If you’ve never dealt in a home poker game before, there are certain rules of etiquette that you should know about beforehand.
The first thing is that, unless you’re using plastic cards (like the expensive Kem cards I recommend buying), you should break out a new deck of cards to deal with. If you’re hosting, that’s up to you. If you’re not, you’re probably not going to deal first.
But either way, the first thing you do with that deck of cards is shuffle it. You need to shuffle it seven times to get it fully randomized.
Step 2: Deal the Cards. Starting with the player to the left of the poker dealer button, a Texas Hold’em dealer will then deal 2 hole cards to all of the players at the table. Regarding how to deal poker cards, it’s usually up to you (or to the standard practice of the casino in which you work). An American style of dealing involves pinching the card face-down and flicking it towards a player; a European style of dealing involves sliding the top card onto the table and then pushing it. Re: How to become poker dealer in Las Vegas? This really is a bad time of year to look for a dealing job here in Vegas. Like some of the others have said, the best time is a month or 2 before the series.
There’s always a shuffled deck ready. Use one red deck and one blue deck so the cards never get mixed up.
Once you’ve shuffled that first deck of cards, you deal each player a card.
Just one at a time until the dealer is chosen.
This is to determine who gets to be the dealer first.
You get to decide what determines the dealer – you might decide that the first player to get an ace is the dealer. It could be the jack or any other card you like. Just make sure you announce it as you’re dealing the cards one by one, face-up.
Dealing continues from here as the game starts. The rest of this post will go into detail on how to be the dealer in your home poker game.
Dealer’s Choice
It used to be common to have dealer’s choice as the presiding rule at a home poker game. This just means that the dealer gets to decide which game is going to be played.
It’s more common now to host a Texas holdem game or an Omaha game, but I still like to host a home game with dealer’s choice.
If you’re the dealer, don’t spend a lot of time agonizing over choosing the game you think will give you an edge over the other players. Just announce something basic and get on with it. The worst thing you can do at a home poker game is to slow down the game for any reason.
You’re in Charge
In most dealer’s choice games, the dealer’s in charge. In fact, for the most part, the dealer’s in charge of most games and makes most of the judgment calls about various things. Recently, I was dealing a game, and someone else decided to step in to tell another player something.
I corrected him plenty quick, by the way.
“I got this,” I told him.
You do need to pay attention to how many players are at the table before announcing the game.
If you have any special rules, you need to announce and explain those, too. You might have been playing baseball (a variant of 7-card stud) since you were ten years old, but you can’t assume the other players know how to play that game.
It’s your job to explain it if they don’t.
That’s one of the reasons I suggest sticking with the basic games. Poker’s plenty of fun without coming up with a dozen variant rules for everyone to keep up with.
When you deal a poker game, you should always offer to let the player to your right (or your left, under some house rules) the opportunity to cut the cards. He should cut the deck toward you, although he can choose not to cut the deck if he wants to.
In the event of a misdeal, the dealer gets to make the judgment call, but you can expect input from the players. A lot of home poker games have specific rules in place for misdeals, too.
Dealing With Style
I suggest keeping it simple and just doing the basics – deal the cards one at a time to each player. Don’t turn them face-up unless they’re supposed to be face-up. Take your time to avoid a misdeal.
Some poker dealers love to spout off patter as they deal, and they have nicknames for all the face-up cards. Other dealers just blandly announce the cards as they’re dealt – ace of spades, queen of hearts, etc. Still, other dealers just keep their mouths shut.
It’s also customary to announce possible hands when you see face-up cards. “Possible flush” might be something you’d announce when dealing.
They’re also supposed to make sure that the players betting put their money in the pot, and they administer side pots when they come up. You also need to make sure that the discards get handled correctly. Remember, they go in the muck.
You can even learn sleight-of-hand tricks to deal with even more style. I know a card player who only uses one hand to deal. He uses the same hand he’s holding the deck with to distribute the cards.
That takes some practice.
The Final Deal
Eventually, someone – usually the host – will announce that you’re only going to play a certain number of more hands before calling it a night.
If you’re dealing the last hand, you should think about dealing a game that’s cool enough to make for a memorable final hand.
Often, this involves coming up with a game where you can get a lot of money into action. You might announce that the ante for the final hand is double, and bet sizes are double, too.
