Seat Rental vs Monthly Membership for home game? (1 Viewer)

[Kam]

@Machine is on point.

Also, golden oldie here:

Your setup is nicer than what I played with/hosted over 20 years, only started really upgrading this year. So agree with the above points, keep it friendly and build up/change when you can.

Also, you have a nice table/ cards / chairs - most players won’t notice or care that much about the chips but you.

The dirty PCF open air secret is even when you get ‘nice’ chips, you’ll want moar other ‘nice’ chips. It never ends.

GL!

 

[cruzer]

@Machine is on point.

Also, golden oldie here:

Your setup is nicer than what I played with/hosted over 20 years, only started really upgrading this year. So agree with the above points, keep it friendly and build up/change when you can.

Also, you have a nice table/ cards / chairs - most players won’t notice or care that much about the chips but you.

The dirty PCF open air secret is even when you get ‘nice’ chips, you’ll want moar other ‘nice’ chips. It never ends.

GL!

Thanks for the kind words! Feel lucky to have gotten so many replies! I'm definitely catching the bug!

 

[Kam]

I’m assuming you’ll be on a slightly different scale and visibility, but friendly heads up for California:

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2025/07/gilbert-arenas-indicted-for-illegal-poker-games-49309.htm

 

[fncraig]

This is an interesting thread, but here is my opinion...

I host my home game to hang out with my friends, play some cards, catch up on things in their life/share some things in my own, etc. The poker is great, and is a really competitive game. We play $0.25/$0.50 cash NLH almost exclusively because we're around 40 and some of us only really know how to play that and 5-Card Draw (lol). That being said - I host a lot, never collect anything from my players, and love every minute of it. I provide a great table, Paulson Chips, top-notch cards, food, and a good amount of alcohol - no rake, no fees, nothing. Not judging anyone who does, but I bought those nice things for me - mostly, though my friends appreciate it, and one is purchasing custom CPC as we speak...

My biggest point is, home games should be about enjoying the game, and (I feel) more importantly, enjoying the company. The friends I play with always bring alcohol and food that they don't need to (much appreciated), and could easily play higher stakes than we spread. A lot of these guys could easily ask to bump the stakes, but they never do. The only change from the last month or so is that I asked if we could try to introduce a new game. The response was overwhelmingly positive and next game we're going to do a Fixed Limit Omaha game for one hour before going to the traditional NLH game. It's not much, but it's amazing what happens when you just focus on having fun...

Don't get caught up in the weeds of growing a game - just get a good game going and enjoy it! It's the people who make home poker fun!

 

[SetToBean]

You can always try to send out referral reward links and such in invite spaces to get a little more back if you've got access to such things. I have separate channels for it in the Discord server I use for my games and it'll occasionally (but more like rarely) make another $50 or $100 to put on poker stuff.

 

[Moxie Mike]

I am looking for a consistent stream of "donations" from my regs to put back into the game 100% but not sure what the best process is. Anyone care to share some advice and explain how seat rental or monthly membership can work? For context, I live in California and would not like to break the law or do anything frowned upon! TIA

I run a regular game in a private setting where we have a dedicated dealer, dinner provided in the form of hot dogs/pizza/tacos/etc., snacks, soft drinks, beer/spirits, etc. - all of which are 100% complimentary.

We also (obviously) use quality chips/cards/tables/shuffletech* to enhance the experience.

As such, this comes at significant costs that definitely add up.

So to offset, we pull a small house fee from every pot. Over the course of the night it works out to around $150. No one complains.

The dealer pulls $1 from every pot regardless of the size and is usually tipped as well.

*Most of the equipment I purchase personally and don't use the house fund for.

 

[valleychips]

Interesting thread... My 2 cents:

I personally wouldn't charge for anything. But I also wouldn't provide food/drinks if hosting every week or something. It's more BYOB/F and I think that's super fair for all involved and takes the guesswork out of it for you in terms of what everyone likes. And you shouldn't go broke hosting when you're already providing the space and the scheduling component (which is a lot of work, as anyone who schedules games knows). Your time has value.

That said, if you're the dedicated dealer, I think it's okay to accept tips, and frankly people should tip any dedicated dealer as a general rule, home game or casino. You are helping the game move much faster (rotating dealer is slow and awful), no one else wants to do it, and you're also losing some of your ability to play well by concentrating on dealing for everyone else's sake. As a player, I insist on tipping dealers, especially at home games where they're just volunteers with no actual paycheck. Tips are optional of course, but people seem perfectly content to tip from what I've seen, even if it's small (especially if they know it goes toward the game supplies they're using). And even small tips in quarter/fifty games add up over time. That could be your fund for poker supplies. It'll be slow, but it's something. And you won't lose friends or break the law.

 

[merkong]

I spread food and tell them to tip the game so the food is covered. It always is. The hard work preparing the room etc etc will never be fully accounted for.

The good fortune of having a good location, the blessings they’ve encountered having a host who cares about equipment etc etc. Thats their good fortune. They pay for the food period.

Like several have said, they have less interest in supporting the great chips, cards etc. My players have brought most of the 20 setups of cards our games uses in so there’s that for sure.

The satisfaction of hosting is not something you count like money. It’s in your heart.

Spread food, make it clear about covering it and it will happen.