The Organic Growing Pains of the Home Game (4 Viewers)

[Kudos37]

Hey All!

I wanted to ask a couple questions that I've been faced with in my current home game with a little backstory for context!

I have been hosting a micro stakes game that started with $0.25/$0.50 (no rake) with a max buy in of $25. People would tend to rebuy MAYBE once for $25. When someone would raise to $1.50, people would RUN for the hills. If there was a bet over $5, people would grumble and groan because there were "Reckless!", haha. No such thing as a 3-bet and family pots were all too common.

This game has grown over the years and we are now at $0.50/$0.50 (no rake) and the typical BI is $50-60 and people will rebuy and add-on until they hit around $150. Standard open is $2.00-3.75 and we are seeing 10-20% 3-bets during this game. (Which is awesome and great to see my players get better and have more confidence.) The game has grown and it is really fun to watch people progress through trying different strategies, go on hot streaks, and also take a couple dumpster-fires to the face.

I say all of this to ask for some tips and advice to keep people interested as well bringing in new players that fit group from a hangout POV. We are all in the age range of 28-35 with 1-2 old timers that are trusted friends of players. Most bring about ~$120 that they are comfortable losing, and I know what everyone does for work, so its kind of a drop in the bucket comparatively to their income. Everyone that has played at the table has a personal recommendation and is vetted by myself before they are added to the list and are able to sign up for themselves. I find this is a way to make sure we don't have any rage-monsters or people putting off bad vibes. It is a poker night, but also its a great time for the guys to release and talk with friends and make new ones possibly.

One of the key basis of my game is to teach players how to play and be comfortable if they were walking into a casino or card room for the first time. I've had 4 people go from my table having never played TH before and walk into a casino and feel very comfortable at the table. That is a huge win for me, I am usually all-time dealer with an alternate across from me, so players can relax. I do it as a service to my buds and it also allows us to get through hands quicker. No tips or rake is taken/accepted. I don't plan to rake my game in the future either. I use my winnings to upgrade my room to give back to the boys , i will be getting new chips soon as a surprise!

I host two $40 tournaments that turn into parties afterwards (for other friends and wives of players) yearly to keep morale up, they are extremely fun and i always get great feedback!

Questions that I would love to hear some answers to:

As the game stakes increase, what are ways that you as a game host, or regular member feel that keeps current players interested and not be scared of the amount of money on the table? I have definitely seen some fall of because of the stakes and skill level of players being too good. There are 3-4 reg players that are consistently winning, 2 regs hovering around net 0, and 2-3 that are in the hole, but are getting better and show brilliance sometimes.

I like to recruit pretty organically, so friends of friends, coworkers, family, etc. I have never posted on a forum or social media to ask for players. What are your opinions and experiences with recruiting players through non-organic methods like those? I'm a very social person and I love to meet new people.

IF you have anything else to add, I'd love to hear it all!

Much Love,
Kudos

 

[BKisback]

Lots of great stuff in here. Keep that up. I like recruiting organically and will not openly advertise a home game again - I've had too many uncomfortable experiences in random meetup games.

The more of a fun experience it is versus a poker game, I think the more likely you will be to keep players coming back and also attract more players. Good chips, cards, tables, etc. all help, plus food and drinks, TVs, billiards, air hockey, and so on all make it more appealing. If I knew I was going to play a game with all that stuff, with people I liked, I would be happy to be down a little.

 

[Kudos37]

I like recruiting organically and will not openly advertise a home game again - I've had too many uncomfortable experiences in random meetup games.

This is what I am afraid of. I feel like there are definitely people out there that only want to come for the money, and not for the hang. I completely respect those people, but I would try my hardest to avoid them.

 

[TheYeti]

I only recruit organically as well and it's worked out well for me. I have a pool of about 25 players, with 11-12 of them I consider regs. No problem getting a full table every month.

Be careful of raising stakes, it can quickly kill a game. This recent thread touched on the subject.

 

[Kudos37]

I only recruit organically as well and it's worked out well for me. I have a pool of about 25 players, with 11-12 of them I consider regs. No problem getting a full table every month.

Be careful of raising stakes, it can quickly kill a game. This recent thread touched on the subject.

Awesome, thank you for the info. Funny enough I actually just reduced blinds last night from $0.50/$0.50 to $0.25/$0.25 and saw a significant increase in happiness, haha. a Lot of people weren't as stressed about losing their shoes.

 

[MrCatPants]

the others on here will tell you that when you raise stakes, you'll almost certainly lose players. my game has had almost complete turnover from when it started ~8 years ago - only two original players left that come regularly.

what you mention around player improvement is the other issue. If you play golf, it's like if everyone started as a 30 handicapper, and over time a few took the game more seriously and became single digit handicappers. what they want and how they want it will evolve, and the 30 handicappers may just want the old, slow, casual game and not be comfortable with more.

 

[Kudos37]

the others on here will tell you that when you raise stakes, you'll almost certainly lose players. my game has had almost complete turnover from when it started ~8 years ago - only two original players left that come regularly.

what you mention around player improvement is the other issue. If you play golf, it's like if everyone started as a 30 handicapper, and over time a few took the game more seriously and became single digit handicappers. what they want and how they want it will evolve, and the 30 handicappers may just want the old, slow, casual game and not be comfortable with more.

Yeah, that is a great way to put it. People want to come for the hang and not necessarily for the big game. I am going to try and make 2/3 games a month that cater to the casual, then have a bigger game where people can get their soul-crushing aggression out via throwing chips in the middle.

