If I could, I would make poker night with friends a national holiday. Pokergame hosts would be allowed to take the day off work to get everything ready,and players would get to work half days so they could go home and get mentallyprepared to play.

That’s how much I love playing poker with friends (or perhaps how creative Ican get trying to avoid working…).

In all seriousness, a good poker night is a time to bond with friends whileplaying poker and has a totally different dynamic than playing poker at thecasino or a poker room. I really like the vibe and want to make it as positivefor all players as it is for me.

While I don’t think I’ve been to a bad poker night, there are certainlythings one can do to take the experience to the next level. To that effect, hereare 10 ways to improve your home poker night with your friends and make it thebest night of the year.

For the most part, the backs of playing cards are pretty boring, and thefaces of playing cards look about the same. (That is unless you are talkingabout those type of cards, which I’m not. That’s a completely differenttype of night with friends.)

Directed by James Burrows. With Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc. As Rachel interviews for a new job, the girls take on the guys in a game of poker.

Anyway, if you want to impress your friends and not spend a lot of money, youcan go to one of many sites online and have custom playing cards created. Ifyou’re not sure where to look, you can always start with Etsy.

One night our friends came over to spend the night. Our friends husband wanted a hair cut so my wife said she would do it in the kitchen about ten minutes later I walked into the kitchen and found my wife cutting his hair in the nude. I went back in the living room and told my wife's best friend. Best option for simplistic, no frills poker with friends; If you aren’t interested in creating your own intricate avatar to look like you or watching the cards flutter around the screen, Appeak Poker is a fantastic option.It is simplistic and light, but allows you to play online poker. Pokerrrr 2 is the ultimate multiplayer poker app to play with your buddies! It’s as simple as creating a free private room, setting the rules ( No Limit Hold’em, OFC - Open face Chinese poker.

No matter where you go looking, though, you will find that you can get boththe backs of the cards and the front of the cards customized to your wishes inpretty much whichever batch size you are looking to buy. Some ideas mightinclude funny/embarrassing pictures on the fronts or demoralizing smack talk onthe back.

Whatever you do, having custom cards is a nice touch for playing cards withfriends.

9. Make Cool Invitations

When you read about cool invitations, your first thought (like mine) wasprobably some glittery craft project that looks straight out of a high schoolprom.

Yeah, that’s not what I mean.

Instead, establish early on that this is no ordinary poker night withinvitations fit for a high-end poker room, Prohibition Era speakeasy, secretmessage fit for a spy, etc.

No matter what theme you pick, make sure you have the pertinent details (whenand where), an RSVP if you need to get a head count, what everyone should bring,what the buy-in is, and if there are rebuys.

If you can do that, you will set the night off right with nothing more than afew pieces of paper.

The right music can make all the difference for poker night. Playing poker insilence can actually be kind of distracting since a little noise can allow busybrains to focus.

On the other hand, really loud music or really aggressive songs (think heavymetal or bass-heavy electronica) will have the opposite effect and cause gueststo leave with headaches. That’s why I like to choose something classic like1950s big bands (yes, it’s cliché but it does work) and play it at a reasonablevolume.

The natural association of that era of music with gambling will get everyonein the mood and start the chips flowing.

7. Offer Assorted Cigars

There’s some danger in suggesting cigars for a party: underage smoking,setting fire to things, lung cancer, etc., etc.

Still, if you have a group of responsible adults together at a party,sometimes a nice stogie is just the thing to keep the evening fun and light. Ifyou that sounds like your night, you can go to a cigar store and buy a selectionfor less than ten dollars a stick.

Then lay them out with a few cigar cutters and fire-making implements. Justbe clear if smoking is allowed indoors or if it’s something everyone should stepaway to do. Also, have a fire extinguisher just in case.

The primary goal of poker night isn’t to feed your guests, but still, ifyou’re trying to up your poker night game, don’t serve light beer and stalechips. Especially if you have gone to the trouble to make custom decks, play theright music, etc.

Instead, call out to your local deli, Italian food shop, or high-end grocerystore and evaluate what alternatives they offer. Look for items that sit outwell (no shrimp or mayonnaise-based foods) and that have a classy air.

Add some whiskey and good beer, and you will find everyone just has a bettertime.

5. Have Game Aids

Depending on your group of friends, there’s a good chance that not everyonewill be card sharks with the full rules of the game memorized. Also, dependingon how you set things up, someone may bring a buddy or significant other who isnew to the game.

If you want that person to come back, you need to make their guest feelwelcome, and one way to do that is make it easy for them to the play the game.Offer them a quick tutorial, provide them with a link toa poker guide they couldread, a sheet with the rules of your game, and a visual aid for hand strengths(two pair is better than one, etc.).

This will make them feel at ease and let everyone relax.

Your poker night is your poker room, and what poker room worth its saltdoesn’t have its own custom drinkware?

