Cash Game How to make the game more entertaining for new players ? (1 Viewer)

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SirSauce

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Hi all,

I'm about to host a cash game at the end of the week, some players with little experience of playing poker will be there.
I would like to keep it entertaining for everyone, as the goal of the afternoon is rather having a good time together than fighting to the death for every $ around the table.
We are going to play NoLimit Holdem, 10/20c blinds.

Do you have any advices, and simple variants that will add some extra fun to the table ?
The idea here is not to host a classic dealer's choice game, because I am assuming that not everyone on the table will be familiar with every variant and it's subtleties, but more allowing everyone to have a good and exciting time here.

I am thinking about playing one Indian Poker hand (as seen in Game of Gold) from time to time, but any ideas are more than welcome.

Thanks a lot for your advices !
 
rrobyrrroby said:
Free food and drinks.
Nice and comfortable setup: surround music, lights, chairs, poker table/mat.
Entry level circus games like pineapples, bomb pot, 7and2, high hand jackpot, stand up game.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your advices, for the first part i'm all set.
I try to host a tourney every one or two months with some of the players that are coming, and until now, they have been a success !
I did not knew about the pineapple game, thanks for bringing it up.
And for the other games, there are great ideas !
 
Just play poker. Keep it fun, put a max betting limit or something, but adding all the silly variants just get in the way. Ive had great success playing either NLHE or dealers choice with stud/draw games, most of my players are newbies and enjoy just playing.

Dont expect a 6 hour game, stick to 2 or 3 hours and like the others said have snacks. Go nuts if one of the noobs wins on a bluff, and make a big deal when they show a big hand.
 
NotRealNameNoSir said:
Just play poker. Keep it fun, put a max betting limit or something, but adding all the silly variants just get in the way. Ive had great success playing either NLHE or dealers choice with stud/draw games, most of my players are newbies and enjoy just playing.

Dont expect a 6 hour game, stick to 2 or 3 hours and like the others said have snacks. Go nuts if one of the noobs wins on a bluff, and make a big deal when they show a big hand.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your advices. So you recommend definning an end time / maximum duration at the beginning of the game ?
Or when you feel people are starting to get tired / want to stop, you suggest playing one last orbit and end the game ?
 
NotRealNameNoSir said:
Just play poker. Keep it fun, put a max betting limit or something, but adding all the silly variants just get in the way. Ive had great success playing either NLHE or dealers choice with stud/draw games, most of my players are newbies and enjoy just playing.

Dont expect a 6 hour game, stick to 2 or 3 hours and like the others said have snacks. Go nuts if one of the noobs wins on a bluff, and make a big deal when they show a big hand.
Click to expand...
I second this advice. You only need things like bomb pots and stand up games when people know that you are supposed to be super nitty with your starting hand selection in hold em. In a casual game with newbies, people play too many hands and splash about. The fun naturally follows and doesn’t need to be forced. Second, if you don’t really know what you’re doing, you don’t need random more rules to lose track of.

I’d say 3-4 hours is the sweet spot- you’ll probably find that people start to leave/fade away at some point- but it’s probably good to set expectations up front. Finding the right stakes is probably the hardest part and most important.
 
SirSauce said:
Thanks for your advices. So you recommend definning an end time / maximum duration at the beginning of the game ?
Or when you feel people are starting to get tired / want to stop, you suggest playing one last orbit and end the game ?
Click to expand...
Yes, I say something like 830 until 11ish. If they catch the bug and want to play until 2am, great, but my casual are more likely to play and learn if its a smaller commitment.

Whatever works for you guys, but read the room. Like you said, people are there to have fun and learning new games can be exhausting. Limited dealers choice gives agency and fun but the first time I always play it only NLHE.
 
KISS. NLHE that’s it.

Spread a little food and some sodas and water. Dedicated dealer to keep the pressure off of noobs. Keep the game slow and be helpful. You want to make sure they come back. Even go as far as to prep any experienced players not to moan and groan every time someone acts out of turn etc.

I’ve spread over 500 sessions and 122 in the last two years. I have a table of 10 every week and a wait list. Whether a game lives or dies, fizzles or thrives, it’s all on the host.

Think of this as a marathon. Finish the race and you’ve won.

Ken (merkong) 500+ Sessions Spread
Owner/Operator/Founder:
*The Godfather Club MN (The Venue)
*The Executive Game, (The Current Game)
*Frogtown Card Club, St. Paul (Retired Venue)
*The Poker Family (Our Philosophy)
 
Kentucky said:
I second this advice. You only need things like bomb pots and stand up games when people know that you are supposed to be super nitty with your starting hand selection in hold em. In a casual game with newbies, people play too many hands and splash about. The fun naturally follows and doesn’t need to be forced. Second, if you don’t really know what you’re doing, you don’t need random more rules to lose track of.

