It's a recent phenomenon. People taking the home games they have always had with their friends and taking it to be hosted by a local private poker club. The classic home poker game is a staple in American culture. Having your friends come over so you can play a low stakes game with each other, eat some good food, have a few drinks and some laughs. So why would people who typically host these games in the comfort of their homes, take it to a club? For a few different reasons...
Reason #1: Having Someone Else Handle The Money
If there is one thing that hosts hate having to do in their poker games, it's be responsible for the money. If you host a game and are lucky, you might have someone else be willing to take on the responsibility. If not, it falls on you and it can be really annoying having to constantly take breaks from your game to get people more chips when they bust out. Not only that, god forbid you ever fall short on the money and now you have to cover the difference out of your own pocket.
At a club that responsibility is taken off your hands. The club takes care of being the bank and making sure that every dollar and chip is accounted for. If anything goes wrong it is on them not you. Plus it's nice to have someone else who is not in the game be able to get a player at your game more chips so you can stay in your hands and not miss anything.
Reason #2: Impartial Rulings
The one main downside of a home game is that since everyone is not the most serious of player, the rules can sort of go by the way side. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Having house rules that give players more leeway with things can make for a more easy going experience. When a dispute happens though, that is when it is nice to have an impartial third party help you navigate the issue.
At a club, you have experienced poker staff who are very familiar with the rules and can help clear up any issue or dispute between two or more players. Because your game is private, you can still apply whatever rules you want to your own game. That said, when you need help the club is there for you and you can take or leave whatever advice is given to you by the staff.
Reason #3: Access To Dealers
If you are willing to spring a little extra for it, bringing your game to a club means having access to experienced dealers. It's really nice sometimes to not have to worry about dealing your own game. You don't have to worry about people paying attention to their deal. Worrying about whether or not the deck got shuffled. Not to mention the fact that having a dealer means you get to play more hands, and playing more hands means having more fun.
Reason #4: Better Infrastructure
Unless you have an official poker table (for example the octagon table or an oval table) you more than likely have to use whatever table you got in your house to have the game. Sometimes these aren't the best and can make simple things like shuffling an issue. At a club, you have tables that are designed for the game. You also have TV's everywhere, fridges with complimentary drinks, you can bring in food, and you don't have to worry about cleaning up after everyone else when the game is done. Sometimes it's just nice to have a spot that is made for the games.
Reason #5: A Public Location For New Players To Your Game
Home games are built on one important feature. Trust. After all, you are inviting people into your home. Sometimes it's people you don't know. It's people who are friends of other players, and sometimes when you really want a game you have to be willing to take a risk with people you don't know. What is nice about a club is that it's a public location where you can meet these new people and see how you like them. That way they don't know where you live if god forbid anything goes wrong. It's just a little extra padding of protection that can give you some piece of mind.
Where Is There A Club Where I Can Try This?
If you are in the Cincinnati area you can send us an email or give us a call anytime to see if we would make a good host for your home game. We also have tournaments going on almost every night, and even have cash games too. We're in the West Chester area at 4844 Union Center Pavilion Drive. You can also email us or reach out on Facebook with any questions you have for us.