What keeps you away from a poker game? What brings you?
I am wondering, what are the main factors that keep players away from certain poker games? What are the main factors that bring them back?
For context, I am a full time poker player and have been organizing a weekly 2/5/10 game for the last few months. Locally there are a lot of public 1/2 games, usually one very deep one where most of the table is straddling to 5 or 10 and stacks are often 1k, 2k+. There are also a handful of home games and semi-private games.
I hoping to retain players in my game and in the future hopefully get a second weekly game started. Ideally, eventually the pool for mid stakes games will get bigger and start making regularly on their own.
Here are a couple of the things I notice which seem to keep players away:
- scheduling conflicts
- stakes are too big, "too expensive to see a flop," stacks are too big
- player suffers significant losses, running bad or otherwise
- too many regulars
- not enough recreational players
- recreational players that do play are perceived as tight
- too far or don't like the cardhouse
- occasionally because the stakes aren't big enough
- someone owes money and doesn't play anymore (I haven't experienced this personally but I have seen it happen in other games. Also it can be as simple as someone leaving after getting stacked in the standup game and not paying, not necessarily for a lot of money.)
A couple of things which seem to attract players:
- action players
- not too many regulars
- pros that are there are perceived as loose, giving action
- friendly atmosphere
- running well in recent sessions
- other available games are too low stakes
I am curious, in your opinion, what are the things that keep you or other players away from a poker game? What keeps you going back? What can a professional poker player who organizes poker games do to make the games better? And can you specify if you are a recreational player, or regular/pro?
Some of this stuff seems obvious, and sometimes there won't be a good workable solution. But maybe there are some things I am missing and some implementable improvements I could make.
Thanks.
12 Replies
Well the main thing that would keep me from your game is the format, as NLHE is boring as ****, but that's just me
Well the main thing that would keep me from your game is the format, as NLHE is boring as ****, but that's just me
There is definitely a sentiment about that. I do play some ROE holdem PLO on other days. The only thing is while a few people love it, a few players refuse to play plo. I might try to make the second weekly game a ROE.
Hell, I would switch to PLO too if I can find enough players, and I'm not very good at PLO. There is definitely a group of people that want to play plo because the holdem pros aren't as dominant in addition to it being more fun to many.
Friendly atmosphere is by large the only thing that keeps me from sitting in bigger games.
Friendly atmoshere is super important. I do not want to have to suffer primadonnas that rip up cards and throw them at dealers and demand dealer changes and are grabby with waitresses and are generally unpleasant at the tables. I don't care how bad they are nor how much money they have.
When I'm not smoking, I absolutely cannot tolerate smoking at the table. When I am smoking, I'd really like to be able to smoke at the table.
I need to trust the game operators. The moment I'm given solid reason to distrust them, I'm out. This ranges from promising a game will be a super loose actiony lineup and then it's all nits, last-minute changes to rake structures, going back on their word on comps, and being treated like I'm privileged to be a pro in this amateur lineup and I just need to shut up and be grateful.
My specific sensory issues mean that I struggle with generic tv on in the background. Sports events, okay, but anything that has ads, or music I don't like, I'm not a happy bunny.
Fish. No fish.
Players that cry who lose to suck outs! Worse pet peeve
I am wondering, what are the main factors that keep players away from certain poker games? What are the main factors that bring them back?
For context, I am a full time poker player and have been organizing a weekly 2/5/10 game for the last few months. Locally there are a lot of public 1/2 games, usually one very deep one where most of the table is straddling to 5 or 10 and stacks are often 1k, 2k+. There are also a handful of home games and semi-private games.
I hoping to retain players in my
Doesn't this depend upon the player? Players play poker for many different reasons.
Some players for monetary reasons. Some play for social reasons. Some play for gambling reasons. Some play for other reasons.
Hosting a game is no different than playing in it. Find out why the players are there and provide it.
What keeps me away from poker games specifically home games are poor management of games. This is usually because of the host inability to host the game properly and properly organize . What brings me to a game is a proper organized game by a good host lol and cant forget good company and lots of beer lol
Doesn't this depend upon the player? Players play poker for many different reasons.
Some players for monetary reasons. Some play for social reasons. Some play for gambling reasons. Some play for other reasons.
Hosting a game is no different than playing in it. Find out why the players are there and provide it.
What other reasons aren't covered by the three categories you provided? 'Just to kill time/get out of the house' might qualify, I guess
What other reasons aren't covered by the three categories you provided? 'Just to kill time/get out of the house' might qualify, I guess
You are right. 100%.
Getting out of the house/going on a vacation in Vegas is a huge part of many lower level poker players. Absolutely. There are as many reasons to play poker as there are poker players. Many of the reasons roughly fall into the same category, but they are all still individually distinctive.
What other reasons aren't covered by the three categories you provided? 'Just to kill time/get out of the house' might qualify, I guess
Since much of this thread is focused on private home games, it should go without saying that there are extenuating things to consider. All home games do not have any ruling authority to appeal to. In poker there are occasional conflicts that come up in play. The ruling authority might be a moron whose only redeeming quality could be that he found a wife who can produce a good food spread. I that is just as much serious as it is a joke.
More to the point, there is nothing governing a home game. If one of the players wants to assert that might makes right, he is correct unless someone is willing to say no to him. This is a bit santinized way of saying that if someone wants to, they can determine the rules if the game. There is nothing you can do unless you are willing to meet strength with strength.
YMMV. Obviously.
Also, another problem with many, if not most, private games is that they let some bad players play on credit. This is great for the game (easy credit can entice people to do things they wouldn't otherwise do). It could be bad if you are actually looking to get paid on your winnings. The game runner may not have it. He lent out too much and cannot pay winners.
I generally avoid private games because a vast majority are built on shakey foundations. I have probably passed up situations that were profitable for me in the long run (I probably would have made more in the long run than I wrote off as unpaid, but it simply was not worth the headache).
I would never play in a private game where I wasn't 100% sure if the credit worthiness of the players. If there is ever even a doubt about violence then I am out. Not worth it.
Again, YMMV.
Well the main thing that would keep me from your game is the format, as NLHE is boring as ****, but that's just me
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