A good home game needs less than you'd think: a table, cards, chips, a clock for the blinds and a few rules everyone agrees on before the first hand. This guide takes you through the night, from inviting players to the final hand, for a Texas Hold'em tournament played for chips.
In this guide
Plan the game
Decide three things before you send the invitations:
- How many players. One table seats up to nine or ten. Six to eight is the sweet spot: everyone gets plenty of hands and the game moves quickly.
- What you're playing. A tournament is the easiest to host: everyone starts with the same chips, the blinds rise on a clock, and the game ends when one player has them all. A casual game where blinds never change suits a group that wants to come and go.
- How long it lasts. Pick a finish time and work back from it. The structure of blinds decides the length, and the timer builds one for the time you have.
Play for chips. The winner gets the glory and maybe chooses the snacks next time; nobody needs to bring money.
What you need
- A table with room for everyone's chips. A felt cloth or a blanket makes cards easier to pick up.
- Two decks with different backs, so one is shuffled while the other is dealt.
- Chips. For 8 players starting with 10,000 each, the stack in our chip guide uses 224 chips. See chip values and starting stacks for how to split them by colour.
- A dealer button, or any object that stands out, to mark who deals.
- A blinds timer where everyone can see it: a laptop or tablet running our blinds timer on the side, or on a TV.
- A printed list of hand rankings for anyone new. Our hand rankings page lists all ten, best to worst.
- Food that doesn't need two hands, kept away from the cards.
How long it lasts
The blinds timer has three presets. Played by 8 players with 10,000 chips each, they give these structures:
| Preset | Levels | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Quick | 6 × 10 min1 break | 1 h 10 min |
| Evening | 8 × 15 min1 break | 2 h 10 min |
| Long | 9 × 20 min2 breaks | 3 h 20 min |
Length: every level and ten-minute break, back to back. Real games often end a little sooner, when one player wins every chip.
All three run from blinds of 50 / 100 to 2,000 / 4,000: the longer games just take smaller steps. The first big blind is 1% of a starting stack and the last is 5% of all the chips at the table, so by the last level the game is nearly always decided. Want to know why it's built that way? Read how poker blinds work.
Blinds timer
Set up your game
Enter your players, chips and time, start the clock and let it call the blinds. It keeps going even if the tab is closed.
Open the timerStarting the game
- Hand out the stacks and have everyone count theirs.
- Draw for seats and the button. Shuffle, deal everyone one card face up, and give the button to the highest card.
- Go over the house rules below in a minute or two, while people are listening.
- Start the clock. The first level begins with the first hand.
During the game, the button moves one seat to the left after every hand, and that player deals. Use the breaks to refill drinks and to colour up the small chips once the blinds no longer need them.
House rules to agree
Most arguments at a home game come from rules nobody mentioned. Settle these before the first hand:
- Late arrivals: until when they can join, and whether they start with a full stack.
- Rebuys: whether a knocked-out player can come back with a new stack, and until which level. The timer counts rebuys and shows the average stack.
- Showing cards: at the showdown, cards speak: the best hand wins even if its owner misreads it, so turn both cards over.
- Acting in turn: wait until it's your turn, and say what you're doing before you move chips.
- String bets: say "raise" first, or put the whole raise in at once. Adding chips a few at a time counts as a call.
- Misdeals: if a card is turned face up during the deal, collect, shuffle and deal again.
Helping new players
A game is only fun if everyone can follow it. A week before, send newcomers our guide to how to play Texas Hold'em and the hand rankings. Then a few rounds of Which hand wins? or Name the hand teach them to read a showdown, which is where beginners feel lost most.
At the table, let new players ask what wins, show their hand at the end if they're unsure, and take a moment longer. Everyone starts as a fish.
Practise before the game
Which hand wins?
Two hands, one board: pick the winner and see why. Ten rounds take a few minutes.
Play nowQuestions
How many players do you need for a home game?
Four or more makes a good game, and one table seats up to nine or ten. With more than that, use two tables and move players together as people are knocked out.
How long does a home poker tournament take?
About as long as the structure you choose. With the blinds timer's presets for 8 players, a quick game runs 1 hour 10 minutes and a long one 3 hours 20 minutes, breaks included. Games often finish a little early or late.
Do we need to play for money?
No. A home game works just as well for chips and bragging rights. RankMyHand is for learning and fun, and never promotes real-money gambling.
What do knocked-out players do?
Anything that keeps them around: deal for the table, run the blinds timer, or start a second game. A short structure means nobody waits long.
Who deals in a home game?
Usually the players take turns: whoever has the dealer button deals that hand. A real button disc that moves one seat to the left each hand keeps it clear.
Next guide
How poker blinds work