Or you might announce a game that just builds large pots by its very nature.
The Cards Talk
“Cards speak” is the standard rule in any home poker game. This just means that the cards are what determines who has the best hand, NOT what the player announces.
If a player has a straight flush, but he just announces a straight, his straight flush still plays.
It’s your job as the dealer to recognize the hands and point out who the actual winner is if someone is confused about the strength of his hand.
Some Hosting Advice
Being the host isn’t the same thing as being the dealer, but here are some tips for the host nonetheless:
You’re looking for five to seven players usually, and you should tell them in advance when the game starts, where you’re playing, and what the stakes are.
Traditionally, at my home game, I serve frozen pizza and little smokies sausages in barbecue sauce. I usually have some cheese cubes and crackers available, too. I’ve played in other games where beer was served and hot sandwiches in a crockpot, like meatballs or barbecue.
I usually tell people to buy in for at least $50 and bring an extra $5 to apply toward snacks. With seven players on hand, that’s $35 to budget for snacks. Heck, with that kind of money, you can even buy soda pop.
There’s no shame in asking people to bring a dish to share, either.
When Should Your Game Be?
The best night to host a home poker game is Thursday night. Here’s why:
On Monday, you’re recovering from both the first day of the workweek AND from the weekend. So are the other players.
If you play on Tuesday, you don’t have anything to look forward to later in the week.
Wednesday are reserved for church for some poker players – believe it or not.
Thursday is the best day. It’s late enough in the week for people to be ready to do something fun. Also, most people get paid on Friday. So, even if they lose money, they’ll get more money the next day.
Friday is okay, but a lot of people go out on dates on Friday night. This limits the number of players who will show up.
You should host your game at a regular time and a place every week if you want it to become successful.
Conclusion
Dealing and hosting a home poker game is more involved than some people think. I’ve covered what I think are the most important basics above.
But I also know that a lot of people do it differently.
What changes would you make to this guide to dealing a home poker game based on how you do it in your home game?
Let me know in the comments.
Downswings are inevitable in poker, regardless of how well you might play the game. Any endeavour that possesses an element of luck will have variance. Here is the good news and the part that should always encourage you to study and continue to improve your game … good luck is the result of preparation meeting opportunity. The point is the more knowledgeable about the game, the more emotionally grounded you are, the weaker the competition you play and a host of other variables will have a significant impact on the number of downswings you may experience versus the legion of lifetime losers at poker that you may encounter.
You’ll never be able to bring those exasperating times down to zero so let’s explore some ways to deal with them.
Take a Look at Your Game
First and foremost you need to gain a fix on the genesis of your downswing. Is it simply variance or have you lost your focus and started to play poker poorly? Asking tough questions of yourself and demanding honest answers can be very effective.
I try and use the inevitable downswings as a time of renewal. When you’re running well even the most grounded among us tends to puff out his chest with pride at how well he has mastered the game of poker. If you reach that level of hubris it is tough to invest the time and effort to improve – because you don’t think you need to. The harsh reality is you always need to be improving because if you’re not you’re going backwards relative to the growing strength of your competition. Use these frustrating times to ferret out the reason the downswing has occurred and then work to counter its effect and get back on the winning track.
Common Reactions to Downswings
The title of this lesson presupposes that you are a winning poker player. If you are in a constant state of downswing then I think you know you need to work hard by studying and gain playing experience to become a winning poker player. If you are a winning player you know that downswings are a negative that, if approached correctly and positively, can be turned into a positive. When a downswing occurs there are many ways that one can react. These are the most common reactions:
- Cursing the poker gods.
- Maintaining your focus and moving forward making solid decisions.
- Recognizing that something might be amiss and investigating what that might be.
- Reviewing basics and rededicating yourself to study of the game.
- Reviewing hands and sessions since the downswing began to determine if you have opened up your game, gotten lazy or are playing above your head relative to the competition.
- Dropping down in limits.
- Taking time off.
- Seeking out a coach.
