Anyone Ever Get Burned Out on Hosting? (2 Viewers)

[Nine_high]

I might try this! Brand new city and game so I scratch and claw to find 4-6 people. Missing my old setup and house, regularly could get 10 + a waiting list, now I feel like McMurphy in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest teaching a handful how to bet.

I just set a start time, and it naturally starts dealing once there are 4-6 of us.

As long as we got enough to start, it's actually kind of a good thing when there are late arrivals as they can replenish busted players and keep a game alive longer

 

[Rhodeman77]

I think reducing the frequency of the games would help. You are hosting every other week currently, I would go to once per month for the tournament.

I would also consider dropping the league aspect of it and make each game a standalone event. Less book keeping and data to track.

Tournaments are the best way to recruit players in general. While you are able to get enough for a mixed cash game now, a regular player or two leaving the game will be much harder to replace without those tournament players that may decide to dabble in a cash game after an early bust out.

 

[doublebooyah85]

ALRIGHT, so it's not just my mooks. How do you all instill a need to get there on time for cash games? New house with a new player pool, tough to build that culture. Guess I have to sit each one down and explain how tough it is to just hang and wait when the game never lasts long and we're already short handed.

Im not talking 7:00 sharp, but people saying yes to 7 and touching down at 8:45, baaa.

I take a rake for promotions only and give away money with fun games for those who arrive on time. For example, $100 wheel spin who has the highest 3 card hand with my wheel for those arriving on time.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I'm in the @krafticus camp. We are wrapping up our 15th year running a league, and I can't wait for each game day. Last game we had a friend from California fly in, a player from Ohio, and a 2 players from Arkansas.

It was a 75c-$1.50 limit game - our one cash game in the league (points are still awarded for the top winners).

...but it's not about the stakes, or even the poker. It's about the people.

The only times I ever contemplate giving up hosting are the occasional times when people cancel late/waffle about showing up.

That drives me bonkers. Simply exasperating.

I had a cash session recently where I told players I was closing the list at 10:30 am on gameday.

This lets me set up properly for the right number of seats. (I prefer 8 players + 1 dealer for cash.) Or call it off with decent notice if we aren’t going to get 7+.

So the night before I had 6 confirmed and one guy who said he was “90%.” Right on the edge. I text several guys who had not responded to try to get a couple more.

At 9:30 am, I get a cancellation. (“Forgot to ask my wife if we had any plans.”) Grr.

At 10 am I get two new reservations. Yay!

So now I have 7 confirmed and one 90%er. Perfect. At worst we’ll be 7-handed, which is a good action-y number. Probably 8, even better. I’m excited.

At 10:30 am I let the RSVPs know that we’re on.

By 11 am, a reg who is always first to reserve a seat cancels.

At noon, another says he’ll be a couple hours late.

I ask the “90%” guy how it’s looking. No reply.

So at 7 pm we have just 5 of us, instead of 8. Waiting on the late guy, plus Mr. 90%. We go ahead five-handed.

At 8:30 pm 90% guy says he can’t make it, he’s “waiting for a delivery” of construction materials. No one delivers that stuff here later than 4-5 pm, but whatever.

At 9 the late guy shows. Finally, at least we’re 6-handed. But he plays recklessly, loses three buy-ins in an hour, and is gone by 10.

Back to 5-handed.

But now Mr. 90% texts that “he is going to try to get over there.” Keep hope alive! Fine, I say, we’ll be here at least until 1:30 am.

He never shows.

So that’s the kind of thing that makes me want to say F this. But it usually isn’t such a struggle.

This can only happen because you allow it. I've had a PCF'er in my game. Great guy. He cancelled one to many times and I cut him from the invite list. Nothing personal - but if you allow waffle room, your room gets wafflers. Things can come up - I get that. It's the repeated 90%'ers and frequent last minute status changes that require the most drastic of action.

 

[andrebttx]

I have gotten burnt out of hosting before, but that has been due to external life circumstances more than the game. Even though hosting is work for organizing, set up, and clean up, it’s always been a welcome break from the stress of real life stuff going on.

We, admittedly, only host tournaments quarterly at the most (currently on hiatus for a newborn, but referring to the status quo), and definitely don’t have the bureaucracy of a league to run. A majority of our players prefer cash due to the ability to come and go, and for the flexibility to just change games or stakes in the middle if we want.

 

[Goldfish]

ALRIGHT, so it's not just my mooks. How do you all instill a need to get there on time for cash games? New house with a new player pool, tough to build that culture. Guess I have to sit each one down and explain how tough it is to just hang and wait when the game never lasts long and we're already short handed.

Im not talking 7:00 sharp, but people saying yes to 7 and touching down at 8:45, baaa.

This is so tough! Hard to get the squirrels to come on time. I have tried many things, but food seems to be the best lure. When I host, we usually eat a decent meal. I tell everyone that the food will arrive at XXX time (we eat before the game). That usually gets a decent amount of folks to come on time. Also, the first 20 mins, we are all eating so that give late comers more time to arrive before cards fly.

