To host a poker night, follow six steps: invite the players, get a deck, chips and a button, set out the chips, agree the house rules, seat everyone and pick the first dealer, then deal until the time you agreed. Give every player the same 100 units, and agree the rules before the first card.
The night in six steps
Six players make the table this guide sets up. Two or more can play, and the chip counts below go up to nine.
One deck with the jokers out, a set of chips in two values and anything to use as the button.
100 units for every player, the same for everyone, with change left in the middle.
The game, the betting, how bets are made and who settles a dispute, before any card is dealt.
High card takes the button. It moves one seat clockwise after every hand.
Deal each hand the same way, and stop at the time you agreed.
Before the night: who, and what you need
Count your players first, because the chips depend on it. Six is a comfortable table for beginners, and with six or fewer the game is short-handed: players play more hands and steal and bluff more than at a full table.
What you need on the table
How many chips each player gets
Give every player the same 100 units: ten chips marked 1 and eighteen marked 5. With blinds of 1 and 2, that is 50 big blinds each. Keep 20 chips of 1 and 32 of 5 in the middle as change.
| Players | Chips marked 1 | Chips marked 5 | Chips in all |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 60 | 104 | 164 |
| 5 | 70 | 122 | 192 |
| 6 | 80 | 140 | 220 |
| 7 | 90 | 158 | 248 |
| 8 | 100 | 176 | 276 |
| 9 | 110 | 194 | 304 |
Chip colors mean nothing on their own, so write the two values where everyone can see them. If your set has other colors or values, give everyone the same total and write those down instead.
The house rules to agree before the first card
A home game runs smoothly when everyone has heard the same rules before the deal. Settle these out loud:
- The game and the betting. Texas Hold’em, and whether it’s no-limit or a fixed limit on each bet. Make sure every player understands the structure you choose.
- Fixed blinds. The small blind is 1 and the big blind is 2 for every hand.
- Only the chips in front of you. During a hand, nobody adds chips or reaches for more. A player who runs out is all in, and any extra betting goes into a side pot that player can’t win. A player who wants more chips waits for the next deal and takes a rebuy: another 100 units from the change.
- Say “raise” out loud. A raise put out in several stages without a word can be held to a call.
- Bets stay in front of you. Nobody tosses chips straight into the pot until the round is over, so everyone can count what a call costs.
- Who settles a dispute. Name one person before the first hand.
Agree too that the chips have no cash value. For how to behave at the table, the poker etiquette guide covers the rest.
Who deals, and how the button moves
Deal one card to each player and give the button to the highest card, or simply pick a seat. The button marks the dealer for that hand and moves one seat clockwise after every hand, so every player takes a turn posting the blinds and acting last after the flop.
If you want to be the one who deals all night, you can: deal every hand yourself and keep moving the button anyway, because the button, not the dealer, decides who posts the blinds and who acts last after the flop. When only two players are left, play heads-up: the button posts the small blind.
For the deal itself, from the shuffle to moving the button, follow the eight steps in how to deal a hand on our how to play poker page. Its section on dealing errors says what to do when a card is exposed.
Close the night
Pick a stopping time before the first hand, and stop when it comes, at the end of a hand. Count each stack against what that player took: 100 units, plus 100 for each rebuy. The change for six players covers one rebuy, so set aside ten more 1s and eighteen more 5s for each extra one.
Before your guests arrive
If anyone at your table is new, send them the hand rankings and the Texas Hold’em rules the day before. To practice the decisions themselves, Poker Skill teaches Texas Hold’em in short lessons and lets you play hands against AI opponents with a coach who says why each decision was right or wrong. Poker Skill is free. Forever.
Frequently asked questions
How many chips does each player get at a poker night?
Give every player the same 100 units: ten chips marked 1 and eighteen marked 5, with blinds of 1 and 2. That is 50 big blinds each. For six players you need 80 chips of 1 and 140 of 5, which leaves change in the middle.
Who deals at a home poker game?
Deal one card to each player and give the button to the highest card, or pick a seat. The button marks the dealer and moves one seat clockwise after every hand. One person can deal every hand if the table prefers, as long as the button still moves, because the button decides who posts the blinds and who acts last after the flop.
How many people do you need for a poker night?
Two is enough to play heads-up, and six is the table this guide sets up. With six or fewer the game is short-handed, so players play more hands and steal and bluff more than at a full table.