's 9. We'll see...I'll start the invite process when I'm ~3 weeks away from game day.

@MrCatPants how often do you run your game?
 
@MrCatPants how often do you run your game?
Twice a month. Pre pandemic it was one cash one tourney, with some players only playing one or the other. Right now it's just cash.

Changing anything can change your regs. E.g. hosting more frequently is a bigger time commitment for those with families and busy jobs, a bigger cash commitment for losers, etc. Changing stakes. Adding new players (just wait until your first instance of "I won't play with X person.") etc. ABR - always be recruiting.
 
2x a month is nice! Wish I could pull that.

...Adding new players (just wait until your first instance of "I won't play with X person.") etc.
Is that really a thing? We aren't in elementary school here folks....

Yeah I like that quote. I also like the one "if your game isn't growing, it's dying". Same deal - keep finding people! Last one I was so hard up to find a 9th I asked others to see if they could find players. It was late notice and I didn't get any hits from that. But one dude who's shown interest in continue to play has mentioned he does have some people from work that could play, so if I don't get my next one filled quick, I'm going straight to him.
 
2x a month is nice! Wish I could pull that.


Is that really a thing? We aren't in elementary school here folks....

Yeah I like that quote. I also like the one "if your game isn't growing, it's dying". Same deal - keep finding people! Last one I was so hard up to find a 9th I asked others to see if they could find players. It was late notice and I didn't get any hits from that. But one dude who's shown interest in continue to play has mentioned he does have some people from work that could play, so if I don't get my next one filled quick, I'm going straight to him.
It's definitely a thing. I've only had it once - when introducing a "maniac" style player to the group. It was all worked out. But with other groups you'll hear from other hosts on here, the 'it's him or me' thing happens.
 
Have you asked your 2-3 most regular guys to invite someone new? That’s one way to meet new people and add to your invite list.

Adding new players (just wait until your first instance of "I won't play with X person.") etc

Is that really a thing? We aren't in elementary school here folks....

Yep - definitely a thing. :rolleyes:
 
2 of my 3 most regular guys I currently work with. The 3rd I used to work with, but he left the company. I asked him and he did have some people in mind, just mentioned that he'd need a longer notice to ask them. So next game I'm going to be pushing hard for "yes"s early. If I can't get the 9 off my list in a few days, I'm going to ask that 3rd guy to toss the invite out on his end. I'm going to give people only a few days to respond. If you ghost for that long, GTFO! LOL. The show must go on.
 
For what it’s worth, here is my process. Take what you think may work for you, and scrap what may not.

I set the cadence for games to be every three weeks so guys know when to expect the next game. Sometimes this changes, so hard dates are set a least a month out. I send out one reminder at the 3 week mark, the 2 week mark, and the 1 week mark. The week of the game (usually on Fri), I send out a daily reminder so I don’t get any last minute “can’t make it” excuses or “I forgot.”

When I send out the 2 week reminder, I start asking for hard RSVPs. I include the list of RSVPs (yes and no) with each invite thereafter leading up to the game so everyone is accountable to everyone else (not just me).

I still get the occasional last minute cancel from someone, but they usually have a valid reason. 9/10 times everyone who says they will be there is there.

Edit: And I make sure my players know they can always invite another person. Just give me a heads up so I can keep an accurate count.
 
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I had my first late cancel - dude calls me like 1 hour before game time, he lives probably 40/45 minutes away, saying he started a new diet and he's wiped out and can't leave his house. Oh man...are you serious!? I gave him grief but couldn't get him to budge on it. Kiss your next invite goodbye bub! LOL.

For structured events like this, it should be BDTCF - please don't attend if you are bleeding, dying, throwing up, have SARS-CoV-2, or a family emergency (death or unexpected hospital visit)! Otherwise, a 1 hour notice is just the worst evil!

Anyways, I was at 8, that was going to knock me down to 7. But my neighbor, who had ghosted me for a long time on this game which pissed me off to no end, saw all the cars pulling up, and I hit him up via text once more when people started showing, and he was like "let me do the dishes and I'll come play"...he was like 1 minute late to the start, but no worries, so we played 8-handed. The game didn't have the energy of the first one - the first game had 9 players and 1 observer, and no one had hung out for a while together due to SARS-CoV-2. But I think most people still had a good time, I know I did. I ended up in 5th after losing a flip of AK vs 66. I thought I had more fold equity since I had been pretty card dead and nitty the entire game - that call of my all-in with 66 was either genius (pushing a ~4% edge) or donkey, LOL.

For the next game I'm going to try to pull in 3 other friends I know and fill up from there. I think the group of 3 will make it but I don't think they'll be regulars. But so far I've been surprised at those who have made every game (of 2) and those who noped - not fully who I expected. But in July I expect it to be hard to pull together a full game like it was in June, so yeah, we'll see. A lot of people I hit for June were allegedly interested but had other plans so I think I'll be able to hit 9 for July. I'm also switching to a spam approach...going to notify the reg.s a little early, then slam the invite to like 15, maybe 18, maybe 20 people with the caveat - first 9 to respond are in! Others are welcome to be backups and come hang out. It's been too draining trying to individually pull 8 others, or really fill the seats after the initial 8/9 ghost until the last minute then 2/3 "no". Others have recommended this system so I'll certainly give it a shot!
This is my way of thinking on getting commitments and cancelations. You will probably disagree, but it's another perspective for you to consider. What you are providing is personal entertainment. Some people who you invite, and who say yes, look at it only as something fun to do, and not a really hard commitment. This may also depend on what your relationship to each other is. But If something else comes up, this type won't hesitate to bail, and they will think nothing of it. It doesn't even occur to them that this might piss you off. Unless you tell them, they don't know that for them to have a spot, you didn't invite, or said no to someone else. Maybe early on you figure out who fits into this type, and you stop inviting them. But in the beginning, you may not be able to find enough of your "BDTCF" people to completely scratch off all the flakes. Or maybe once you explain this to them, some of those flakes may develop into less flakey, more reliable players.

