[pfapfap]

Heh, thanks all for your blunt responses.

First off, I'm very good friends with a lawyer.

I'm not opening up an underground card den. Yet, anyway. Right now it's a matter of keeping more or less my same game, just trying to find the best way to make it work without opening up the game to higher turnover. My concern is more security than legality.

mxp2004, I don't see how it's complicated. It's a lot simpler than a percentage rake, which is way too cardroom-y for me. The game feels like a big home game, I want to retain that as much as possible. It's a cover charge. And, for some, a processing fee.

I can't just ask for money to cover the night's expenses, because I'm looking beyond that. There is economy in scale. I buy liquor by the case. And expenses fluctuate. Could be a new table one week, chairs the next, replacement cards, lighting fixtures, artwork, pinball machines, movie screen, etc.

SmallFry, I think there's a hell of a lot of value. At a cardroom, you pay $4 a pot and another $1/2 for tip, and alcohol is not included. I'm asking $5 a night cover charge, $5 donation more if you win. If anyone made a stink about it, I wouldn't force the person. But nothing says I have to invite him/her back.

whisker, you're right about that, this is more pipe dream territory. But I live in the Bay Area. There are alternate economies. You'd be surprised what's out there, and how much of it there is.


As I said, my main concern is security. I'm not going to open the game up too much while I'm still renting at a residence shared by others. But I think the way I'm envisioning will be a happy medium... keep the cash games with the same crowd (and trusted friends of same, so slow growth). And the weekly tournament series, also same intimate group. But the monthly things, those we open up for people to invite people from their other games (and 2+2ers). The vig is larger, so with more people, it's a monthly boost to the fund that improves the room as a whole. And we only invite the folks we really like to join us on our other days. We don't even mention it to anybody else. And if it slips, oh well, too bad, this is what they get to play in.