Let’s take at look at each of them in detail…
Cursing the Poker Gods
All of the listed reactions to downswings are worthy of consideration, including cursing the poker gods. Who among us has never cursed the poker gods? I know I have, if only to vent some frustration and then get back to the task at hand. While a brief rant against your bad fortune may be therapeutic, dwelling on your misfortune and thereby reinforcing the negative vibe which surrounds grumbling and whining will not help reverse the situation. In fact, it may well extend it. So, if you feel the need to curse the poker gods go ahead and then get focused to something that will actually help.
Maintaining Your Focus
One should always be in this mode of operation as it is the route to winning poker. It is also the best way to determine if your current state of affairs is just variance or, if it continues, there may be a deeper, darker meaning to it. Maybe, just maybe, the decisions which you believe are good may be flawed. That ominous thought leads us to the next element.
If It’s Broken, It Needs to be Fixed
Since the third, fourth and fifth reaction to a downswing are interrelated we’ll group them all under “If it’s broken, it needs to be fixed”. If, in fact, you recognize that something is amiss in your game, then it is broken and needs to be fixed. Many poker players, as they grow stronger in their game drift away from basics. They open up their starting hand values with the belief they can outplay their opponents after the flop. While this may be true, it may smack of arrogance and when they meet up with competition that might be playing above their skill level becomes problematic. It is always a positive action to review basics and to rededicate yourself to improvement.
When you’re running well it is natural to take pride in your accomplishments. However, if that pride turns to hubris, you’ve taken the wrong fork in the road. Show me a poker player who believes he pretty much knows it all and I’ll show you a player doomed to coming face to face with the reality of how false that belief really is. Sometimes all your game really needs is a little tweaking not a complete overhaul. Be objective and if something is broken then work hard to fix it.
Dropping Down in Limits
How long have you been playing at your current limits? Have you been beating this game for some time or have you just recently stepped up? These are important questions that need to be asked and answered honestly. Entering into a downswing is not the time for denial.
There is a conventional wisdom in the business world which gained its name from a very successful book named The Peter Principle. The Peter Principle states that in a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence. Facing the possibility that you may have reached your level of incompetence against stronger competition can be a hard pill to swallow. But swallow it you must or you will just fritter away your bankroll.
Even if you have played at your current stake level but are now in a downswing, it isn’t a bad idea to drop down temporarily as you address how to reverse the current downswing and get back into the winning column. The competition should be a little weaker on balance and if the downswing continues it won’t damage your bankroll as much.
Taking Time Off
Taking some time off and getting away from poker can help you deal with the negative feelings that accompany downswings. We can all get burned out on occasion and a downswing just exacerbates the negative vibe so finding another outlet for your competitive juices can both refresh you and save your bankroll. The game will be waiting for you when you’re ready to return.
Seeking Out a Coach
Formal poker coaching has become an industry since poker’s popularity soared off the charts several years ago. Coaches come in all forms – live, internet and the written word as well as cheap, reasonable and very expensive. However a poker coach can also be a friend who has a greater knowledge of the game than you do. Discussing poker hands and strategies can always be beneficial as not everyone has the same outlook on the game. The intent of this avenue of improvement is not to recommend specific coaches or boot camps but to advise the reader that it is another viable way to improve one’s game. Maybe you have reached your own aforementioned Peter Principle and you need some advanced poker coaching to help you reach a new level.
Learn How To Deal Poker
Conclusion
Handling downswings in a positive manner to move forward is the hallmark of a winning player. Using these frustrating periods of time as a wakeup call to learn something new can be rewarding. You should task yourself to read a new poker book, become active in a poker forum – like right here on Pokerology, exchange views and strategies with players you respect, perform post mortems after your sessions for both winning and losing hands and maybe, most importantly, add something of your own to this list.
Something as simple as committing to paying close attention to the game will help you on your journey. Are you paying attention? Try giving yourself a pop quiz during your next session to determine your level of observation. After enough time has elapsed to know, ask yourself who the two strongest and two weakest players are at your table. If you need to think about it, you’re not paying close enough attention. You should already be steering clear of the tough opponents and exploiting the weak ones.
This kind of commitment to excellence will make you lucky. Lucky, you ask – why yes indeed, as good luck is the result of preparation meeting opportunity!
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By Tom 'TIME' Leonard
Tom has been writing about poker since 1994 and has played across the USA for over 40 years, playing every game in almost every card room in Atlantic City, California and Las Vegas.
