Hosting A Virtual Poker Night
Everybody loves game night. Getting everyone together for a night of laughter and fun, with everyone’s busy schedules, can be tricky. Whether you have friends overseas, or family across town, use our tips to help you host the ultimate virtual game night.
The stakes change whether you want to play with real money or not. For example, real money private games of Texas hold'em begin at $0.01 / $0.02 and go up to $0.50 / $1. As with any other party, hosting a poker night can last at least 3 hours which means you need to prepare food for guests to munch on while they are playing the game. Light snacks such as chips, vegetable sticks, bread sticks, tortilla chips and salsa, cookies, and mini-sandwiches are perfect for poker nights. Poker Virtual Happy Hour Idea. Add new dimensions to poker night by playing virtually. Instead of laying your cards out on the table, you can hold them in front of your camera. (Studying “poker faces” during a video call will also make a fun social experiment.). Test your poker skills at our virtual Poker Night! We will be hosting a virtual no-limit hold 'em poker tournament on Wednesday, October 21st. As a participant, you will be playing on the Pokerrrr2 App and socializing with other players in Zoom breakout rooms.
Set the date
As the host, you’ll need to determine the date and time. It’s important that all your guests know the time zone as well, so that no one accidentally misses out on the fun. Predetermine if your game night will be family friendly or adults only.
Connect
Hosting A Virtual Poker Nights
Facebook RoomRelatively new, Facebook Rooms are a video call feature that let friends hang out in a virtual room together.
Google HangoutUp to ten people can use Google Hangout to video call, making it ideal for big parties. Google Hangout is available on Android, IOS, and on the computer.
HousepartyThis app evenly divides the screen during the call, so it’s best for groups of 4 or smaller. Houseparty also has a few games available inside the app!
SkypeSkype is the best choice when playing with multigenerational groups. Most people have used or currently use Skype. The skype app is free and can be used on smart phones.
Hosting A Virtual Poker Nightmare
ZoomZoom is the best video chat service for virtual game night. Although free, you may want to pay for a subscription so you can play longer than the free 40 minutes meeting, or call. Zoom allows you to screenshare, which is important for game night.
Pick a Virtual Game Night Theme
Themes make everything more fun, even at home. For poker, go for a Monte Carlo theme. Have everyone dress to the nines. Send your favorite cocktail recipe to your friends so you can all toast together.
Try out some fancy canapes recipes, or make it quick yet effortlessly fancy with bruschetta toast. Or go for a family game night theme, with classic party snacks like nachos, popcorn, cupcakes with sprinkles, and sparkling lemonade. Ask each participating household to wear a certain “team” color.
Virtual Game Ideas
- Classic Games Parlor Games like charades, Pictionary, quiz games, and other family favorites require little set up and offer big laughs.
- Poker To play online poker with friends, it’s easiest to use a website like Pokerstars. All participants will need an account. There are other virtual poker and card options online, including free play. If you decide to play for cash, you can play in rounds or sets, and settle up via Venmo between rounds.
- Bingo For large game nights, Bingo is a sure hit! Email your virtual guests bingo cards to print out so everyone can join in. Use this Virtual Bingo Caller to play different games. Raise the stakes with Venmo tips for winners, or a digital gift card to a favorite takeout restaurant.
- Pub Quiz Using a trivia quiz generator, like this one, have the game host ask questions and each player submit their answers via Zoom chat. Whoever loses has to host the next round. Trivia games can be adapted to your party or theme, make it your own!
- Get Creative There are plenty of easy and fun active games you can create right at home. Many popular board games and card games can also be played online. Ask your friends and family for their favorite games, they may have a favorite you’ve never heard of. Near or far, a virtual game night is a chance to relax and be silly together.
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More Gaming Ideas:
It’s always great fun when you get to spend time with your best fellas. But if you’ve been thinking about organizing something more interesting in order to spice things up or celebrate a certain occasion, it’s important to step out of your comfort zone. Regardless of whether you’re partying at your place or around the town, hosting a guys’ night can become an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. What’s more, some ideas can become a weekly tradition.
1. A poker night
Nothing says a fun guys’ night as much as a game of poker with a few friends. If you have your own poker table at your man cave, things can be even more interesting. But, in the end, all you really need is a plain table, comfortable seating, cards and poker chips. Of course, if you want to make this night a true poker competition, you’ll have to minimize the distractions. So, no noisy pets or TV in the background. Furthermore, prepare some snacks that are easy to eat with one hand, together with some beverages that you know your guy group would love. Some guys go all out with whiskey and cigars for this type of night out, which is a nice way to unwind and make a tradition.
2. Go beer tasting
If you and the lads have an affinity for beer, a beer tasting night is definitely a great way to do something different on your night out. Of course, you can all bring different kinds of beer to your place, but wouldn’t it be more interesting to try bar hopping? That way, you can experience different surroundings and environments as well as taste different kinds of beer. Craft beer is a special treat in this particular case – and you get to walk a bit in between your stops.
3. Celebration before the wedding
In case it’s your duty to organize a party for one of your guy friends who is about to get married, you definitely want to do something special but tasteful. Keep the tradition yet don’t go overboard with unruly behaviour. That said, it’s not at all that difficult to organize an amazing bucks night in Sydney if you know where to look. There are gentlemen clubs that specialize in this kind of event, yet they retain a certain level of refinement and stylish ambience, perfect for a group of gents like you and your friends.
4. Go camping
If you really want a big change from your usual nights out, you and the guys can go camping! After all, there are plenty of public and private campgrounds these days that even have showers and barbecue areas. With that said, you can embark on your journey to nature and reminisce about the old days when you first met or went to college. A night under the stars with snacks and booze is sometimes all a group of guys need in order to recharge and strengthen their bonds.
5. Sports night
The ultimate guys’ night idea has everything to do with sports – obviously. If you and your fellas are sports fans, you can take your couch-potato tendencies to another level and make something truly special from the ordeal. Pick the sport that you all like and follow and get together to watch the last game in the season, or maybe make this a tradition and watch the games every week. Of course, plenty of snacks, drinks and comfortable seating is a must. In case you already do this kind of thing and actually want to spruce things up a bit, why not take the guys to an actual live match? This might require some organizational skills, but if all of you are big sports fans, you’ll definitely enjoy such an excellent opportunity to do something different.
Everyone has their own responsibilities and obligations. There’s work, family, private affairs, etc. But everyone also needs to socialize and simply spend some quality time with their friends. You might not be able to get together as often as you did when you were younger but when you do get together, you can really make this gathering a night to remember. Of course, remember to be responsible – if you’re going out in a car yet plan to drink alcohol, someone has to be a designated driver!