How To Find Poker Players
23 June 2008How To Find Poker Players
Sometimes the most difficult part of hosting a poker tournament can be finding players to come. However if you can manage to find just 6-8 players for your first game then you will be able to throw a poker tournament than will grow with time. Here are some tips on getting players to come to your poker game.
Use a Low Buyin
Many people, especially new players, are uncomfortable with the idea of losing a lot of money playing poker. In fact, having a buyin as low as $40 will be enough to keep a lot of people from coming to your poker tournament. You can help allay that fear by keeping the buying to your tournament low. $20 is low enough that most people won’t feel too bad if they lose it. Likewise they will be able to tell their spouse that they are just going to be playing for low stakes, which will help them get permission to come.
Help them sell a night out
If you are having trouble with wives giving permission to play then help your friends with some reasons to come. Advertise that there is a maximum loss to the game. Since you are playing tournament style, and there aren’t any rebuys in the tournament, the maximum amount they will lose will be $20, which really isn’t very expensive for a night out. Mention that if they are worried about being out too late, that since they are new to the game they will probably lose fast and get home early anyway.
Get Organized
Make sure that you are organized before people come to your poker tournament. Make sure that you have established the rules that you will be playing by and have a copy of the rules handy. Make sure that you have established the blinds and the tournament structure before the game begins. It is a good idea to print out the blind structure and hang it on the wall for everyone to see. Set aside your tournament chips in ziplock bags before you begin. The last thing you want is to have a poorly organized game and have people who don’t want to come back to another. Alternatively, if you set up a great game, people will be chomping at the bit to come and play another time.
Day of the week
Picking the right day of the week is important when you are beginning to host a poker game, especially if you would like it to be a regular, perhaps monthly event. Sundays are bad, Fridays are date nights, Thursday have the best television, which makes Tuesdays and Wednesdays the best night to host a game. That is why you see so many clubs have their meetings on Wednesdays, because everyone is available. If you have a game on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, plan on starting around 6 - 6:30, you can easily set up the blinds to be done with your tournament around 10:00. That gives a good solid night of poker without interfering with work the next day or with any other activities that are scheduled.
Dealers
Many poker games and poker tournaments set up a rotating deal. That is often a mistake. At a 10 handing table you will likely find 4-5 competent shufflers and dealers, the other players are not skilled. Setting up a rotating deal will slow the game down. This occurs in two different ways. First, the less skilled dealers are slower shuffling and dealing. This can be agonizing to watch at times. Second, they are much more likely to make a mistake while dealing, which requires a redeal or an explanation of what the rule is on a fouled deal. Instead of rotating the deal, pick your 3 best dealers at the table. Have each one deal for 10 hands, or for one blind interval. Then, every time the button gets passed all the way around, or every time the blinds increase, switch the deal. This ensures that one person doesn’t get stuck dealing all night, jeopardizing their ability to play, while making sure that the dealing is competent the whole time.
If you are really at a loss at places to find other poker players, here are some websites to find players in your area.
Sites to find players
http://www.wheretoplayholdem.com/
http://pokerpal.org/
http://my-local-poker.com/index.html
http://findpokerpal.com/default.aspx
Comments are closed.