The good news is that there are lots of places that will put your face, yourlogo, or your favorite expression on a mug for not a lot of money. Then, everypoker night, you can pull out your personalized mugs and drink to your ownvictory and to your friends’ defeat.

You can also give them out as party favors if you are so inclined (andbelieve me, someone will ask), but keep one or two of the mugs for yourself sothat you don’t forget the good times.

3. Keep Distractions to a Minimum

This is kind of a general catchall piece of advice for you to keep in mind.

Your friends are at your house to play poker, not watch TV. They’re not thereto read magazines (of any variety), etc. If you have an impressive collection ofsome sort or a new boat or cool golf clubs, you can show them off, but that’snot the point of the night. Poker is.

Therefore, try to keep distractions to a bare minimum. Keep the TV off orplay reruns of the World Poker Tour or something neutral. This way, everyone canfocus on playing poker, which is why they are there.

As noted above, you want to offer a spread of food that people will love.Further, you want those foods to be easily consumable with fingers, toothpicks(what Gordon Ramsay calls cocktail sticks), or, at worst, a plastic fork.

What you don’t want are foods that are heavily sauced, leave residue on cardsor chips, and are generally messy. First, it’s gross to get a card or a chip andfind that someone’s half-eaten food is all over it.

Secondly, it’s a surprisingly good way to mark a card. Just a little marinaraor Cheetos dust on the corner lets you know what it is. So, avoid that if at allpossible.

Also, messy foods can spill, interrupting the game and sometimes ruiningtables, felt, upholstery, shirts, etc. Finally, messy foods are hard to clean upafter everyone has left. You spent a lot of time organizing the party; you don’twant to worry about cleaning it up.

1. Use Custom Poker Chips

This is perhaps my favorite customizable item just because I have a big egoand the jokes write themselves. I love the idea of having custom poker chip setsthat I can use during poker nights.

I love the idea of having chips with my face on them even more. I can justsee myself telling everyone to give me the chips since they already have mypicture on them as I rake in pot after pot.

Maybe you want something a little less egomaniacal (say a logo or familycrest). That’s good, too, but don’t forget to at least think about having pokerchips with your face…

There are many ways to have a great poker night. You don’t have to doanything on this list if you don’t want to, and you will still have a perfecttime with friends.

With that said, if you feel like kicking things up, maybe investigate what itwould take to customize some playing cards or poker chips, kick up your foodselections while avoiding messy foods, and keep distractions to a minimum.

You will love what it does to your poker games.

Poker has grown immensely in popularity over the last 20 years, and one
reason it has done so is the social aspect of the game. For many people, poker
night has become the social event of choice for house parties and nights out on
the town. Playing poker with friends takes away a lot of the intimidation around
the game, which opens the door for many novice players to the game.

Of course, these days, people are busier than ever, so getting together in
person for poker isn’t as easy as it once was. Add in the fact that you need to
be in the same vicinity as the people you are going to play with live, and you
can start to see how online poker made playing with your friends easier.
However, when you sit at a table in a standard poker site, you are randomly
placed, so while you may be in the same event as your friends, you may not ever
get to play hands with them.

As the poker world evolved, the smartphone was introduced. Very quickly,
poker apps of all forms started appearing for download via the major operating
platforms. Not only did these apps allow players to access games in a much more
convenient manner, but some of them also made setting up a game for players and
their friends easy as well.

These apps are all slightly different, so we thought we would dedicate this
page to poker apps for playing with friends. Here, we can show you the
differences between the apps you may see in your app store and what you should
be looking for when searching for the perfect app for you and your friends.

The Best Poker Apps for Playing with Friends

There are many ways that we could look at what makes the best poker apps for
those of you wanting to play with your friends. In the end, our reviewers had to
look at the apps through a different lens than how they might rate a site for
the individual player.

What you will find below is a list of the poker apps we have rated the
highest for this group of players, and therefore the most recommended for
playing with friends. You may not recognize all the sites listed here, but that
doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try them out. Our team has done all the research for
you, and in our opinion, these will all give you and your friends the best
experience, which is what matters the most to us!

What to Look for in a Poker with Friends App

As we mentioned, when our reviewers went back to look at all the reviews of
poker apps we had completed to come up with information for this page, they
needed to look at the reviews slightly differently. A player who is looking to
play poker with their friends may not be looking for the same things from an app
as someone out to try to win millions of dollars. While there are some common
themes between the two, we wanted to focus on what attributes we look for that
matter more to someone looking to use the poker app for social purposes. Here
are some of the criteria that we look at when coming up with lists like the one
above.

