1. Poker Night Food Recipes
2. Good Poker Night Food Recipes
3. Good Poker Night Food Network
4. Good Poker Night Foods
5. Poker Food Ideas

Nothing says guy’s night like a six pack and a few rounds of Texas Hold’em. Whether you’re a verified tournament hosting pro or a poker playing newbie looking to practice your game with some friends, here are some essentials you’ll need to host the perfect poker night.

The Basics

If you’re new to poker hosting, here are the bare essentials you’ll need to get a game started.

Nine Things to Make Your Poker Night a Ten Out of Ten. Nothing says guy’s night like a six pack and a few rounds of Texas Hold’em. Whether you’re a verified tournament hosting pro or a poker playing newbie looking to practice your game with some friends, here are some essentials you’ll need to host the perfect poker night. Some of the popular foods served for poker nights are chips, peanuts, pretzels, and pizzas. Other hosts serve heavy snacks such as sandwiches and tacos. It is very important to plan your food accordingly because most poker night gatherings are attended by men. Pair kid-friendly foods, such as homemade pizza and finger sandwiches, with favorite board or electronic games for an exciting night of friendly competition. Before long, it'll be time for a rematch!

1. An Awesome Poker Table

Surprisingly, there is more to a poker table than just a table, and not any will do. There are three important things to keep in mind when picking your ideal table: shape, surface, and size.

In general, the best shape for a poker table is the classic round shape. This allows players to sit comfortably and evenly spaced around the table. No one needs to have a corner sticking into his stomach and everyone can reach the middle. A round table also allows dealers to easily deal out cards.

The ideal surface for a table would be one that is slick enough to allow cards to slide across but not so slippery that they slide off. The classic green felt used on most standard poker tables are ideal, but wood can also work if it isn’t too polished.

Lastly, when converting your kitchen table into a poker table using a table top, keep in mind that it should be large enough to accommodate all the players, as well as any other items such as drinks or ashtrays, but not so large that it’s difficult to reach the middle. If you’re looking to save space and keep all the amenities of a professional poker table, look into some foldable ones. Some even have cup holders built right in!

2. Poker Chips that Say You’re a Professional

2 x 500 piece 13.5 gram Triple Striped Clay Poker Chip Set

Poker Night Food Recipes

While anything can be used as chips, it says something about a poker night when you’re using the real thing. Poker chips are usually made from three standard materials: plastic, ceramic, and clay. Cheaper ones are usually plastic and on the flimsier side, but they’ll still get the job done. However, if you’re looking to make poker night a regular thing, invest in some nice clay chips. They are casino quality, less slippery, and make a really satisfying sound when you throw them into the pot.

3. Cards

Any standard deck of playing cards will do, but have at least two decks on hand. You should switch decks between deals to save time. No one wants to sit and watch as someone else shuffles. It would also be good to invest in some plastic cards. They’re easier to shuffle, less likely to rip, and spill proof, just in case it turns into that kind of night.

Classic Comforts

Now that you have the basics, you can add a bit of flare to your games. Here are some little things to impress your guests and make the night run smoother

4. Blinds Timer

Dealer Button Timer

There are plenty to keep track of during a poker game – pot odds, potential hand opportunities, the tells of the player across from you – but blinds shouldn’t be one of them. Before the game starts, set up a blind structure. There are many online sites and apps to help you find the best blind structure based on your player and chip count. Make sure everyone agrees to this structure and set a timer so you’ll never forget to raise the blinds again. If you’re big on functionality, you can buy dealer chips that double as blind timers – just another thing to show your guests you know what you’re doing.

5. Chip Calculator

If you’re not too mathematically inclined, use a chip distribution calculator to help you determine a perfect way to split the stacks. The amount of chips each player gets and how much they’re worth depends on how many chips you have, how many players you have, what your starting blinds are, what the buy-in is, and if you’re allowed re-buys. Make sure you have the right chip distribution or you could end up playing till the early morning.

6. Poster of All the Hands

Poker is a game for everyone, though not everyone may be familiar with it. Accommodate players of all levels by having a poster of the hand rankings in visible view. It’ll make the game run smoother and you won’t have to keep explaining what beats what.

7. Comfortable Seating

Good Poker Night Food Recipes

Poker may be a fast paced game, but it is not for those with weak stamina. A casual six-player game can easily go on for at least two hours. Here, standard hosting practices apply. Have out some beers (soda for the designated drivers) and some chips. Cushioned seats and snacks will keep even the losing players happy.

