The Hostest With The Mostest
So you’ve decided to host a home poker game, eh? Congratulations! You’re helping continue a social activity that has been going on for generations.
If you’re not sure where to start and what you need, this quick cheatsheet will get you going with what you’ll need.
The Gear
| A Playing Surface / Table | $0-$800 |
| Poker Chips | 15¢ – $3 each |
| Playing Cards | $5 – $25 |
| Cut Card | $1 |
| Dealer Button/Puck | $3 – $15 |
How Many Card Decks and Chips?
You can get by with a single deck of cards but you should really buy two decks with different colored backs as covered here.
Cash Game
Assuming a 10 person cash game with a buy-in 100x the big blind, you could get away with as few as 320 chips. For example, a $1/$2 blinds No Limit game with a $200 buy-in for 10 players could use the breakdown below. Having more chips will give you different starting breakdown options as some players prefer more chips and less change-making on the table.
| Denomination | Quantity | Value | Total Needed for 10-person $1/$2 Cash Game |
| $1 | 10 | $10 | 100 |
| $5 | 18 | $90 | 180 |
| $25 | 4 | $100 | 40 |
| Totals | 36 | $200 | 320 |
Tournament
Chips needed for a single table tournament for 10 players can be done with 440 chips. A 10k tourney could use the following breakdown with those 360 chips:
| Denomination | Quantity | Value | Color Up | Total Needed for 10-person 10k STT |
| $25 | 12 | $300 | 0 | 120 |
| $100 | 12 | $1,200 | 0 | 120 |
| $500 | 7 | $3,500 | 30 | 70 |
| $1000 | 5 | $5,000 | 50 | 50 |
| Totals | 36 | $10,000 | 80 | 360 |
Using the resource above will get you started. Half the fun of hosting is tweaking your game to suit the style and comfort level of your players. Experiment with different games and stakes to find what works best for your game. Have fun!