Game Selection

Game selection is still important for a poker app for playing with friends,
although it does take on a slightly different meaning here. Obviously, you want
to have a poker app that offers all the different types of poker games
available, like Texas hold’em, Omaha, and Stud. However, when looking at a site
where you can play with your friends, you also want to have some flexibility
when it comes to setting up games. Some sites will only allow you to set up
tournaments and not cash games, while others limit the stakes levels of the
private games allowed on their sites. The best apps are those that offer the
most flexibility when it comes to setting up a game for you and your friends.

Real or Play Money Options

This is another way that sites are very different when it comes to giving
players the ability to play with their friends. Many free play poker apps allow
you to set up games for you and whoever you invite, but no money changes hands
on the site. This is great for players who don’t want to spend money, and it is
also nice for players who don’t want to have to jump through the hoops of
setting up real money accounts and then making a deposit.

However, there are also real money poker apps that have a play money
component. In most cases, these apps won’t allow you to set up a private game
unless there is some money being exchanged, as it is not worth the site’s time
to allow all these play money players onto their platforms. When you are looking
for the right poker app for you and your friends, you need to ask yourself if
you are planning on using the site for real money purposes, and that will narrow
the field significantly.

Chat Functionality

Playing poker with your friends is more about the social side of the game
than anything else, so if you are planning to play via an app, then the chat
functionality at the tables becomes far more valuable. To be honest, this isn’t
something we even look at normally when we review a poker app, as it isn’t
nearly as important as other factors. However, we went back and looked at all
the apps that allowed for playing with friends and reviewed the chat boxes –
which ones allowed you to chat the most easily without encroaching on the table
itself. The most intuitive chat functions were given a higher mark than others.

Rakeback and Bonuses

Many of the top poker apps have grown as big as they have due to a heavy
emphasis on giving something back to players to entice them to play. This should
extend to those who are setting up private games for their friends. Typically,
the person who organizes the games would get some sort of kickback from the site
for inviting new players to the platform. These bonuses can be used for extra
prizing in tournaments that you run, providing even more value to your friends.
You should be looking for sites that offer the best refer-a-friend offers as
well as any that offer rakeback to players at all stakes levels. Every little
bit helps, and why not get as much back from a poker app as you can, right?

Customer Service

It is likely that this app you choose will be the first that many of your
friends will download to play poker, so there are bound to be many questions
that need answering. Rather than making you the front-line customer support
agent (no one wants that), we look for sites that have the most comprehensive
set of frequently asked questions, as well as those with 24/7 live chat support
directly from the app itself. The quicker your friends can have their questions
answered, the sooner they can get to the table for you to try to take them down!

How to Use a Poker with Friends App

Using a poker app for playing with your friends is slightly more cumbersome
than a regular poker app. Here is an overview of all the steps to get
playing.

First, you are going to have to choose and download an app to your iOS or
Android device. Don’t worry; they are all connected to the same servers, so
regardless of what device your friends use, they will be able to access your
games. Once you have downloaded the app and set up an account, you will need to
find the section where you can set up a game. There, you will likely be given a
few options to choose from (stakes level, speed, number of players, etc.). Once
you select all the attributes of your game and give it a name, your table will
be ready but not visible in the lobby.

Now that you have the game set up, you need to invite people. As part of the
set-up process, you will have either been given or chosen a password for the
table and a link to the game. You can send this information to your friends, and
assuming they aren’t morons (see customer service above), then they are only a
few clicks away from having access to the tables. From there, you are all set!
You can set up cash games, tournaments, and sit and go’s that you and your
friends can enjoy whenever you want!

Conclusion

Without the home game and social aspect of the game of poker, it may not have
grown as quickly as it did back in the day. While players are less likely to get
together in groups to play poker as they get older, the introduction of the
poker app has allowed these games to continue. Now, with all this information we
have given you on this page, you can find the best poker app for playing with
your friends, set up a game, and invite them to play!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can My Friends and I Join Other Events on the Site or Just Our Private Events?

Yes! In fact, that is the hope of the apps that allow you to set up private
games. Many players won’t sign up for a poker site on their own, so using these
private games as a gateway to the rest of the site is an excellent way for poker
companies to add players to their databases.

Best Friends Playthrough

What If Someone That I Don’t Want Joining the Game Gets a Hold of the Link to My Game?

Best Friends Play

It depends on the individual site, but if the tournament has already started,
and you have players that are seated that aren’t part of the group, then there
isn’t much you can do aside from canceling the tournament and starting again.
Each app will have a set of terms and conditions about setting up and canceling
events, so you should refer to the app before you begin. Also, you should make
sure your friends don’t post the passwords for private games on any social
media, as this is likely where someone uninvited found the information.

Best Friends Pokemon

How Does Banking Work for These Poker with Friends Apps?

Best Online Friends Poker

Assuming the app you choose is a real-money app, then you will find that the
banking is the same as it is for playing as an individual. All the payment
methods available to you and your friends will be listed in the cashier section
of the app, and all you need to do is enter some information, and your deposit
will be processed.