I’d say 3-4 hours is the sweet spot- you’ll probably find that people start to leave/fade away at some point- but it’s probably good to set expectations up front. Finding the right stakes is probably the hardest part and most important.
Click to expand...
Hey, thanks for your advices, i appreciate it.
I'll keep it simple for everyone. And if anyone wants to continue, I might ask them if they want to try a Turbo Tourney structure, so they can experiment both type of game.
 
merkong said:
KISS. NLHE that’s it.

Spread a little food and some sodas and water. Dedicated dealer to keep the pressure off of noobs. Keep the game slow and be helpful. You want to make sure they come back. Even go as far as to prep any experienced players not to moan and groan every time someone acts out of turn etc.

I’ve spread over 500 sessions and 122 in the last two years. I have a table of 10 every week and a wait list. Whether a game lives or dies, fizzles or thrives, it’s all on the host.

Think of this as a marathon. Finish the race and you’ve won.

Ken (merkong) 500+ Sessions Spread
Owner/Operator/Founder:
*The Godfather Club MN (The Venue)
*The Executive Game, (The Current Game)
*Frogtown Card Club, St. Paul (Retired Venue)
*The Poker Family (Our Philosophy)
Click to expand...
Thanks for your comment and advices.
We usually make each player deal when they are on the button, but I might do it the whole game for this time.
And yes, the idea is to make everyone confortable and looking forward for the next game.
 
SirSauce said:
Hey, thanks for your advices, i appreciate it.
I'll keep it simple for everyone. And if anyone wants to continue, I might ask them if they want to try a Turbo Tourney structure, so they can experiment both type of game.
Click to expand...

I third keeping it simple and sticking with hold'em. Extra simple would be fixed limit as newbies don't need to think about bet sizing either.

Once new players get used to hold'em, pineapple (crazy, lazy, etc.) are an easy step forward.

Make sure you set expectations with the players to bring multiple buy ins for no limit so the game doesn't break early.
 
SirSauce said:
Thanks for your comment and advices.
We usually make each player deal when they are on the button, but I might do it the whole game for this time.
And yes, the idea is to make everyone confortable and looking forward for the next game.
Click to expand...
Honestly I think at these stakes, I'd have dealer button deal even if newer player. It keeps people engaged and not left out. However I wouldn't force anyone to shuffle who isn't comfortable, can have one or two dedicated shuffling players.

Otherwise I agree with what most say. Keep it simple, stick to the game people know, maybe throw in a straightforward simple side game or prop bet.

If stakes get any higher, even 25/50, I'd consider a dedicated dealer because bets and stacks *can* get more serious.
 
bmacpoker said:
Honestly I think at these stakes, I'd have dealer button deal even if newer player. It keeps people engaged and not left out. However I wouldn't force anyone to shuffle who isn't comfortable, can have one or two dedicated shuffling players.

Otherwise I agree with what most say. Keep it simple, stick to the game people know, maybe throw in a straightforward simple side game or prop bet.

If stakes get any higher, even 25/50, I'd consider a dedicated dealer because bets and stacks *can* get more serious.
Click to expand...
Good advices thanks for your comment.
I'll give it a try, and let everyone experiment it (maybe some will be willing to deal!).
 
I'm also in the "Hold em' only' camp.

If it were me, I'd look for ways to keep players interested in the game and outcome of each hand played instead of switching up the game... so I'd consider adding one of 2 things:

1. High Hand every hour (easy / more money out of my own pocket)
  • Buy 3-5 gift cards to random places (Target, Starbucks, Chipotle, Subway, etc)... make them between $5 to $15 each.
  • Put these gift cards in an unmarked envelope (one gift card per envelope)
  • Announce at the beginning of the game that you will award a prize to whoever has the highest high hand at the end of each hour of play (Full House or better for example)
  • If your game is supposed to last 5 hours, that would be 5 opportunities to win the High Hand Jackpot.
  • Set an alarm on your phone to go off every hour. When it goes off, complete the hand in play. Whoever had the highest hand during that hour wins and gets to choose an envelope (make them open it right away so everyone can cheer or groan for the contents of the envelope).
  • I normally keep track of high hands on my notes app on my phone, or write it down on a notepad
Every time I've done this it has been a hit with different groups of players! Even at higher stakes, players somehow get extra energy around winning the high hand. At lower stakes, the jackpot will likely be more than a large pot size, so extra incentive for players to play more hands to try to get the jackpot.

