Starting up a small poker room
 

Hello 2+2. Just a long time lurker coming out of the shadows.

For a few months a good friend of mine has been interested in starting a cardroom. It always seemed like a good idea, yet we we never took the initiative because of our schedules.

As luck would have it, the owners of a local billiard hall we frequent found out we were poker players and approached us about starting up a game in their top floor. The space would allow for 2 tables at most, and would be a small operation, from which we'd give the owners $150 a night.

I frequent many underground rooms, but have no experience starting one of my own. I am very enthusiastic about doing this, as we have very many people in the area who love poker as well as a good demographic of non-players who frequent the billiard hall who could play casually.

I want to run things the best way possible, and that includes being secure, discreet, and professional. This would be a nightly game with max 18 players at a time.

I have a budget of about $2000 to dedicate to startup costs, and I am asking all of you for input as to what is most important to consider when opening up a room. Thanks for reading.

Additional Info:
My friend and I would be handling the cash, chips, and dealing. On days we cannot make it, there is no game.
We are thinking of charging 10% rake up to $3, which is fairly cheap, however, we wont be providing many freebies other than some snacks. Is the Royal Flush/Bad Beat Jackpot a good idea to attract players (This would increase the rake by $1)

Re: Starting up a small poker room
 

you'll probably find a lot more help in b&m.

In addition
 

I have been going through tons of websites looking for the right kind of chip I should get, comparing brands, looks, clay vs. composite vs. composite with inlays vs. plastics vs. ceramics. Its kind of overwhelming because I want nice chips but I dont want to spend a fortune...
Any advice on the matter, particularly based on personal experience, would be much appreciated.

Re: In addition
 

i don't have a clue about that stuff. brick & mortar will have more knowledgeable posters.

Re: In addition
 

[ QUOTE ]
I have been going through tons of websites looking for the right kind of chip I should get, comparing brands, looks, clay vs. composite vs. composite with inlays vs. plastics vs. ceramics. Its kind of overwhelming because I want nice chips but I dont want to spend a fortune...
Any advice on the matter, particularly based on personal experience, would be much appreciated.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Home Poker forum would probably be the best place for info about chips, cards, etc.

Re: In addition
 

A couple thoughts:

-BBJ's are retarded, don't rake additional $ for it.

-You need to have more than just light snacks. You should order pizza or chinese or pasta every night. Whatever's cheap and close by, but you need to have food. Also, have a fridge and stock it with a couple brands of beer, some soda, and Red Bull. You may even want a bottle of whiskey/vodka.

-Just pull a red $5 chip out of each pot that goes to the flop. Players don't really notice the rake and if you're getting food and restocking drinks each week then you'll need a little more than '10% up to $3'.

-Don't worry so much about the chips. I'd get plastic ones because they're easier to clean than clay chips and it appears that they're a little cheaper. Just make sure that you get plenty of chips, and you should prob buy 5-10 chip racks too.

-Have a couple back up dealers at the game each night. One dealer for one table for the entire night is a bad idea, you're going to get fatigued and tired and you'll start making unnecessary mistakes if you don't take a break every hour or 2. Do you know anyone from the local colleges? Find some young guys who you trust and let them deal. They'll be pumped to make $150 or whatever in tips for 6-7 hours of dealing.

-Let players go on the book. Some guys only come to my game with like 2 buy ins, and I'll let certain players go on the book for 2-3 more. Sometimes they come back and win their way off the book, but I usually do a lot of collecting on Tuesdays. Whatever, it's a pain in the ass collecting, but keeping them at the game keeps other players happy, keeps the table full, and keeps my rake up. I'll only do this for reliable players whom I know have the money. If you're going to do this, though, you need to be prepared to pay out for that individual at the end of the night.

-Consider getting a drink girl? I use one, she makes the guys plates of the food I've ordered and brings drinks and stuff. My players mostly just like to look at/flirt with her, cause she wears next to nothing. She makes good money and my players are happy.

-Get a TV and have sports on. Also, consider taking bets.


These are just some suggestions, I run a $5/10 game every Monday and these are some observations from my game. GL.

Re: In addition
 

search for user tworooks in the home poker forum. He had a thread back in 04 or 05 about starting up a room. Lots of good input in that thread.

Re: In addition
 

Note from mod: This was moved here from the Lounge.

Re: Starting up a small poker room
 

This sounds like a similar post here in HP a few months ago- do a search for a lot of input.

Do you care if your game is legal?

Re: Starting up a small poker room
 

My only comment is about the chips. I would get them custom, like from homepokerchips.com. You do not want some cheap off the rack dice chip that anyone can get and bring into your game. And don't think it can't happen.

$2,000 for start up is not enough.

Oh well, I guess I had two comments.