 

[WedgeRock]

There is lots of great ideas in this thread, especially @detroitdad's suggestion of having a tournament director. Somebody in your group may be a perfect fit for the role, and it takes a ton 9fnheadache away from you.

But I'm curious, @Moxie Mike, how's your success rate?

Hosting sucks even more when you're losing consistently. I doubt that's the case with you, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

Bottom line: hosting should be fun. If you're not having fun, you shouldn't be hosting. Take a break.

 

[Taghkanic]

I'm in the @krafticus camp. We are wrapping up our 15th year running a league, and I can't wait for each game day. Last game we had a friend from California fly in, a player from Ohio, and a 2 players from Arkansas.

It was a 75c-$1.50 limit game - our one cash game in the league (points are still awarded for the top winners).

...but it's not about the stakes, or even the poker. It's about the people.


This can only happen because you allow it. I've had a PCF'er in my game. Great guy. He cancelled one to many times and I cut him from the invite list. Nothing personal - but if you allow waffle room, your room gets wafflers. Things can come up - I get that. It's the repeated 90%'ers and frequent last minute status changes that require the most drastic of action.

1) Like I said, this is an occasional thing. Not a regular one, thankfully.

2) Are you suggesting that I immediately disinvite anyone who cancels?

Or just make my displeasure known? (I do that.)

I live in a sparsely-populated rural area. I probably know/have played with 98.5% of locals who play cash regularly above 25¢/50¢ stakes.

The number who ever play as high as $2/$5 is surpassingly low. Fewer than two dozen in my whole county, I’d say. Maybe half of whom are bankrolled to show up with the $1,500-$3K you ought to bring to play the game, which I host twice a month.

Basically I there are 8-10 of us who are pretty much always down to play, but sometimes can’t. I typically manage to get 5-6 easy reservations, then fill the rest of the table up with guys who normally play lower but who sometimes want to take a shot a little higher. That list is more like a dozen occasional.

If I cancel everyone who ever flakes, there will be no game. I already am extended to people who drive as much as 45 minutes to get here.

So my options are either to just ask people to please be more reliable, and soldier on; or else lower my stakes to a level that is not interesting to our group anymore.

 

[CraigT78]

"Game starts when we have 5 (or 6)."

That way, not just you are upset with the late arrival. The whole game is waiting on him.

This is exactly what I do. Ask for arrival times and when I have a consensus say that game is at 4 - we start when we have 5. This way everyone knows who the slacker is that made everyone wait until 4:45.

 

[Taghkanic]

… I think there are some people who imagine that Tough Love is the solution to everything.

It only goes so far, especially if you don’t have the leverage to burn everyone who doesn’t fly perfectly straight.

 

[doublebooyah85]

1) Like I said, this is an occasional thing. Not a regular one, thankfully.

2) Are you suggesting that I immediately disinvite anyone who cancels?

Or just make my displeasure known? (I do that.)

I live in a sparsely-populated rural area. I probably know/have played with 98.5% of locals who play cash regularly above 25¢/50¢ stakes.

The number who ever play as high as $2/$5 is surpassingly low. Fewer than two dozen in my whole county, I’d say. Maybe half of whom are bankrolled to show up with the $1,500-$3K you ought to bring to play the game, which I host twice a month.

If I cancel everyone who ever flakes, there will be no game. I already am extended to people who drive as much as 45 minutes to get here.

So my options are either to just ask people to please be more reliable, and soldier on; or else lower my stakes to a level that is not interesting to our group anymore.

The people who cancel frequently go to the bottom of my invite list. Agree @Taghkanic…they will still get an invite most likely if I need to fill the game. But truth be told based on whose coming I maybe just fine w 7 awesome guests vs a full game with a few nits…I tier out my players based on (and in this order) a) dependability b) are they enjoyable / or a drunk c) are they nits? Or action players…

Another reason why I prefer cash > tournaments. Being on that 9-12 person fringe is great for cash and annoying for tournaments.

 

[Moxie Mike]

This is so tough! Hard to get the squirrels to come on time. I have tried many things, but food seems to be the best lure. When I host, we usually eat a decent meal. I tell everyone that the food will arrive at XXX time (we eat before the game). That usually gets a decent amount of folks to come on time. Also, the first 20 mins, we are all eating so that give late comers more time to arrive before cards fly.

In the tournaments I run, bonus chips are awarded for being seated when the tournament starts. There is also what we call the 'Black Puck Bounty', which is a $20 bounty on the last player to arrive. Both features are pretty popular.

***Also pictured is the 'Red Puck Bounty', which is bounty on the winner of the previous event... also $20***

There is lots of great ideas in this thread, especially @detroitdad's suggestion of having a tournament director. Somebody in your group may be a perfect fit for the role, and it takes a ton 9fnheadache away from you.

But I'm curious, @Moxie Mike, how's your success rate?