 

[MrCatPants]

Yeah, that is a great way to put it. People want to come for the hang and not necessarily for the big game. I am going to try and make 2/3 games a month that cater to the casual, then have a bigger game where people can get their soul-crushing aggression out via throwing chips in the middle.

one will infest the other unfortunately. regulars dont like being shut out of games. and the 8x opens and rampant 3 betting will drive the others away. best to solidly determine what you want your game to become.

 

[Munchies11]

seems like you got some good momentum with your games. I would say keep it organic as you do have a solid core. Keep promoting to your buddies about inviting their friends , co workers , golf buddies , etc… I’m sure every month or so you’ll add a new player to the game and grow your list. It’s difficult being a host and running a successful game as I know but if you keep having successful games they will show up! no doubt there lol

 

[Kudos37]

seems like you got some good momentum with your games. I would say keep it organic as you do have a solid core. Keep promoting to your buddies about inviting their friends , co workers , golf buddies , etc… I’m sure every month or so you’ll add a new player to the game and grow your list. It’s difficult being a host and running a successful game as I know but if you keep having successful games they will show up! no doubt there lol

Yeah, I think we are still doing good. We havent had any days that we had to cancel due to lack of interest. I do feel like sometimes people feel that I only talk or text them to try to get them to come to poker, which, for my core group of friends, I am trying to avoid to spoil relationships. Its a tricky balance.

 

[Labrat]

As the game stakes increase, what are ways that you as a game host, or regular member feel that keeps current players interested and not be scared of the amount of money on the table? I have definitely seen some fall of because of the stakes and skill level of players being too good. There are 3-4 reg players that are consistently winning, 2 regs hovering around net 0, and 2-3 that are in the hole, but are getting better and show brilliance sometimes.

This paragraph tells me the last thing you want to do with this game is raise the stakes based on the description of the players unless you want it to quickly become a 4-5 handed game.

 

[Kudos37]

This paragraph tells me the last thing you want to do with this game is raise the stakes based on the description of the players unless you want it to quickly become a 4-5 handed game.

Our games start at 8 handed and most nights we always lose one person within 1-1.5 hours. We have a 3 hours game cap because that seems to be a sweet spot, 2 too short, 4 too long. IF the blinds increased, I don't think we would even see the 8 people to begin with,

 

[DeeVee8]

Hey All!

I wanted to ask a couple questions that I've been faced with in my current home game with a little backstory for context!

I have been hosting a micro stakes game that started with $0.25/$0.50 (no rake) with a max buy in of $25. People would tend to rebuy MAYBE once for $25. When someone would raise to $1.50, people would RUN for the hills. If there was a bet over $5, people would grumble and groan because there were "Reckless!", haha. No such thing as a 3-bet and family pots were all too common.

This game has grown over the years and we are now at $0.50/$0.50 (no rake) and the typical BI is $50-60 and people will rebuy and add-on until they hit around $150. Standard open is $2.00-3.75 and we are seeing 10-20% 3-bets during this game. (Which is awesome and great to see my players get better and have more confidence.) The game has grown and it is really fun to watch people progress through trying different strategies, go on hot streaks, and also take a couple dumpster-fires to the face.

I say all of this to ask for some tips and advice to keep people interested as well bringing in new players that fit group from a hangout POV. We are all in the age range of 28-35 with 1-2 old timers that are trusted friends of players. Most bring about ~$120 that they are comfortable losing, and I know what everyone does for work, so its kind of a drop in the bucket comparatively to their income. Everyone that has played at the table has a personal recommendation and is vetted by myself before they are added to the list and are able to sign up for themselves. I find this is a way to make sure we don't have any rage-monsters or people putting off bad vibes. It is a poker night, but also its a great time for the guys to release and talk with friends and make new ones possibly.

One of the key basis of my game is to teach players how to play and be comfortable if they were walking into a casino or card room for the first time. I've had 4 people go from my table having never played TH before and walk into a casino and feel very comfortable at the table. That is a huge win for me, I am usually all-time dealer with an alternate across from me, so players can relax. I do it as a service to my buds and it also allows us to get through hands quicker. No tips or rake is taken/accepted. I don't plan to rake my game in the future either. I use my winnings to upgrade my room to give back to the boys , i will be getting new chips soon as a surprise!

I host two $40 tournaments that turn into parties afterwards (for other friends and wives of players) yearly to keep morale up, they are extremely fun and i always get great feedback!

Questions that I would love to hear some answers to:

As the game stakes increase, what are ways that you as a game host, or regular member feel that keeps current players interested and not be scared of the amount of money on the table? I have definitely seen some fall of because of the stakes and skill level of players being too good. There are 3-4 reg players that are consistently winning, 2 regs hovering around net 0, and 2-3 that are in the hole, but are getting better and show brilliance sometimes.

I like to recruit pretty organically, so friends of friends, coworkers, family, etc. I have never posted on a forum or social media to ask for players. What are your opinions and experiences with recruiting players through non-organic methods like those? I'm a very social person and I love to meet new people.

IF you have anything else to add, I'd love to hear it all!

Much Love,
Kudos

Remember, once stakes go up there is very little chance of going back, so be careful. You will have a core of xx many people who play every time, no matter what. But your 1/2 dozen or so "fringe" players will really make the game. Cater to the fringe and keep them happy.

My game recruits mostly organically. We've changed over the roster probably 2-3 times in 20+ yrs. Some move away, some aren't successful, etc.
If you're game isn't growing....its dying.

I've used Meet-up.com on occasion. I create a game, invite people and then tell them about my other game (if they aren't a-holes). I give them the group website and collect their contact info. This has been hit-or-miss. I've picked up some really good people and I've had no "disasters".

Advice? From the sound of it, your tournaments seem to be well received. I'd run more of them. If the friends/wives see enough of them, they'll join in. Some of your tournament players will become cash players.