I guess my point is that in the beginning, you are probably going to week through a lot of flakes before you get a solid group of regulars. Personally, I have a lot of friends that I would "like" to play poker (and other activities) with, but some of them are just unreliable. They are still my friends, and I just learn to deal with them. It's not worth blowing a gasket every time they cancel on me. So just maybe temper your expectations?
 
Is that really a thing?
100% a thing.

I handle same day cancellations and no shows the same. If I don't have a waitlist, you get a insta ban for 2 months. I have the luxury to do this, my list has 60+ on it and I have the A-list, B-List, and the C-List. I've not had a game with an open seat in 4+ years. (except this month, of course, post covid vacations are high!)
 
For what it’s worth, here is my process. Take what you think may work for you, and scrap what may not.

I set the cadence for games to be every three weeks so guys know when to expect the next game. Sometimes this changes, so hard dates are set a least a month out. I send out one reminder at the 3 week mark, the 2 week mark, and the 1 week mark. The week of the game (usually on Fri), I send out a daily reminder so I don’t get any last minute “can’t make it” excuses or “I forgot.”

When I send out the 2 week reminder, I start asking for hard RSVPs. I include the list of RSVPs (yes and no) with each invite thereafter leading up to the game so everyone is accountable to everyone else (not just me).

I still get the occasional last minute cancel from someone, but they usually have a valid reason. 9/10 times everyone who says they will be there is there.

Edit: And I make sure my players know they can always invite another person. Just give me a heads up so I can keep an accurate count.
A lot of that is similar to what I'm doing actually, or have done on my few games so far. I set up reminders via Evite and am showing the invite list to hopefully increase the accountability. I also play Fridays and am trying to stick with the 2nd to last Friday of every month. I actually want to end up on the last Friday of every month but didn't start there, so waiting until there is a legit reason to end up there.

At 2 weeks you start going for hard RSVPs...interesting. I did 1 week and it killed me. So many claimed they were interested but had plans already. This time I'll def. hit earlier for the RSVPs. Probably even earlier than 2 weeks.


This is my way of thinking on getting commitments and cancelations. You will probably disagree, but it's another perspective for you to consider. What you are providing is personal entertainment. Some people who you invite, and who say yes, look at it only as something fun to do, and not a really hard commitment. This may also depend on what your relationship to each other is. But If something else comes up, this type won't hesitate to bail, and they will think nothing of it. It doesn't even occur to them that this might piss you off. Unless you tell them, they don't know that for them to have a spot, you didn't invite, or said no to someone else. Maybe early on you figure out who fits into this type, and you stop inviting them. But in the beginning, you may not be able to find enough of your "BDTCF" people to completely scratch off all the flakes. Or maybe once you explain this to them, some of those flakes may develop into less flakey, more reliable players.

I guess my point is that in the beginning, you are probably going to week through a lot of flakes before you get a solid group of regulars. Personally, I have a lot of friends that I would "like" to play poker (and other activities) with, but some of them are just unreliable. They are still my friends, and I just learn to deal with them. It's not worth blowing a gasket every time they cancel on me. So just maybe temper your expectations?
Your method of dealing with them is not inviting them, right? There is def. a large category of people who say no by either ghosting or giving some weak-ass excuse.


100% a thing.

I handle same day cancellations and no shows the same. If I don't have a waitlist, you get a insta ban for 2 months. I have the luxury to do this, my list has 60+ on it and I have the A-list, B-List, and the C-List. I've not had a game with an open seat in 4+ years. (except this month, of course, post covid vacations are high!)
Congratulations in getting to that spot! Seriously, I bet there are few on here who are able to run that tight of a ship, and with a list that deep. I'd like to be there at some point. Also feels good to know that a 60+er is also seeing it tough to fill up right now...makes me think my game isn't as precarious as it feels right now, or at the least, I'm not alone. It's tough out there. How big are your games?
 
$100 tournament with $60 rebuys. 20 seats.

Cash tables are $1/$1 with a $200 max.
Wow, 60+ with $100 buy-in, nasty! I think that number would drive away most of my recreational/social players.

When are you opening a card room? LOL.
 
Wow, 60+ with $100 buy-in, nasty! I think that number would drive away most of my recreational/social players.

When are you opening a card room? LOL.
No, sorry - I have 20 seats max. I wish I sat 60!!
 
I think one of the keys is - no matter how you approach it - to be consistent. Your players will get a feel for how you coordinate things and fall in rhythm with you. Use the same communication tools consistently, send out reminders at consistent intervals, and start/play games on the dates you set.

Hosting/organizing gets easier once you have a rhythm going.
 

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