A poker night at home is the most affordable night out there is. No sitter to pay until midnight, no drive home, and a table of friends who have all agreed to spend an evening thinking about something other than the school run.
Is a home game legal?
Rules on private gambling vary from state to state and country to country. Many places allow social games among friends as long as the host does not profit, for example by taking a cut of each pot or charging an entry fee. If in doubt, check local rules or play for chips only, with a prize for the winner that everyone chips in for, such as dinner next time.
What you need
- Two decks of cards with different backs, so one can be shuffled while the other is dealt.
- A chip set. A 300 to 500 piece set in a case is plenty for up to about eight players.
- A table that seats everyone with elbow room. A folding card table works well; see our small-space organizing ideas for storing one.
- A printed list of hand rankings for beginners.
Chips and buy-ins
| Chip colour | Value | Each player starts with |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1 | 20 |
| Red | 5 | 10 |
| Green | 25 | 4 |
| Black | 100 | 1 |
That gives each player 270 in chips. If you play for money, agree the buy-in in advance and keep it small enough that nobody minds losing it: think the price of a cinema ticket, not a car payment. Our fun-money guide shows where this fits in the family budget.
Texas hold'em in five steps
- Two players to the left of the dealer post the small and big blinds.
- Everyone gets two private cards, followed by a round of betting.
- Three shared cards are dealt face up (the flop), then betting.
- A fourth card (the turn), then betting; a fifth card (the river), then the final round of betting.
- The best five-card hand made from any combination of your two cards and the five shared cards wins the pot.
Hand rankings, best to worst
- Royal flush
- A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit
- Straight flush
- Five in sequence, same suit
- Four of a kind
- Four cards of one rank
- Full house
- Three of a kind plus a pair
- Flush
- Any five of one suit
- Straight
- Five in sequence, mixed suits
- Three of a kind
- Three cards of one rank
- Two pair
- Two different pairs
- One pair
- Two cards of one rank
- High card
- None of the above
The real-food snack menu
Choose snacks you can eat with one hand that won't grease the cards: mini sliders, a vegetable platter with hummus and yogurt dip, chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce, spiced nuts, popcorn, fruit skewers and dark chocolate. Our real-food weekly meal plan builds the prep into Saturday afternoon. Put drinks on a side table, away from the felt.
House rules that keep friends friends
- Agree a finish time and stick to it; babysitters and early risers will thank you.
- Settle up the same night, in cash or by an agreed app.
- Beginners can play open-handed for the first few rounds while others explain.
- Take a stretch break every hour. Our strength workout explains why long sitting sessions take a toll.
Want a theme? Read one of the books in our casino thrillers and poker books roundup first, and spend the first half hour discussing it.