Best Poker Party Foods
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- Poker Night Idea 03: Food When it comes to food, it’s pretty easy to carry the theme. Whether you opt for a fondant covered cake with cards and a lucky clover, or simply try focusing on colors, you can’t go wrong with some of these ideas!
Poker night? We’re all in. Check out our pointers for planning one.
Invitations
Get started by sending an Evite invitation, like the free “Who’s In?” cards-themed invitation below or a premium “Ante Up” poker night invitation. Check out our game night invitation gallery for more designs.
Decorations
It’s easy to find a home poker kit that includes cards, nice chips and a good playing surface. But if you don’t have one of these fancy kits, take a trip to a fabric store and get a big swatch of green felt to put over your tabletop.
It’s important to make sure you have enough poker chips for all of your guests. You probably can’t get by with less than 35 chips per person — most experts suggest more like 50 to 100 per head. If you don’t mind a mish-mash, ask your guests to bring some extra chips of their own. If you’re playing Texas Hold ‘Em, make sure you have a special chip set aside for the button.
To round out the theme, pick up some casino-themed napkins and plates decorated with images of dice, cards or dollar signs from a party store.
Attire
Even if you’re not playing for high stakes, you can still dress the part. Asking guests to come in suits and ties or cocktail dresses makes a simple get-together seem like an event.
You can also go casual and ironic by getting cheap costume armbands and green plastic dealer visors — poker doesn’t have to be super serious.
Playing with some card sharks? If they arrive wearing shirts with billowy sleeves, make sure they roll them up when you play so they can’t hide cards in them.
Variants
Texas Hold ‘Em is all the rage, but you can have a great card party with other poker variations: five-card draw, seven-card stud, hi/lo, baseball poker and other make-up-your-own-rules games.
The most important thing when playing poker is to be familiar with the winning hands. Here they are from high to low:
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- One pair
Too confusing? Just remember that a full house flushes a straight.
Food
Get a pizza delivered for quick sustenance that minimizes card-playing down time. Or put together a simple spread of appetizers. Make your own or get a big box of warm-in-the-oven hors d’oeurves at a warehouse club store. Just keep the food away from the playing table.
Drinks
If you’re playing poker, you might be thinking martinis are in order. Martinis will make your party upscale for sure (but they do call to mind James Bond, and his game was baccarat). If you’re going to go for some straight liquor, grab a bottle of single-malt scotch. Or, to mix cards and cocktails, consider the classy, old-fashioned cocktail called the Sidecar.
Sidecar
- 2 parts Cognac
- 1 part triple sec
- 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake, then strain into a chilled highball glass.
There are many who say that serious cards need to be played without the hazy influence of booze. So for a non-alcoholic alternative, grab some carbonated soda water and mix it up with some Italian syrup.
Other Items You Might be Interested In
All bets are in, the action’s high, and you’re hosting a poker night. Need some party ideas? I’ve got you covered. Below is a round-up of ideas, decorations, food, invitations, and more! So don’t fold just yet, throw those chips all in, and let’s go!
Throw The Best Poker Night Party!
Poker Night Idea 01: Decorations
If you haven’t ever checked out Big Dot of Happiness, you’re missing out! They have everything you need to throw a party, all in one spot. If you’re not up to creating your own decorations, then you really should check out what they have to offer your Poker Party here.
Best Poker Party Foods Ideas
If you’re up to making your own decorations, try taking the suit symbols and stringing them up on clear fishing line or string. You can cut them out yourself or grab a set of glittery ones here. You can hang the bunting from your mantle, over doorways, or even from the ceiling!
When it comes to colors, the answer is easy! Play up the red, white, and black for a formal affair and a sure-fire tie-in with playing cards.
While you’re at it, why not create a cute table setting using a pack of playing cards? Adding them as place cards, or even tying them onto a clear glass vase is an effective way to tie in your theme.
Poker Night Idea 02: Invitations
When it comes to inviting your guests, it’s best to make sure they know what they’re in for. You can purchase some beautiful ones from Big Dot of Happiness here. If you’ve got some skills with Photoshop, then make your own! You can create something uniquely your own and have it printed through Minted. By adding in elements like poker chips or card suits, you’re sure to create something on theme with minimal creative effort.
Poker Night Idea 03: Food
When it comes to food, it’s pretty easy to carry the theme. Whether you opt for a fondant covered cake with cards and a lucky clover, or simply try focusing on colors, you can’t go wrong with some of these ideas!
Who wouldn’t gamble on a fruit kebab, especially when aces are wild? Try alternating black grapes with strawberries cut in half and placing a hole-punched card at the bottom.
You can also buy or make a cheese ball, re-form it into a square and place halved olives in each side for the pips. Then ta-da! You’re done. You can also serve tiny sliders and keep them together using these card suit toothpicks. Grab them here in black as well.
For serving the drinks thathave that little something extra, try freezing dice and placing them in cups in place of ice cubes. I know, dice aren’t part of poker but they make for a fun addition! If you’re not up for frozen dice, then you can give that pack of cards you’ve already taken apart for the kebabs and use them on the stems of your glasses! They can act as name tags as well as adding to your theme.
Poker Idea 04: Keeping it Classy
Okay, so you want to throw a poker party, but you don’t want the night to crumble into madness. This is where keeping it classy comes into play. If you want to throw a legit Poker Party, here are some suggestions for keeping things classy:
- Prep the Peeps: This is where the invites come into play. If you want people to actually play poker, they might need time to learn or get up to speed. Don’t be afraid to communicate with your guests what the expectations are for playing. I’d also suggest being intentional in your invitations. If you have a friend with a gambling issue or one who can’t hold their liquor, skip the invite this time and do something different with them on an alternative evening.
- Real Deal: If you really want to keep your evening above board, then you need to find a professional dealer or at least someone who’s skilled at the art of dealing cards. This will make the evening run much smoother because you’ll have someone dedicated to keeping the games going.
- Table Top Matters: Having an actual felt table makes a difference! It’s easier to pick up cards and keeps things rolling. If you don’t have a place you can put a permanent card table, try this folding one!
- Cards and Chips: There are plenty of places to cut corners for this party, but this isn’t one. If you’re serious about throwing a classy poker night, then don’t skimp on the cards and chips. This set has chips and cards of good quality.
Poker Idea 05: Outfits
Another way to make your evening a night to remember is to dress up! Whether you opt for a full 20s party (because it is the Roaring ’20s, take two!) or just a formal event, you can’t go wrong with dressing up. You can get a gorgeous beaded dress here complete with gloves, feathers, and more! You can also hit up your local thrift store and go hunting through old formal dresses. One thing’s for sure, dressing up is definitely an ace in the hole.
What would your Poker Party staples be? Let me know in the comments below, and happy party planning! Now go get your poker faces on and have some fun!
Best Poker Party Foods Recipes
For a fun summer party try this post.