How to Run a Poker Night: The Complete Guide to Home Games

Before the first deal: planning your poker night

Choose your game format

The two most popular formats for home games are cash games and tournaments. Each has a different feel:

• Cash games: Players buy in for a set amount and can rebuy at any time. Chips represent real money (e.g., a $1 chip is worth $1). Players can leave whenever they want and cash out their chips. Best for flexible schedules where people drop in and out.
• Tournaments: Everyone buys in for the same amount. Chips have no cash value during play. You play until one person has all the chips. Prize pool is distributed to the top finishers. Best for a structured evening with a definite ending.

Set the buy in

The buy in should be an amount that everyone is comfortable losing. For most casual home games, $20 to $50 is the sweet spot. High enough that people take the game seriously, low enough that nobody goes home upset.

Make the buy in clear before the game. Nothing kills the vibe faster than someone showing up expecting a $10 game and finding out it is $100.

Chip setup

For a standard home game with 6 to 10 players:

• White chips: lowest denomination (e.g., $0.25 or 25 points)
• Red chips: 4x white (e.g., $1 or 100 points)
• Blue chips: 4x red (e.g., $5 or 500 points)
• Black chips: 4x blue if needed for deeper stacks

Give each player the same number of chips for the buy in. A standard starting stack might be: 10 white, 10 red, 4 blue = $27.50 or round to whatever your buy in is.

During the game

Blinds and structure

For cash games, keep blinds constant all night. Common blind levels for a casual game: $0.25/$0.50 with a $20 buy in, or $0.50/$1.00 with a $50 buy in.

For tournaments, increase blinds every 15 to 20 minutes. Start low and double each level. This forces action and keeps the game moving toward a conclusion.

House rules to establish upfront

• Rebuys: In cash games, can players rebuy at any time or only between hands? In tournaments, are rebuys allowed at all? If so, for how long?
• String bets: Must a player announce their raise amount before moving chips, or can they go back to their stack?
• Phone at the table: Allow it or not. Many home games are casual enough that this is fine.
• Showdown rules: Does the caller get to see the hand, or can the losing player muck?
• Dealer rotation: Rotate the deal clockwise. The button moves every hand.

Keep the game moving

The number one complaint about home poker games is the pace. A few tips:

1. Use a timer for tournaments. A phone timer or poker timer app keeps blinds on schedule.
2. Limit tank time. If someone is taking more than 30 seconds regularly, gently suggest a clock.
3. Shuffle while the hand is in play. If you have two decks, one player shuffles while the other deals.
4. Keep chips organized. Stacks of 10 or 20 make counting faster.

The hard part: settling up

In a cash game, settling up should be straightforward: count your chips, subtract your buy in, and the difference is your profit or loss. In practice, it gets messy fast:

• One person bought in three times and lost track of how much they put in.
• Two people want to settle with Venmo but one only has cash.
• The host fronted chips for someone who "will pay them back."
• The chip count does not add up because someone pocketed a chip or a chip fell on the floor.

The clean way to settle a poker night

1. Track every buy in and cash out. Use an app or a piece of paper. When someone buys in, write it down. When someone cashes out, write it down.
2. Verify the total. All buy ins should equal all cash outs. If they do not, find the discrepancy before anyone leaves.
3. Calculate net results. Each player's net = cash out minus buy in. Positive means they won. Negative means they lost.
4. Minimum transfers. Instead of 8 people paying each other individually, figure out the fewest payments needed. Player A might owe Player B $40 directly, rather than paying $15 to three different people.

Using Nudj for poker night settlements

Nudj has a dedicated poker night mode. Here is how it works:

1. Create a poker night session in your Circle.
2. Enter each player's total buy in and final cash out.
3. Nudj calculates the net result for every player and determines the minimum number of transfers to settle everyone up.
4. Each player confirms their balance. No disputes, no "I think I only bought in twice."

Tournament payout structures

For a tournament, you need to decide how the prize pool is distributed before cards are in the air. Common structures for a 6 to 10 player tournament:

Hosting tips that keep people coming back

• Consistent schedule: "First Friday of the month" is better than trying to coordinate schedules each time.
• Food and drinks: Even if it is just pizza and beer. A good host feeds their players.
• Good lighting: A well lit table makes a huge difference. Nobody wants to squint at their cards.
• Music: Background music keeps the mood up during slow hands.
• End on time: Announce an end time in advance. "Last hand at midnight" prevents the game from dragging on until 3 AM.

The bottom line

A great poker night is about the people, not just the cards. Set clear expectations, use a system to track the money, and make settling up painless. When nobody is worried about the accounting, everyone can focus on the game.