OK, to start off I know all of the legal implications of this and whatnot. Don't post if your gonna say how this is illegal.

I want to start my own cardroom type casino at my house. This would be full-on, real casino atmosphere for the players at the comfort of my home. I would provide NL Holdem ring games, as well as a variety of other poker games if demand proves necessary, and Blackjack tables. Also 2-3 nights a week I would be hosting tournaments. I want this to be profitable, so there will be rake and all that good stuff. I will give comps, typically drinks, free fast food, pizza, whatever, for my good customers. Also will sell this kind of stuff on site. I am not sure about getting professional dealers or not, still weighing the pros and cons of that. My questions for you readers: What should my rake structure be like, for say $50, $100, $200 NL ring games? Also, would any of you(San Diego area) be interested. The main problem going for me is Indian Casinos, because why would people come here when the casinos are around. Also, I am a minor. So this could easily just be an outlet for kids my age, but it would be good to get people who play higher limits. Also, there will be some dead money in there because of the fishiness level of some of the people who may be there(rich chaldean kids). So, would anyone in the San Diego area be interested? And if so, what limits would you play? Recomendations(sp?) that would make it feasible for you to want to come and play regularly. Thanks guys.

Sounds like a great idea....

You could save money by having your dad be a dealer and having mom serve drinks.

id love it if one of my friends did it, im sure id be there all the time...i think the idea of "comping" fast food is really funny though...the only problem is that if its any good, it will probably get popular quick, word will spread, and that will be the end of it...good luck with that though...at least youre ambitious!

i knew the whole mom and dad thing would be coming. oh well. serves me right. but really, any suggestions, or just aint gonna happen?

heh, yea i liked the fast food idea was pretty funny too. but whatever gets them coming back.
thanks though, will need a bit of luck.

And maybe his little sister and her friends could do lap dances.

If you really want to do this, you should probably visit (and play in) a few underground card rooms in your area first to see how they operate. I'm sure there are plenty, even in California. Some of them will have a problem with a minor showing up, but you just have to find the ones that don't.

It's not really going to be profitable at the $50 buy-in level, though. $1/$2 NL is probably about as low as you can get and still make money at everything you want to do, assuming a rake of 10% up to $4.

Custom chips are a must. One local underground room I know of got hit for well over $500 in "counterfeit" chips earlier this month.

Dealers are a must. At $1/$2 NL, they'll probably work for little more than the tax-free tips. They won't be "Vegas" quality, but they'll save you a lot of hassle.

Security is a must, and you want it to be both intimidating and legal. Should you ever get busted, a firearms charge won't help matters.

Also, it's probably not a good idea to hold the game at home. Your neighbors will quickly figure out that something's up when you've got a dozen or two cars parked outside your house every night. Rent some commercial/industrial space.

I'd probably steer clear of blackjack. I don't know about California but, in some places, there is a legal distinction between a house rake and playing the house.

Once you've got all that sorted out, free drinks and fast food to keep your players happy is a very minor thing.

Good luck.

Any tips on finding good commercial/industrial space to rent? How much do you think it would cost, what should I be looking for?

I predict this will become the greatest topic of all time.

Any suggestions on how to find the underground card rooms? For about 3 years I've asked around during travels and the only ones I hear about are in NY. The ones in NY are even friend of a friend situations, I've been trying to find someone who can take me to one and that never even works out.

Be careful, you might get grounded if your moms n pops find out.

Or no dessert for a week.

I think the critical thing here is to be sure to schedule casino nights when your parents won't be home AND make all participants sign an agreement saying that they will remain completely still and quiet should your parents return home early.

IMO, these two things are a must.

I won't tell you it's allegal, I'll tell you this.
A) You'd definitely get caught. I think it sounds like a cool idea but kids can't keep their mouths shut, word would spread and other kids' parents would find out.
B) If your parents allow this they're idiots because I'm assuming it's their name on the mortgage/deed/lease for the house and if the game ever got busted they would lose the house (I think, not sure about Cali) and quite possibly go to prison.
C) In reltion to A, the game would be all underagers, no adult would risk going to a cardroom owned/run by a minor.
Nonetheless good luck,
Matt

P.S. Wouldn't it be great to be a naive child with such ambitions and imagination again???

You will need $40,000 to get this off the ground. $40,012 if you want to buy a Harry Potter DVD to play on your flat-screens in the "casino".

This is actually a good point that others have failed to bring up. Although I will argue that you don't need plasma TVs, you are still looking at a laundry list of things you will need to get this off of the ground, least expensively being chips, tables and some variety of vault. Cameras and recording equipment is a must as well. Everyone needs to feel like they are in a legit and well run room.

-Yarney

Edit: also, don't forget several decks of custom cards, of multiple colors.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!!111

OMG I burst out laughing when I read this. Priceless.

I vote for "Just ain't gonna happen."

Once you have one person lose their lunch money, your mom and dad will take all your casino equipment and put it on ebay, that'll teach ya.

Really? You know that you'll get busted within a couple days? That your parents' house is going to be seized? This doesn't concern you?

Cool! I read on....

Full on, eh? Going for the full neon lights, pumped in oxygen, hookers, bars, lounge singers, etc? You are a god!

I read on...

No craps? Slots? Pai Gow? What kind of crappy casino is this, anyway?

I read on...

Definitely don't hire any dealers. This would hurt your "profitability". Any monkey can deal Pot-limit Omaha, right? Oh, don't bother with floor personnel either. Let the guys at the table settle their arguments with each other and the dealer. Oh, you may need to hire a guy to get your alcohol for you - you being a minor and all...

I read on...

This is the question you have for the readers? Amazing!

Probably can't be too high since the typical eighth grader is going to have a hard enough time scraping together the scratch for the $200 NL table...

I read on...

You nailed it. Those indian casinos are your biggest problem. Good catch!

I read on...

Hey, watch those slams against Chaldean kids! One of those guys took me for five bucks last week playing Chutes and Ladders. I'm telling ya, they are trickier than you think.

If you set it up, I will fly out from Virginia to play. I promise.

Keep us posted!

LMAO!! This thread will only get better...future classic for sure

I'm sure the kids will play after you comp them a happy meal

Next on ESPN2, The 12-and-Under Hold'em World Championship, live from TwoRooks' 'rents basement! Catch Annie Duke's kids Luke and Bo take on Phil Hellmuth at the final table!

priceless

You might as well go ahead and sell drugs. That way when you get raided during the second week of operation they can go ahead and put you in prison for a long time.

Seriously, there is no way that this will last. Its one thing when a bunch of adults spend their paychecks, but when a bunch of your friends blow their lunch money their parents will end this quickly.

I still think your largest problem with be them damn indians! Watch out for flying tomahawks or spears and having regulars disappear and turn up scalped! They might even place a curse on your house! White man stealing from the indians again!