Dappered Classics – How to Throw a Real Poker Night

How to Throw a Poker Night | Bicycle Black Tiger Cards – $6.95

Originally published 3/12/10

Since Dappered is all about affordable style, it’s appropriate to bring up one of the cheapest (and potentially stylish) ways to spend a Friday or Saturday night:

A co-ed poker house party.

Sure you might have a regular game with just your guys. And that game probably involves sitting around in a man-cave of some sort, possibly smoking some cigars… who knows, maybe even saying a word or two to your pals. But that scenario is easily trumped by this plan:

Get twenty to thirty of your friends to come over, men and women. Line up ten to twelve of them to play, with a small buy in of around ten bucks. Beginners are welcome, cards play themselves, and nobody should take this too seriously. It’s just enough money to keep it interesting since there will be about $100 in the pot.

The players play a game of no-limit hold em’, while ten to twenty more guests are there eating, drinking, and enjoying the party. The game should last at least a few hours, and everyone can have a great time. After the game ends the party always continues.

Get your place looking right too. Don’t have a poker table? That’s fine. Go to a fabric store and buy a couple yards of green felt. Use duct tape to secure it to the underside of your table and it’ll look and work perfect. You’ll need some decent quality chips too. Not that old plastic set your Dad used to use. Set out your liquor bottles and make up a small bar so your guests can make their drinks. Or… if you’re not playing in the game, play bartender for the evening. And don’t forget to put in a few CDs of Poker Appropriate Music:

Finally, mix up that tired old deck with a stunning deck of Bicycle’s Black Tiger cards. The inverted black and white cards with red accents are the perfect addition to this version of a poker night. Which along with the ladies in attendance, should now make you want to forget all those nights you spent in a dingy basement surrounded by dudes.

If any of your buddies resist, remind them that no one in their right mind should think the addition of women to a party would be a bad thing.

And if that is a bad thing? Change the women you associate with.