2. Side-bet mini games (more advanced / no money out of my own pocket)
  • Explain a side-bet game that can be played in conjunction with the No-limit Hold Em' game.
  • My favorite example of this is the suits game. Up to 4 players can play this at a time.
    • Each player participating will "own" a suit... for example, I own Hearts, you own Spades, etc..
    • If the flop comes 2 out of 3 hearts, I win 20¢ from each participating player (60¢ from 3 players)
    • I must call out my winning flop. If I miss it or aren't paying attention, and the turn comes before I call it out, I don't win anything. This helps players pay attention to every flop, even when they aren't in the hand.
    • If the flop comes out all 3 hearts, I win 50¢ from each player (if I call it out)!
  • There are other side-bet mini games you can play, for example, everyone who wants to participate owns a number instead of a suit. If I choose "8" and an 8 comes out, everyone owes me 10¢. Two 8's = 20¢ and so forth.
  • You can get creative with these games and make up your own (3 in a row) (all face cards) etc.
  • The only negative of these side-bet games is that they sometimes (most times) distract from the main Hold em' game at hand... and sometimes players get "butt-hurt" when their suit seemingly "never" comes out, etc.
Hope this helps!
 
MrRossKeys said:
I'm also in the "Hold em' only' camp.

If it were me, I'd look for ways to keep players interested in the game and outcome of each hand played instead of switching up the game... so I'd consider adding one of 2 things:

1. High Hand every hour (easy / more money out of my own pocket)
  • Buy 3-5 gift cards to random places (Target, Starbucks, Chipotle, Subway, etc)... make them between $5 to $15 each.
  • Put these gift cards in an unmarked envelope (one gift card per envelope)
  • Announce at the beginning of the game that you will award a prize to whoever has the highest high hand at the end of each hour of play (Full House or better for example)
  • If your game is supposed to last 5 hours, that would be 5 opportunities to win the High Hand Jackpot.
  • Set an alarm on your phone to go off every hour. When it goes off, complete the hand in play. Whoever had the highest hand during that hour wins and gets to choose an envelope (make them open it right away so everyone can cheer or groan for the contents of the envelope).
  • I normally keep track of high hands on my notes app on my phone, or write it down on a notepad
Every time I've done this it has been a hit with different groups of players! Even at higher stakes, players somehow get extra energy around winning the high hand. At lower stakes, the jackpot will likely be more than a large pot size, so extra incentive for players to play more hands to try to get the jackpot.

2. Side-bet mini games (more advanced / no money out of my own pocket)
  • Explain a side-bet game that can be played in conjunction with the No-limit Hold Em' game.
  • My favorite example of this is the suits game. Up to 4 players can play this at a time.
    • Each player participating will "own" a suit... for example, I own Hearts, you own Spades, etc..
    • If the flop comes 2 out of 3 hearts, I win 20¢ from each participating player (60¢ from 3 players)
    • I must call out my winning flop. If I miss it or aren't paying attention, and the turn comes before I call it out, I don't win anything. This helps players pay attention to every flop, even when they aren't in the hand.
    • If the flop comes out all 3 hearts, I win 50¢ from each player (if I call it out)!
  • There are other side-bet mini games you can play, for example, everyone who wants to participate owns a number instead of a suit. If I choose "8" and an 8 comes out, everyone owes me 10¢. Two 8's = 20¢ and so forth.
  • You can get creative with these games and make up your own (3 in a row) (all face cards) etc.
  • The only negative of these side-bet games is that they sometimes (most times) distract from the main Hold em' game at hand... and sometimes players get "butt-hurt" when their suit seemingly "never" comes out, etc.
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
It helps a lot, thanks for the time you took here, these are very interesting ideas.
I'm pretty sure the regular players that will attend the game will like these side-bet mini games ideas !
Thanks MrRossKeys.
 
SirSauce said:
Hi all,

I'm about to host a cash game at the end of the week, some players with little experience of playing poker will be there.
I would like to keep it entertaining for everyone, as the goal of the afternoon is rather having a good time together than fighting to the death for every $ around the table.
We are going to play NoLimit Holdem, 10/20c blinds.

Do you have any advices, and simple variants that will add some extra fun to the table ?
The idea here is not to host a classic dealer's choice game, because I am assuming that not everyone on the table will be familiar with every variant and it's subtleties, but more allowing everyone to have a good and exciting time here.

I am thinking about playing one Indian Poker hand (as seen in Game of Gold) from time to time, but any ideas are more than welcome.

Thanks a lot for your advices !
Click to expand...
Bomb pot, but everyone has to take a shot, every time,
 

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