Home Entertainment Options to Level Up Your Poker Night

Hosting a poker night can be tricky, especially when it comes to entertainment. The poker itself is the main event, but some groups prefer to have secondary or background entertainment going at the same time. Here we have gathered some simple and unobtrusive ways to make your poker night more entertaining, without spoiling the game itself.

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Upgrade Your TV

During poker nights, many players like to have a TV running in the background. It can provide great conversation during lulls in the game, especially if the TV is showing current events or shows/movies that are popular with the group. If you haven’t yet, you may want to consider upgrading your standard TV to a more modern smart TV model.

Smart TVs have a lot of other functions, thanks to the apps you can download on them. For instance, you can open a music player, access social media, or browse the web for other kinds of entertainment. If you want to stay on theme, iGaming also has a bunch of games that can accompany your night. Many slot and bingo games collaborate with familiar names you’ve already seen on TV, like the Deal or No Deal Lightning Spins game. With a smart TV, you have many more options than you’d have with the standard model. That makes it easier to find something that matches the size, intensity, and playing rhythm of your poker night group.

Get Competitive

If your group prefers a more competitive and intense game, then there are quite a few ways you can bring that into the poker night. If you decide to bring in competitive elements, you should let guests know beforehand, so they aren’t caught off guard.

As for what you can do to make your game more competitive, there are a few things. A simple one is introducing a timer, so players don’t have all the time in the world before making their next move. It’s subtle, but it’ll make gameplay sharper and fast-paced as it comes to a head.

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Otherwise, you can up the stakes or set up an elimination tournament if you have enough guests. You can also introduce side games that add some extra competition into the mix. For example, if you’re playing music in the background, you can quiz the group on the song or artist when the game hits some downtime. That’s just one of many party games you can try out during poker night, with more here at Real Simple.

Pick a Theme

Another way to level up your poker night is by making an event out of it. You can do that by introducing themes into the night, where you can introduce other activities or ask guests to dress up in a certain way. If you’re all fans of a show that’s airing, you can throw in a watch party before or after the game and ask guests to dress up as characters from it.

Themes can also be set for the sake of it, to bring some levity into a tense poker game. Among poker players, adopting a Wild West theme is popular due to the game’s depiction in old Western media. In those cases, a fun cowboy hat and a fake mustache can make the night a lot more enjoyable.

Once you have a theme in mind, it can change a lot of things, from your room decor to the cards you’re playing with. As the host, only you can determine how far you’re willing to go with a themed poker night. Naturally, you should be a competent host beforehand, by following the etiquette described here by Thrillist.

Overall, themed nights and additional home entertainment can demand a lot more preparation, but if you put the effort in you can make it a special occasion to stand out from your other poker nights.