For as long as poker has been around, players have been organizing card games outside of casinos. This has been done for a variety of different reasons as people look for alternative ways to play the games they love.
But it isn't just as simple as having a deck of cards.
The Sporting News explains how you can host a home poker game.
If you are new to poker you can also check out our Texas Hold'em Poker Guide: How to play, rules, structure, betting & hand rankings
What is a poker home game?
A poker home game is a card game played in a private environment — such as a house or club. It is usually informal and between friends but it can also be a scheduled game which finds it players through social media or word of mouth.
Usually home games are played with either no financial benefit to the players or with small amounts of money.
But there are cases of highly-organized home games, which can see a large amount of money exchange hands.
Things needed for a poker home game
For the regular, informal, home poker game, the following basic items are needed:
- Standard 52-card deck (jokers not needed)
- Poker chips
- Dealer button
- Table
- Chairs
There are also extra things that can be added to more-organized home games:
- Actual poker table
- Physical dealer
- Small and big blind buttons
- Food and drink for players
MORE: Full World Series of Poker 2025 schedule and events
Poker at home: Cash games vs. tournaments
Organizers of home games have the choice of designating whether it is a cash game or a tournament.
Cash games see players buy-in for a set amount of money, with the poker chips representing an actual money value. Players can then re-buy if they bust or add chips using money to their stack, depending on the rules of the home game.
At the end of the night, players count their stacks and receive the money value to go home with.
With tournaments, a buy-in amount is set and all players receive the same amount of chips.
If a player loses all their chips, they are eliminated from the tournament.
In some tournaments, rebuys are allowed by the game organizer up until a certain time.
Counting out chips
During a home poker cash game with friends, players usually count out their own chips at the end of the night, with the total amount to add up to how much money was bought in by players.
If the game is highly-organized with a professional or employed dealer, then they will handle the chip count at the end of the night.
With tournaments, there is not chip count at the end of night, as one player ends up with all the chips.
In both cash and tournament games, players may ask another player for a count of their chips when involved in a hand with them.
It is also poker etiquette for players during the game to have their chips arranged in a way that other players can count the chips with their eyes from distance at any time.
MORE: How to win at Texas Hold'em, our guide to the best strategy and tips
Home poker tournament considerations
The following factors need to be decided when hosting tournament home game:
- What discipline of poker is being played (Hold 'em, Pot Limit Omaha etc)?
- What is the buy-in of the game and how many chips do players receive?
- What are the big and small blind values, and how often do they go up in price?
- Of the total buy-in amount, what percentage will be awarded as winnings to the final placings?
- Is there going to be a timer for players to make decisions within a certain amount of time?
Cash game considerations
The following factors need to be decided when hosting cash home game:
- What discipline of poker is being played (Hold 'em, Pot Limit Omaha etc)?
- What is the buy-in of the game and how many chips do players receive?
- What are the big and small blind values? Do they change at all?
- Is there going to be a timer for players to make decisions within a certain amount of time?
- Will individual players deal the cards when they are on the dealer button or will there be a designated dealer?
Dealing the game
Whether it's a tournament or cash game, the organizer will decide whether individual players deal the cards or they will have a designated dealer.
A designated dealer, who is quick at the process, can keep the going faster than if individual players are dealing the game when on the dealer button.
It's also important that players work together to move the dealer button and ensure blinds are posted by the correct players.
If you are stepping up to take on the dealer role, check out our guide to how to deal poker at home
Paying out players
At the end of the game, in both cash and tournament home games, money will be paid out to the winning player or placings.
For cash games, players will receive their chip value in money, while for tournaments, players will receive money based on the payout structure.
Organizers can distribute the cash buy-ins among the winners or placings, or more commonly, the payments can be done electronically using online banking or apps.
Other things to ramp up the fun of poker at home
There are several fun additions and side games you can add to your home poker game to spice things up, including:
- For tournaments, use a percentage of the buy-in to be a bounty that players collect when they knock someone out
- Bad beat jackpot — a payout specifically where a certain hand class, like 4 of a kind, is beaten
- 7-2 game — if players either win at showdown, or make everyone fold with 7-2, they get a bonus