Hosting sucks even more when you're losing consistently. I doubt that's the case with you, but I thought I'd throw it out there anyway.

Bottom line: hosting should be fun. If you're not having fun, you shouldn't be hosting. Take a break.

@detroitdad's 'dedicated' comment was based on a discussion between he and I a while back about dedicated dealers, which we have in our cash games. He's against them for some strange reason, and since the conversation took place at his game, I lost the argument even though I'm right.

As to results... I haven't been playing the league tournaments - instead I play in the cash games that have been running concurrently. I've been running cold dating back to last summer but that's not discouraging. I enjoy the mixed game format. Double-Board-Courchevel hi-lo for the win!

 

[WedgeRock]

@detroitdad's 'dedicated' comment was based on a discussion between he I a while back about dedicated dealers, which we have in our cash games.

I don't think so. When @detroitdad had his mini meetup, he had a friend run the tournament. @detroitdad didn't want the hassle of running a tournament, and the friend is good at it... so win, win.

There is also what we call the 'Black Puck Bounty', which is a $20 bounty on the last player to arrive.

Pretty awesome idea. Unless you know how to handle the action and can capitalize on it.... probably not worth trying to exploit for $20, though.

 

[Poker Zombie]

1) Like I said, this is an occasional thing. Not a regular one, thankfully.

2) Are you suggesting that I immediately disinvite anyone who cancels?

Or just make my displeasure known? (I do that.)

I live in a sparsely-populated rural area. I probably know/have played with 98.5% of locals who play cash regularly above 25¢/50¢ stakes.

The number who ever play as high as $2/$5 is surpassingly low. Fewer than two dozen in my whole county, I’d say. Maybe half of whom are bankrolled to show up with the $1,500-$3K you ought to bring to play the game, which I host twice a month.

Basically I there are 8-10 of us who are pretty much always down to play, but sometimes can’t. I typically manage to get 5-6 easy reservations, then fill the rest of the table up with guys who normally play lower but who sometimes want to take a shot a little higher. That list is more like a dozen occasional.

If I cancel everyone who ever flakes, there will be no game. I already am extended to people who drive as much as 45 minutes to get here.

So my options are either to just ask people to please be more reliable, and soldier on; or else lower my stakes to a level that is not interesting to our group anymore.

My mistake - From your description, I was under the impression that this was a frequent thing at your game.

As I said in my reply - "Things come up, and I get that". I'm not disinviting anyone for a single infraction. It's a repeated trend that fosters bad behaviour. Like splashing the pot, making change out of a live bet, or rabbit-hunting, many people have simply accepted bad actions from good people for so long, it becomes the norm.

I've had a "talking to" with one player who cancelled, then showed up unannounced. Nothing mean, or even stern, simply letting him know that if we didn't have a seat available he wouldn't be playing. I will set up a 3rd (and even 4th) table if I know in advance, but I'm not scrambling for decks, charts, and counting chips 30 minutes before the cards are scheduled to fly, when when I'm serving dinner.

Many (if not most) poker players view a poker tournament invite like it's a party or a casino. Both have a ton of flexibility. The casino only limited by the number of dealers to pull - which is usually very flexible, and they don't care if you sit around as an alternate. Parties typically have a flexible attendance as well as chairs are less of an issue - you stand most of the time anyway.

I also live remotely. I have maybe 2 players that travel less than 15 minutes, most over 1/2 hour, and (as previously mentioned) people fly to my low-stakes games. The only time I cancelled was when COVID hit. If we get 85 feet of snow, the game will still happen. It may only be Mrs Zombie and I, but if someone tunnels their way in, we will feed them, and give them a place to stay until the snow melts.

Hell, the fall-out shelter has cards and chips in it. In the event of a nuclear holocaust, the game will still be played.

 

[HiveKueen]

I just started a Hold em tournament league last year this time that was essentially a continuation of a long standing league run by another person who called it quits in early 2023 (due to covid essentially). I use Tournament Director software ($40 one time) to run the league. The buyins and prize payouts are via Venmo. I can only seat 20 players but allow unlimited rebuys for the first hour. I keep the buy in low to avoid the myriad of problems that come with high buyins. I'm still building my player base so am not yet filling the tables. I have a website; i'm a former software engineer, so this is easy for me) to communicate.

The ways I can think of to make things less burdensome are:
- don't run a league, just unrelated tournaments and/or
- use Venmo or PayPal or CashApp to handle cash if you are not already and/or
- train others to run the games so you don't (always) have to
- shut down new players until you lose "too many" regulars and/or
- occasionally run the game online at PS and/or
- make it bring-your-own-everything and adopt a carry-in-carry-out policy and/or
- don't allow food and/or
- limit the number of players to a hard 18 or 20 and/or
- moderate your buy in amount (higher? lower?) to manage interest and player expectations and/or
- consider using a website for communications with players and interested newbies

It does sound as though, at the very least, you need some reliable partners if you want to keep hosting the tournament piece.
Good luck,
Kay