Hey guys I got invited by one of the regs that I am acquainted with at the casino to one of his home games. I have heard stories of some pretty juicy games that he has held with rich local businessment from the community invited that are big fish. Anyway, he said that it is DC but I know that he likes to play games like 5 card Omaha with 2 boards, etc. I am fine with playing any type of poker, even if I'm not familiar with it because the field will be so fishy. Anyway, what are some good questions to ask when I call him to let him know I can come to it? Also, are there any obvious things I should watch out for if I go, like cheating/collusion etc.? I haven't played out of a casino so I am not sure what to watch for. His wife and buddy are both dealers at the Casino where I play. They all seem like pretty smart and respectable people.

Anyway, here are the things I plan to ask when I call him:

- What are the stakes.
- What are the min/max buy-ins.
- What are their rules around rebuying.
- How many are going to be there.
- How do they manage the dealing (one designated or take turns?).
- Is there a rake or cost for seat of any kind.
- Which games will they be including in the DC game.
- How long do they plan on playing (it starts at 6pm).
- Am I expected to bring anything (alcohol/snacks/whatever).

I am also going to be checking it out carefully if I do go and leaving after a short while if it seems sketchy. If it seems fine and good, I'll stick around and keep playing.

I of course am concerned about some sort of cheating or w/e going on as it is a home game. I will be watching the dealers carefully to see if they are doing anything obvious with the deck. I will watch for hands that are played in ways that don't make any sense other than a stacked deck. I will watch for marked cards and any sort of obvious collusion or tomfoolery.

Thanks for any additional questions you guys think I should ask, or any tips for watching for cheating!

You're overthinking it. They're looking for fun players who are good for the game, so avoid playing 20 questions with them. You'll find out the answers to most questions within minutes of arrival. I would ask what the stakes are and what the typical buy-in is, and bring 3-5x that amount.

^^^^^ What he said. I'd ask about the stakes and ask if there is a dealer or if players deal. If there is a dedicated dealer, I'd also probably ask if there is a rake or if the dealer works for tips. Obviously if it is raked, it isn't a home game.

I don't think you have to worry much about cheating, but do make sure that one player shuffles and someone else cuts the deck---marked card are good to look for too. I believe they are usually dented---not that I've ever seen one that was intentionally marked.

GL OP---let us know how it goes.

^^^^^ What they said. Go play and find out!

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I'd leave out some of the procedural questions. Unless you're worried about walking into some sort of self-cut self-dealt game, I'd let that and the seat rake question alone, as to not be "that guy" when you ask your 20 questions.

That

Yeah, rake is most critical. I remember going to one of those games (Free pizza and beer!). A couple hours in, everybody's stuck, and reds keep disappearing into the box. I ask what the rake is and he says "10% with a $14 max"(1/2 game)

As a host I frankly get sick of answering all of those questions so I answer those questions up front with a letter I put together. I believe all hosts should do as it makes things very clear for the people coming to play.

From your list you should be able to ask buy in, blinds, rake, and typically ending time. After that I would just go to the game with 2-3 buyins and see in person how they handle dealing, rebuys and the rest of the procedure stuff. As a first timer, you should ALWAYS show up with something to contribute to the game (I'm talking about a no rake game, raked game is obv. different). I won't forget when one 2+2 walked in with a 24 case of beer for his first game and said drinks are on me tonight. Super awesome gesture!

FYP.

Someone was like: "$15 sounds too high, but $14, that sounds reasonable."

A higher stakes game has a greater chance of some kind of "cheating" happening than a lower stakes game does simply due to the fact that there is a greater incentive to cheat. So if the stakes are low enough, dont worry too much about it (and if you do get cheated, it wont cost you much!)

YOUR PRIMARY CONCERN should be the dealing situation, and the most important thing you should be concerned about is being dealt a "cooler" from a "stacked deck". The easiest way to do this is to switch in a new deck when a new dealer is switched in. I'd say that you should pay attention to EVERY shuffle, but that is nearly impossible to do and still player your best poker and enjoy the game. So, I would primarily focus on the shuffles immediately following a new dealer entering the box.

Maybe... but big cheats were once little cheats. Better to squash them early.

That said... I'm definitely in the common camp of 'overthinking' the initial experience.

OP- trip report!