I have started to attend an every other week, Sunday, cash game at the home of one of our regular hosts. Game starts @ 2p and runs for four hours. We play 2 orbits of Hold'em and then one of either a Stud or Omaha variation. Good game and pleasant environment to while away a Sunday afternoon.

The only glitch for me is I am a devoted fan of the Steelers NFL team. They are in the East so are usually the early game that begins at 11a local time. To get to the 2p game is about a 30 minute drive + I often meet a couple of players for lunch before so that means leaving my place anywhere between noon & 1:15p. A departure before the football game concludes.

I have no problem recording the game on DVR and watching it when I get home. The issue is, the poker room has the afternoon football game on for us to watch and the "crawler" at the bottom of the screen lets the cat out of the bag as far as the score and resolution of the Steelers game. This is where my accommodating host shines. He places a length of 2 ply toilet paper along the bottom boarder of the big screen and secures it on the sides of the TV with tape.This effectively blocks out those updates from view. He even goes so far as muting the broadcast at half time to further insure I don't inadvertently hear a game report or score.

This made me think that there are probably dozens of stories out there where a Home Game host has gone above and beyond to accommodate a special request from one of his players. I want to make this an upcoming segment on the Top Pair Podcast (www.toppair.net) and wanted to get some additional examples from the wealth of home game experiences by others in the forum. Time to share ....

The other regular hosts in my leagues go above and beyond the call to provide amenities for players, but I can't think of a lot of special requests -- no brown M&Ms in the dressing room! -- we do for people beyond preparing requested food items in the spread (hey, fry some more Oreos) or getting the PPV.

I buy large index cards for the folks with weak eyes and hold the 'middle of the table' seats for those with really bad eye sight. Several of my regulars have cataracts, these accommodations make a world of difference for them.

I have been experimenting with 4-color decks the last few months. Even though they aren't large index, the 4-color decks have proven popular with the most of the weak eyesight players.

DrStrange

What kind of Steelers fan goes to lunch instead of watching the game live? Sheesh!

Seriously, though, the main accommodation I make as host is buying a case of Ice House for a player who prefers it over every other beer in the world. I have to violate ever beer-loving tenet to put it in my cart. Then I throw away my hard-earned money in order to legally roll it out to my car. On top of that, my apparent poor taste is on display for everyone to see.

Here is a picture of the TP'd big screen:



You can faintly see the crawler on the bottom up close but from across the room the updates are not visible.

My favourite host let me live multi-table his game. He let me play in the tourney on one table while also playing a seat in the cash game at his second table. I ran back and forth between the two.

we allow a lot of accomidations for the newbs that come to our games.....have to keep the fishies happy

This isn't anything special, but over the years of my purchases I've acquired many iPod/phone cords. I set up a "charging bank" in my game after a few people seemed to always be always running out of juice on their phones. Extra bonus: the phones are on a side table, away from the game!

I did let three players multi-table when we were doing turbo PLO S&Gs. As they were the action players (ldo), it became quite silly when they were all in hands against each other on each table.

One time I was guest-hosting a tourney group when the regular host wasn't available. Without asking or even giving a warning, one of the guys brought his wife, a non-poker player that I had never met. She made herself at home in the family room, and my wife was forced to entertain her while the rest of us played poker upstairs. Of course I got an earful after everyone went home, and that never happened again.

But apart from that incident and allowing some trusted regs to use my encrypted wifi when playing at my house, I haven't ever had to do anything out of the ordinary to accommodate my guests during a game.

Yeah, put me down for "easy WiFi access" also - although it hadn't occurred to me until Schmendr1ck mentioned it.

I'm considering DirectTV and NFL Sunday Ticket next year because fully half of my regs won't play Sunday's due to fantasy football. I don't really get it; I love football and I play FF, but watching the all the games don't change the stats

EDIT: Oh, and free beer! But not all the time.

We've always got free food, free drinks, and free PPV fights, but that just seems "normal" to me.

