There’s no question that poker is both a competitive, yet fun and intriguing game to play with both random people from around the world as well as friends, family, and even co-workers. Hosting a team-building event, such as a poker night with your colleagues, but where do you even start with this? You can learn more here should you want more information!
In today’s article, we’re going to take a look at how you can, and why you should host a teambuilding poker night with your friends, family, or colleagues. Let’s jump straight into it!
What do you need to Host a Poker Night?
Depending on what kind of poker night you’re having (albeit in-person, virtual table, or VR) then you will need certain things. For the most part, for both virtual tables and VR, all you usually need is either a VR headset (for VR), or an internet connection for virtual tables.
For an in-person poker night with your colleagues, you should arrange the following items.
- Poker Table (you can buy felt/plastic versions for very cheap – but this isn’t required).
- Poker Chips
- A couple of decks of Cards
- Beverages and Snacks (for obvious reasons!)
Once you have all of the above, you should be sorted to have a great night with Poker. As long as you and your colleagues know how to play poker, then we’re sure this cost-effective and quite enjoyable need list will be all you need to host the greatest poker night!
How to Host a Poker Night with your Colleagues?
Hosting the poker night itself shouldn’t be too hard. Once you’ve got a playing table of some kind (this can be an office desk that everyone can sit around or just a coffee table for example), make sure that you set it up with the cards, and poker chips, and put some beverages in the fridge if possible.
Hosting a poker night should be simple and casual should you be playing to build a rapport with your team. This means that you should always keep things entertaining and light-hearted, and don’t take the games too seriously.
Once players arrive, if you’re playing for real money – give them some chips in exchange for their going rate, however, if not – spread the chips over how many players are coming so everyone can start even. Having this kind of setup will keep it light-hearted and more enjoyable for the night.
Something to note when playing poker with your friends is to take a break every couple of hands. Do something else every 5-10 hands just to make sure that everyone has a clear head and isn’t just playing poker unless it feels right too!
How can you play with people who work from home?
After the covid pandemic, many many people either lost their jobs or moved to work from home during the pandemic from most countries. With that being said, more and more companies are hiring people from all over the planet to make sure they’re getting the best talent. The downside of this is that there is barely any social interaction.
Hosting a poker night with people who live quite far away from you or other colleagues may mean that you need to host a virtual poker session. Although there are a few ways you can do this, here are just some of the ways you could;
Virtual Tables
Virtual tables are with real casinos, such as 888Poker or PokerStars, or if you want to play without real money, then there are other games online that you can set up with your friends. During these sessions, you can usually set up a call through Skype, Microsoft Teams, or even Zoom to speak and socialize with your colleagues which can be a massive help to socialize across your company, no matter where people are.
VR Games
Virtual Reality games are also a massive factor in gambling these days, and with more and more games such as Poker coming to VR headsets, there is little reason you shouldn’t try out one of them. If your company can provide, or if your colleagues have VR headsets – why not load up a PokerStars VR Game and join a party and play a couple of hands at poker – because why not!
Live Stream (Privately of course)
Another way you can play is through a live stream. Although this is hard to set up so that your other players from far away can see their cards and action, you could always set up a webcam or two for them to feel as if they’re with you and playing poker. This is just another option to socialize and play poker with your colleagues if they live far away.
Should I play in person, or in a virtual poker room?
Depending on where your colleagues are located, there are a few options you can take to being able to play in person, or in a virtual poker room. Although there are options, you should always try to arrange it in person.
The reason you might want to have a poker night in a room is that the atmosphere is much much greater when compared to a virtual room be it online or through a VR poker table. Imagine yourself Poker is meant to be enjoyed, and if playing in person helps that then you should arrange it. Grab some beers and maybe some music and films to watch and talk to your colleagues and friends whilst playing a nice couple of hands of poker.
How to invite your Colleagues to a Poker night?
Depending on who you are, and how friendly you are with your colleagues it should be quite easy to invite your friends and colleagues to a poker night. Simply send an email, or a call around, or even speak to them in person and ask them when they’re free to have a poker night, maybe try it on a weekend so that if anyone was to get drunk, there is no work afterward!
Conclusion
Overall, team building is important in any company and team, and hosting games like a poker night if your team all loves poker is a great way to ensure that you’re getting the most enjoyment and helping your team build up relations within the team.
