How to Start Your Own Unique Home Poker Game

Watching all those TV shows of poker tournaments has made many people crave for the same excitement experienced in a real life poker game. The majority of poker games are played online, but poker enthusiasts know that nothing can compare to real life games. Yet finding tournaments offline are not always that easy. Your best bet is to start a game in your own home.

What exactly is a home poker game? It doesn't differ from any other poker tournament - especially of the sit and go variety - except that you usually have one table with around 6 to 8 players. What do you need to start your own home poker game?

The most essential elements of any tournament are the players. Home games are no exception. To start one up, you need friends, or at least people who will play poker with you. If you do not have enough people in your circle of friends who want to participate in your home game, make use of the Internet to find likeminded people in your area. Chances are, they are just waiting for someone to set up a home game.

Just a note of caution, though. There are some areas which have very strict laws on gambling. Though your home game may be nothing but fun in your eyes, you had better check on your area's gambling laws so as not to invite any trouble that may arise later on.

When we say home games, it doesn't necessarily pertain to a single type of poker. A home game can actually be any variety of poker. It is totally up to you and your friends. Of course, perhaps the most popular poker game played in home games these days is Texas Hold 'Em Poker. That shouldn't stop you from playing other types of poker, though, if that's what interests you more.

Once you've decided which kind of poker home game to start and you've gathered enough people to play, then you better hurry and make sure that you have the proper equipment and environment for hosting a home game. In this post, we'll just go over the equipment briefly as I want to focus on them in detail in the next posts.

The basic equipment you need to host a home game includes the poker table, poker chips, and cards. Some games would also require dice. For the poker table, you can have a custom table made for you. Of course not everyone can afford that so any old table will do actually. As for the poker chips, you can get them at most sports and hobby shops. There are different kinds and types of poker chips, which we will discuss later on. Several decks of cards are also needed to start your home game.

Home game environment - don't fret, there is no need to put up casino lights and all those effects. All you need is a room that is free from distractions. A comfortable room big enough to hold you and your poker buddies will serve your purpose. Now all you need is some ice cold beer and chips and you're ready for your home game!

Paul Graham is a poker enthusiast, a writer, researcher, speaker, and consultant. You can visit his blog and sign up free to get blog updates by email, along with game winning tips, tested poker strategies, the latest poker news, free poker tools, additional resources, and a whole lot more! Go now to http://www.SmokePoker.com and you'll also receive a Free Poker Bot for streamlining and automating your poker play, as a thank you for visiting!

Unique Poker Gift Ideas

Looking for just the right gift for a poker player? If someone you know loves to play poker, whether a seasoned or casual player, there are many poker related gifts on the market that they're likely to enjoy. Here are my picks for some unique gifts for Poker players.

1. Poker Books: Whether your looking for a beginners manual or a book on improving strategy, there are numerous books available online or at the book store that any poker lover would enjoy reading. Some top picks from various sites include:

- Internet Texas Hold-em: Winning Strategies from an Internet Pro by Matthew Hilger

- Harrington on Hold'em Volume I: Strategic Play

- Phil Gordon's Little Green Book by Phil Gordon

- The Theory of Poker by David Sklansky

- Winning Low-Limit Hold'em (2nd Edition) by Lee Jones

- Hold'Em Poker for Advanced Players (Advance Player) by David Sklansky

- Zen and the Art of Poker: Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Game by Larry Phillips

2. Poker Chips: A wide variety of chips are available, at an equally wide variety of costs. If you're buying for a true Poker lover, Ceramic or Clay poker chips may be a good choice. Ceramic Poker Chips are casino grade chips.

The graphics on these chips are actually part of the chip. Clay poker chips are rapidly becoming the most popular choice for chips. They have distinct feel and sound to them which is softer with a more solid sound. Also, they are not slippery like composite chips, which makes them stack better. Paulson poker chips have a distinct look and feel to them. These chips are true casino grade chips that are used by many casinos around the world, including Bally's, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Excalibur, Harrah's, Mandalay Bay, MGM, Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York New York, Paris, Riviera, Treasure Island, Tropicana, Venetian, & Wynn. You may also choose to customize your own chips with hot stamping, labels or full color chip graphics of your home casino logo.

3. Poker Chip Cases and/or Trays: There are a multitude of poker chip cases and trays on the market, from inexpensive plastic trays to outrageously expensive sets. Cases are typically made of Acrylic, vinyl, aluminum, leather or wood. Acrylic or aluminum attaché cases are an inexpensive option, however If your poker player has clay chips or more expensive collectible chips, you may want to purchase a better quality case. You can also choose from different capacity chip cases, with the ability to store anywhere from 100 to 1000 chips. There are a variety of wooden poker chip case styles you can pick from, including custom cases made to your specifications. Poker cases may include chip trays or racks that can be used to protect and store your poker chips, or can be removed to stack player's chips at the poker table.

4. A Poker Table: If your poker player is serious about their game, they may enjoy their own poker table to add to their home gaming experience. The options range from $30 portable table tops that just sit on top of existing tables (such as your dining room table) to dedicated Poker tables costing hundreds to thousands of dollars.

5. Dealer Button / Card Protectors: Having a Dealer Button is essential for playing Texas Hold 'Em Poker. This is an inexpensive way to enhance your games. A dealer button is used in Texas Hold'em to designate the theoretical dealer for a hand of poker. Dealer buttons usually look like a big poker chip (or hockey puck) and have the word 'Dealer' written, stamped, etched, or engraved on one or both sides. They can be quite elaborate and cost up to $100. A plastic dealer button may be purchased for a few dollars and many poker chip sets come with a button included. You can also buy "big blind" and "small blind" buttons.

A card protector (card guard) is usually a large or unique poker chip or paraphernalia that is placed on top of your hole cards to "protect" them from being collected by the dealer or another player. Poker Card protectors make a unique gift and custom protectors make them one-of-a-kind.

6. Card Shuffler: An automatic card shuffler shuffles one or two full decks of cards into one. Automatic card shufflers are fairly inexpensive ($10 to $25, generally), making this another great gift for budget-conscious shoppers.

7. Poker Video Games: Looking to play a little poker on your Playstation, Xbox or Nintendo? Check out these poker video games that are fun to play and make great gifts for poker fans. Some favorite picks are: World Championship Poker 2; World Poker Tour 2K6; World Series of Poker; or Stacked with Daniel Negreanu.

8. Subscription to a Poker Magazine

9. Poker Glasses & Dishes

10. Poker Wearables: Jewelry & Clothes for Her | Clothes & accessories for Him

Sven Asnien is a poker enthusiast and woodworker, who has combined his two passions to create Oz Woodworking; a fine woodworking business where he creates one of a kind, custom, wooden poker chip cases and trays. Sven began his woodworking career creating theater sets at Wooster College and for a traveling theatrical group. He perfected his fine woodworking skills over the years, building built-in cabinetry, bookcases and high-end finish carpentry. Sven has been a recreational poker player for several years and enjoys playing in home Texas Hold-'Em tournaments. For more information about custom wooden poker chip cases and trays, and to view some of the custom woodworking products Sven has created, visit http://www.ozwoodworking.com