When the Powerball comes in, perhaps I can offer a "normal" game...

I host a game once a month and I ensure that the favorite Beer is in the fridge for the players. Most drink one kind but, there are two or three other guys that like darker more speciatly beers. So I ensure I have 4 - 5 different versions of this. I also have snacks for the players. If an important game is on and they want to watch that is on the TV's or I have pandora playing in the background.

Wait a second...all this is standard, but free wi-fi is pulling out the stops?

You've got to let me in on all this free stuff! Where do you get it?

I'm allowing them to store my network key on their phone/tablet and have largely unrestricted access to my home LAN. It's not something that I do for just anyone.

We order out for pizza and everyone pays fair share. But I also put out a lot of munchies; nuts, trail mix, twizzlers, chips, etc. Just to balance things, I also have fruit (apples, grapes, bananas). But the signature item (I know...sounds weird), I always have carrots. Not cut carrot-sticks like on an hordoeuvre tray. Whole carrots. And, lol, they're always gone at the end of the game. Has kinda become the local trademark of my game (aside from also being the only FL mixed game around).

Beverage-wise, it's officially BYOB, but a large motley collection of beer has accumlated in my fridge over the weeks, folks are always welcome to a glass or two of my scotch or bourbon, and I try to have a bottle of wine around in case one or two of the wives come along.

I keep searching for the game that includes a complimentary redhead for regular players...sadly, haven't found it yet...

I used to have a kegerator because I got tired of buying so many bottles and cans every week. That was awesome.

You should have been at my game a few years ago. Before my wife shut down "Bring-A-Hooker Night". What a killjoy

For many years, I left my wi-fi open. It was easier with the people who came and went here: friends of my children, mainly. We have large lots here, and the neighbors all have their own connections. Someone could have pulled into my driveway and checked their email.

Recently we got a new Cisco router that requires you to click on a screen to accept the supposedly incredible risk one is taking using our open network. That killed the ability for my TV to connect via wireless, because there is no UI to click the freakin button. Sooooo, we now have a password. I would post it here if anyone thought they might be driving by and need a connection.

Ok, maybe I won't go that far.

I've posted my poker room pics in the "what's your scene" thread.

I take pride in the games I hold, (Friday night cash game, and a monthly poker league).

I have a complete full bar with Kegerator, although surprisingly not much alcohol is consumed (maybe a beer or two). Bottled water seems to be the drink of choice.

I don't ask for a penny, but have some great guys and girls that play and will randomly drop off supplies on my door step even when we are not home (cases of pop, water etc).

I will provide cheese, pickle and cracker trays for every game, and players will always bring chips or nachos, peanuts.

I've tried to create a casino like environment for the players, multiple TV's so you can always see the game or the tournament clock. Media center with PS3 etc for players that have busted out. Being from Canada, there's always a hockey game on, and a sports ticker for any side bet action.

For larger tournaments I do a full dinner spread with chili or pulled pork or sometimes we'll chip in for Chinese food.

The best compliment I get is when the players say they love to play at my place, and feel comfortable playing there.

I guess the point of the thread, to me, wasn't "What lavish amenities do you slather on your guests," but more about making special considerations.

• Making my WiFi public is a special accommodation.
• Getting the fight we all want to see if just me being a good host.

Players at my place are welcome to my cigars, my cable box, my liquor cabinet (ok, the pantry), and I'll generally make something cool to eat. I guess I'd only consider any of those things special considerations if I got cigars I wouldn't normally smoke, bought the fight en Espanol, got a brand of liquor I wouldn't (and won't) drink, or made lactose-free/gluten-free/vegan meals.

I don't do much of that.

You're free to smoke my cigars and drink my (good) tequila while watching the fight. If you want cigarillos and aperitifs while watching the fight in Spanish you're on your own.

You used to pimp out your gorgeous red-headed wife?

I'm not sure whether to be shocked... or upset that I wasn't invited!

I let a player and his SO (who also played, first time) sleep over after a late/early game night... and in MY big bed!