The Ultimate Guide to Throwing a Poker Night in NYC

I'm giving away a FREE Poker Night Tracker Sheet, email hello@rentinstead.com with the words "Poker Night" if you want me to send you a copy!

 

I’ve thrown countless poker nights over my years. I want to give away all my secrets on how to throw an absolutely incredible poker night in NYC. With these poker night tips, you and your guests can make your poker night event unforgettable.

 

I’ll keep updating this as I learn more and more stuff.

Each poker night is always better than the last.

Image: Poker Table rented from Rent Instead

Step 1: Getting the Essential Poker Supplies

If you’re anything like me and you watched Molly’s Game on Netflix, you also want to throw a (legal) ******poker night. I do mine in New York City, but this should apply to any city!

 

For the ultimate hassle-free experience, rent our exclusive (and 20% off) Poker Night Essentials Bundle from Rent Instead. We'll handle delivery and pickup right at your doorstep in NYC!

 

To throw an incredible poker night in NYC (maybe you’re reading this because your buddy needs a Bachelor Party), you’ll need the following:

 

• Poker Chips: 10-14 grams are ideal, you want something where the weight feels good in the hands of the players. If you rent the Poker Chips from Rent Instead, you’ll get professional grade chips.
• High Quality Playing Cards: Get high quality plastic-coated decks. These resist bending, last longer and shuffle well. It’s good to have two decks, so that you can make the transition between each poker hand easier.
• Professional Poker Table: Getting a proper poker table is a must, getting a green felted table with cup holders and rails makes a poker night absolutely incredible.
• Drinks, Serving Bowls, Chips & Dips: Any alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks works, and get a serving bowl for chips and dips!

If you want to take your night to the next level up you could rent these:

• Poker Decor: Getting some wall art (dogs playing poker is a hit) or a neon sign can really uplift your poker night.
• Poker Trays: The biggest time sink from your poker night will be distributing the chips and giving them to the players. If you do this ahead of time and give trays of the exact chips on your players' entrance, it can make for a great poker player experience.
• Lighting: Deep red = mood.
• Music: You can use really any Bluetooth speaker, but smooth jazz normally does pretty well in setting the right atmosphere.
• Hand Rankings Chart: Depending on whether your group are beginners, a chart of the hand rankings can go a long way so people don’t pull out their phones.

The ultimate level:

• Hire a Poker Dealer
• Get Wait Staff and Catering
• Rent a Red Carpet and Stanchion Posts: For an amazing entrance

 

If you’re looking where to rent poker gear in New York or if you’re hosting another kind of night, make sure you check out Rent Instead.

 

Now that you’ve got the right supplies…

 

 

Step 2: Planning the Poker Night

3 Weeks Before

1. Pick the Guests: Guests should be a similar skill level. If they are too good, they will get frustrated at the slowness of other players, and if they are too bad, they will take too much time and slow the game down.

2. Choose the Venue: Usually doing it at home works, but if you live in New York City and you’re limited on space in your apartment, renting a space is also an option for more room.
   
   
3. Rent the Poker Night Essentials Bundle (see above)
   
   
4. The Secret Sauce - Make a copy and add the guests to this Google Sheet:

• Start by inviting the guests in your core group and add them to the “Attendees” sheet.
• Pick a day and time that works for most of your guests; you can use this janky site: whenisgood.net or just ask them when they are free.
• As soon as you have 3 confirmed—that’s the minimum you need to get the night started if no one else turns up—then personally DM the next 8 people (one person will always bail the night of) so you’ll be left with 10 players.

5 Days Before

1. Create a Partiful: Invite all your guests. Pick a time and stick to that being the game start time (in reality, push it 15 minutes because people are always late). You can also set up Venmo directly on there so everyone reserves their spot with their buy-in.
   
   
2. Ask your Guests their Food/Dietary Preference: What they feel like eating for the night (this also serves as a reminder that the poker night is coming up).
   
   

Step 3: Play Poker

The Night Of:

1. Set Up The Chip Distribution:
   
   YOU CANNOT TAKE AN ENTRY FEE or RAKE (% of the Pot). I can’t stress that enough; don’t take any fee from any players and don’t take any percentage of the pot. In New York, that’s illegal. Don’t be Molly.

   You can take a reasonable amount of money through other services like food, drinks, or entertainment but not from the poker game itself, and you can accept a tip for food, drinks, or entertainment. But you must make it clear to the guests that the tip is optional and not tied to the outcome of the game or any fees for playing.
   
   

2. Distribute Poker Chips in the Poker Trays. The best way is to multiply the buy-in by 20, so if everyone puts in $100 for the buy-in, you can distribute $2000 worth of chips. Here is an example of a good chip distribution for $2000 worth of chips:

   1: $20 (20 chips), 5: $50 (10 chips), 25: $300 (12 chips), 50: $300 (6 chips), 100: $500 (5 chips), 500: $500 (1 chip), 1000: $330 (1 chip)
   
   

3. Dim the Lighting: Dark red or candlelight works to about 50% brightness.
   
   

4. Play the Music: Smooth jazz
   
   

5. Put up the Hand Rankings
   
   

6. Add in what everyone’s final Chip Stack is: on the FREE Poker Tracker (comment if you want me to send it to you!) (it’ll save you a lot of time later).
   
   

After Everyone Goes Home:

1. Add in what everyone ordered for Food: on the FREE Poker Tracker (comment if you want me to send it to you!) (it’ll save you a lot of time later).
2. Clean up!
3. Send a Thank You Note

 

Legal Disclaimer: Gambling laws can be complex. Ensure you're compliant with local regulations. Remember, in NYC, taking a rake or entry fee is illegal.

 

Stay Connected:

• Follow us on social media for the latest tips and promotions @rentinsteadnyc
• Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive offers.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I rent individual items instead of the whole bundle?

A: Absolutely! Visit our rental page to choose individual items that suit your needs.

 

Q: Do you offer services outside of NYC?

A: Currently, we serve the NYC area. Stay tuned as we expand to other cities!

 

Hosting a poker night has never been easier. With the right planning and resources, you'll create an event that your friends will remember for years to come. Happy hosting!

PS: If you want to come to my poker night, we have to legally be friends first, email me! hello@rentinstead.nyc