Winning 7 Stud Play: Finding Home Games

BY: Ashley Adams
Contact at: (Asha34@aol.com)
Author of Winning 7-Card Stud

There are many players who want to play poker but who either don't live near a casino, are too young to be legally admitted, or who don't like the atmosphere of a poker room. They've asked me how to find or start a home game.

I suspect that there are at least a few regular poker games in every city and just about every town of 5,000 or more people. Some of these games have full tables every week with no effort. Most, I'd guess, are usually eager to find players. The problem is hooking them up with the many players who'd like to find a game.

The most difficult task is finding your first game.

Here's what I suggest you do to start.

Network through your friends, relatives, acquaintances, business associates, neighbors and the like. Tell them, subtlety if you can, that you love to play poker and that you're looking for a nice friendly game. Get a notebook to keep track of each and every positive contact. If they say they know of a game and will check on it, make a note and get back to them. If they seem even remotely playing themselves get their name and number of a list for you to call later. Tell them you're interested in other card games too, like Bridge, Cribbage, Whist, Euchre, Pitch and Gin. Often card players play more than one game. So if you find out who has a regular Bridge game for example, you should contact them to see if they know of a poker game.

This notebook should be regularly update as you meet new people and branch out to contacts of contacts. Date the contact and get back to even the most remote possibilities every couple of months. You never know when someone might meet someone else who wants to play poker.

This may not pan out right away. So while you are doing your one-on-one networking you should also begin doing outreach to those groups places which are likely to have, or know about, poker games. Many private clubs have regular games. You need to find out where the games are and then get yourself invited.

Visit the clubs. Examples of places include fraternal organizations like the Elks, Moose, Bluebirds, Lions, Rotary, Knights of Columbus, Knights of Pythia, Kiwanis; religious organizations; ethnic organizations like the Polish American, British American, Greek American, Portuguese American Clubs, Sons of Italy, Jewish Community Center, and Ancient Order of Hibernia; private business people's clubs, country clubs, labor union hiring halls and any other associations where people get together regularly.

Visit the local library. There are often clubs for different games like Bridge, Chess, Hearts, Scrabble, Backgammon and sometimes even Poker. Attend a meeting for each game. Gamers often play more than one game. I've known many Scrabble players and Gin players who also played poker. You might also meet people who know others who have games.

Visit the bars, the bowling alleys, the restaurants , the pool halls, the nightclubs and any other places where people to gather to socialize and/or drink.

Visit places with people who know lots of people or where many people work. Stop by at the barber shop, the concierge at the hotel, the desk clerk at the motel, the bus and train station, the police (yes POLICE) and fire station, the Emergency Medical Services, the hospital, the factories, race track, BINGO hall, Las Vegas Nights and the other large employers in your area.

Finding out about a game is not always easy, even if the person you're speaking to knows of one or plays in one. But worry first about getting around to the many different places and people who may know of games . Keep track of any leads which you might come up with and get back to them to follow up every couple of months. Again, if they are even remotely interested in playing you can invite them to your game.

Don't get discouraged and don't stay away from a game because it doesn't strike you as appropriate because the stakes are too high or too low. Once you hit a poker game, chances are you'll find out about others from the players at the table. It took me five years in Boston before I heard of a regular game. In that first game were players who played in 5 other games. I now know of over 30 games in the greater Boston area, nearly all of which I learned about from other poker players.

© The Poker Forum.com, all rights reserved