For the Pros

Once you’re ready for the big leagues, add these items to your night. Though non-essential, they really bring you one step closer to that Vegas feel.

8. Automatic Card Shuffler

If you aren’t a good shuffler, or simply don’t want to, there are many cheap, automatic card shufflers available for purchase. They can shorten the wait time between hands and let you rest yours.

9. Card Guards

Good Luck Card Guard

Used by most professional players, card guards prevent your cards from accidentally being discarded. Poker nights can get rather hectic, especially with six or more players, and it can be hard for the dealer to keep track of who is still in and who is out. Have some card guards on hand to give to your players. Not only will it class up the night, it can also prevent some good hands from being accidentally mucked. Plus, they’ll have a nice souvenir to take home.

Guy’s night doesn’t have to get complicated. With just a few items you can make poker night a regular thing. Poker is easy to learn, relatively inexpensive to play, and the perfect way to finish up that seemingly endless work week. Put on some conversation-friendly background music, leave out some snacks, and you’ll have a night of fun for everyone!

1. Very impressed with all the advice for poker nights.thanx

The sixth article in our How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game is another special one as John Donohue of Stay at Stove Dad has provided a meal plan for your epic evening of card playing.

Donohue is 42-year-old journalist and father of two who started the Stay at Stove Dad as a way of chronicling his effort’s to feed himself and his family. He’s since edited a book called Man with a Pan that features 21 writers and chefs discussing cooking.

If you like what you see here we highly recommend you check out his excellent Stay at Stove Dad blog.

Bon appetit!

Stay at Stove Dad Plus Poker

I’m not much of a gambling man, though I did have kids, which, truth be told, must be the biggest parlay of married life (and I doubled down, becoming a parent twice over), so I guess I’m not terribly risk adverse.

Back in my single days, I was once a part of a monthly poker game with some “card-playing friends” from work. I put that in quotes, because the only way our friendship could continue was if I stopped playing cards with them.

You must know that old saw about knowing who the sucker at the table is? Well, it took me about two nights around their table to figure out who it was. That was the end of my gambling days.

If I was going to have a poker party, though, I would have to serve food with it. I checked with some of my card-playing friends to see what kinds of things might work. Pretzels were the universal answer—It seems you don’t want anything sticky or greasy, lest you mess up the cards.

Good Poker Night Food Network

Well, pretzels would never satisfy me—I need to snack on protein or else I feel jangly and worn out—so I racked my brain, and came up with some other ideas.

They might be far afield, but I think they’ll meet the requirement that you hands remain more-or-less clean, and no matter what the cards turn up, you’ll be a winner with these two dishes—they’re rich in protein, and that will make you feel good, and keep going.

Mussels a la Plancha

Good Poker Night Foods

For something savory, make mussels a la plancha. It is pretty foolproof—all you need (besides the mussels) is a cast iron frying pan. These would be good with beer, too.

• 1 pound mussels
• 1 cast-iron frying pan
• Rinse the mussels well and pull any beards off them. Use only the intact ones that are completely closed.
• Heat the cast-iron pan until hot.
• Place the mussels on the pan in one layer.
• Cook over high heat until the mussels open, release their juices, and the juices boil off. When the liquid is gone, the mussels are ready.

Eat them right out of the pan. They will be smoky and delicious.

This will serve about 2-3 people. Do up to 3 lbs of mussels in two pans for more folks.

Meringues

For something sweet, make meringues, which may be a dessert, but they are almost all protein, so you won’t suffer a sugar crash. These must be made well ahead of time. I don’t know if these would be any good with beer, or not.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• Beat eggwhites til frothy.
• Add vanilla.
• Add sugar a few spoonfuls at a time.
• Beat until stiff peaks form.

Scoop onto parchment paper and bake (really, oven-dry) at 225 degrees for a long time (about a hour) -- depending on whether you like them chewy inside or crunchy.

Proper recipes will tell you to make sure the egg whites are at 70 degrees, and to sift the sugar. I'm lazy and don't do either. It is important to preheat the oven or you may burn the bottoms. Also, Joy of Cooking says that if you like chewy, 275 degrees; if you like crunchy 225 degrees. And leave them in the oven, with the heat turned off, and the door cracked open, to cool, for 30 minutes or so.

Serve with berries and ice cream on top, if you want the whole experience. Otherwise, just pop them in your mouth and keep playing.

More articles on How to Host the Perfect Poker Home Game:

• Part 6: What to Eat

Poker Food Ideas

Additional Home Game Tools: