Poker Party Food
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You can surely play poker without eating or drinking. I've done it many times in a casino, and even in home games. But given the choice, why would you want to?
There are many options for getting food for your poker game. Let's look at them, each in turn, so you can decide what's right when planning your awesome home game.
Ordering Out (Pizza, Pizza, Pizza)
The most obvious option for food is to call the local pizzeria and have them deliver. For a table of eight players, three large pizzas will generally do the trick. I find that one large pizza for every three people is about right. Erring on the side of too much is better than the reverse.
Ask what people want for toppings. Be willing to combine items and have half of one topping and another half of something else, and have one that's plain if it all gets too complicated. Sometimes a few guys will want subs or even salad. You'll need one fewer pizza for every three guys that have a sandwich or something else. All of that will be enough to satisfy everyone's immediate appetite, plus leave a few slices left over for later when at least a couple of guys will be hungry again.
You can take up a collection and divide the bill (don't forget tax and tip and delivery charge). Just make sure people know what you're doing in advance, so there's no arguing or confusion when the food comes.
Ordering out — whether it is pizza or other options — is surely the easiest approach. But there are several other options that may not be as simple, but that I prefer.
The Pregame Meal
I know of one regular game that has players meet ahead of time to have dinner. This is nice because it adds some level of socializing to what can occasionally be a fairly unsocial affair.
While players certainly talk during a poker game, it's tough to have any really engaging conversation while you're playing serious poker. If you get into a deep discussion, or go on while telling a story, it tends to slow the game. How much more relaxing to gather an hour or so before game time to catch up on how you're poker buddies are doing? (Of course, you might play with guys you really don't care to know that well — if that's the case, this is an awful option!)
One aside about dining ahead of time that you should consider as you plan your game. Just because poker players start your game satisfied with a meal doesn't mean they won't get hungry later as the poker game progresses. I suggest that you have some 'backup food' ready to snack on during your game.
Snacking food should be stuff that is not too messy to handle while you're handling cards. Nuts, chips, chopped up vegetables like celery, carrots and peppers (for the health conscious), dried fruits, and fixings for sandwiches like deli meats and cheeses should do the trick.
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Another option is to have one person, the 'big winner' of the game, be charged with the responsibility of bringing food in for the next game. This can accomplish a few things — all of which are good for the game.
First of all, it requires that the big winner return the following week, which gives the other players a shot at winning back what they lost. The big winner also generally doesn't mind buying the spread, as he is feeling on top of the world from winning. It's even a bit of a status symbol.
Plus, having the winner buy the food next time means the losers are very likely to return, as they won't want to miss out on the free spread that their losses helped fund (in addition to having that shot to win back the money they lost).
The buyer gets to buy the food that he likes most, but with an eye toward pleasing others, lest he develop a reputation as a selfish SOB. I've found that cold cuts, Chinese food, and pizza are the standard fare that people purchase. And it all works out well, as long as the buyer brings enough for everyone.
In the two regular games where we did this, I found that there was even a little bit of a contest to see who could outdo the other guys when it came to providing food for the game. No one wanted to be thought a cheapskate, so everyone sort of overdid it, thereby adding to the pleasure of the experience.
The Everyone-Pitches-In Option (Good in Theory, But...)
A possible option that I've steered away from in recent years is to have everyone bring food for the game. This might be okay, if you're lucky enough to have people who will bring different things and be generous about it. But I had a few folks who tried to get by cheaply, meaning a lot of pretzels and potato chips and painfully little that's decent to eat.
If you're group does elect to do this, make sure to have a sign-up list with all the items you all want, with each person charged with taking a different item on the list to bring to the game. You can rotate the items to make sure that each player is bringing his fair share of the more expensive items. In general, though, I have found this experience to either be disappointing, stressful, or just too much damn work to be worth the effort.
Home Game, Home Cooking
Finally, my favorite option is to do the cooking myself for my home game and to take up a collection for all the food and drink. I like this option because it gives me a chance to cook, which I enjoy, as well as to make healthy food from fresh ingredients that is good for me and everyone else. I can also make food less expensively than if I purchased it ready made from the store or a restaurant or had it delivered.
I focus on those foods that do well when they're sitting for a long time on a low burner. That means things like chili, beans and rice, chicken or turkey soup, macaroni and cheese, casseroles, meatballs, pasta with sauce, and lasagna. I've also found that if players want to come a little early and eat starting at roughly the same time — as opposed to eating throughout the night — that I can get a little fancy and serve roast chicken, hamburgers, steaks, hot dogs, and sausages. Such items can survive a hot plate or warming draw, but they're best eaten hot off the grill.
If you are willing to be a bit devious, you can also think about those food items that will make your guests thirsty — and more likely to guzzle the alcoholic beverages you might provide. I let people know that I make a particularly spicy chili, for example. It's genuinely what I like to eat, but it has the other benefit of causing those who eat it to really want a beer... or two... or five — resulting in a looser and often more profitable game.
Washing It Down
Which brings us to the topic of what beverages to have available at our home game.
One option is to have players bring their own drinks. This alleviates the problem of not knowing exactly what types of beer, scotch, bourbon, soda, or other beverages you should provide. Tell people in advance that you supply the food, but that they're responsible for bringing something to drink. There may be a few who groan, but generally people are fine with this option.
Most poker players tend to be generous people — they like bringing something to a game to share. And they'll bring more than they will consume, allowing your other guests to try something different, or leaving you with a bunch of residual beverages during the week.
For my home game, I like to provide an ample amount of high end beer and liquor. The initial purchase may seem expensive at first, but over time I've found it to be a good investment. Players enjoy drinking it, and as noted above sometimes it'll loosen up the game and cause others to play worse, allowing me to win more money in the long run. Obviously, though, it's not all about the money, and in fact mostly about providing a good, enjoyable atmosphere for guests.
I also have a lot of bottled water, soda, seltzer, and juice for those who don't want to indulge. When taking that collection for food, I'll consider beverages as well — often $20 per person per game covers everything.
In general, I've found that it pays to make sure there's a good spread of food and beverages at my poker game. Having good quality food and drink attracts and keeps poker players coming back, including marginal players — something that's surely good for the game.
Also in this series...
Ashley Adams has been playing poker for 50 years and writing about it since 2000. He is the author of hundreds of articles and two books, Winning 7-Card Stud (Kensington 2003) and Winning No-Limit Hold'em (Lighthouse 2012). He is also the host of poker radio show House of Cards. See www.houseofcardsradio.com for broadcast times, stations, and podcasts.
Photo: Shad Bolling. CC BY 2.0.
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Planning a casino party involves many decisions, but one of the most difficult and important decisions you need to make is about the type of food that must be served at the casino party. Selecting other important details of the event isn’t as hard as choosing the food for your party because you just can’t afford to go wrong with the menu.
For the venue, you can choose many indoor arenas, which are big enough to accommodate all your guests. For the theme of the casino party, you have many choices such as 1920’s, Hollywood, James Bond, Shanghai Nights, etc. For the decorations, you can use playing cards, neon lights, dice, glasses and many other things. For the casino games, you can choose Texas Hold’em Poker, blackjack, craps, roulette, slots, wheel of fortune, etc.
However, for the food, it isn’t easy to find items that will please your guests. Don’t fret! We’ll help you decide the food menu for your casino party that’ll appeal to all your guests. We have put together a list of food ideas that would fit perfectly into your casino party.
Basic Buffet
If you are limited on the budget, arrange a basic buffet for your casino party. However, don’t sacrifice taste just for cutting costs. Choose simple and delicious food items that are easy on the wallet. Consider offering fish sticks, chicken fingers, cheese sticks, French fries and mushroom caps. Add a few dipping sauces and some side dishes.
Gourmet Buffet
Gourmet food is mostly found in big casinos. Gamblers, who are lucky enough to not lose all their dollars in the bets and win big, celebrate big by splurging. Help your gamblers feel like winners with lobster cheese puffs, mini turkey meatballs, artichoke and stuffed mushrooms and cheesy bacon bites. Your guests will love a gourmet buffet that has enough dishes to satisfy their taste buds.
Casino Buffet
If you want take your party to the extreme level, go with a casino-inspired buffet. Cut watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe pieces in shapes of club and spade card suite. Make diamond and heart shaped finger sandwiches. Serve chocolate coins covered in foil for dessert.
Seafood Buffet
Seafood buffets are found at many casinos. You should plan a seafood buffet for your casino party only if your budget allows because seafood is expensive and it may break the bank if you are planning it for a large number of guests. Choose seafood finger foods dishes for this buffet. Arrange different types of shrimp dishes. Offer shrimp popper, shrimp rolls, shrimp cocktails and crunchy fried shrimps. Add chilli crab, crab curry, crab cake, crab rangoon and lobster thermidor. Offer different types of dipping sauces to augment the taste of the dishes.
Dessert Buffet
You can also plan a dessert buffet to go alongside other tasty treats. If you are inviting only a few guests at your casino party, you can make the desserts yourself. However, if you’re planning a big party, pay a bakery to prepare the desserts. Offer cheesecake pups, dipped ice cream sandwiches, frosty strawberry pops and mini molten cakes. Add fudge brownies and apple tarts and decorate them like cards.
Dried Beef
In America, dried beef is called jerky while in South Africa people call it Biltong. No matter what you call it, it’s an incredibly delicious table food. You can mix the taste up a bit by using different flavors. All that protein in the jerky will keep your guests’ energy high and they’ll keep playing and enjoying casino games without getting tired.
Pretzel Sticks
If you are allowing guests to eat while playing casino games, then pretzel sticks are the perfect item for your casino party. Place bowls of these tasty salty snacks on casino game tables so that your guests keep their mouths busy while playing poker or other casino games.
Cheese and Crackers
This is suitable for small scale casino parties. For instance, if you are planning to hold a casino party in your backyard with only a few guests, then you can add cheese and crackers to the food menu. You can top cheese and crackers with different varieties of cheese and other add-ons like smoked salmon, cocktail tomatoes and cucumber. These can be eaten easily and provide nutrients to your guests to keep their energy high.
Shrimp Cocktail
Popcorn shrimps are good for casino parties; however, if you want the guests to keep playing while they eat, then this isn’t a good choice because popcorn shrimps are too greasy. As an alternative, we suggest you add shrimp cocktail that’s easy to eat while playing casino table games.
Prime Rib
Whether you choose a casino buffet or opt for trays of food, prime rib can be a great addition to the food menu of your casino party. Keep thick slices in dishes or cut the prime rib into small chunks and serve at individual casino tables so that your guests can enjoy the tasty treat while playing their favorite casino games.
Cheese Ball
You can also serve dice shaped cheese balls at your casino party. You may think that assembling this appetizer is difficult, but it’s really not that hard. Simply cut cheese balls in a shape of a cube and transform them into a yummy dice with the help of olive dots.
Carrots and Celery
At a casino party, you should try to arrange food that caters the choices of all your guests. So, for those who prefer a low carb diet, arrange a simple carrots and celery side dish. You can easily prepare this dish on your own and ask a caterer to arrange it alongside other dishes.
Dice Brownies
Dice brownies are simple to make and easy to decorate. And more importantly they are so tasty that none of your guests will be able to resist the temptation. Simply prepare brownies and cut them in the shape of a cube. After that use white icing for the dots and you have yourself a big, tasty dice.
Casino Cookies
Cookies are a good treat for any type of event. Serve sugar cookies decorated to look like poker chips to complement your casino themed party.
Mini Deep Dish Pizzas
Who among us doesn’t love a pizza? Pizzas are amazing and you should definitely include them at your casino party. But, don’t order large pizzas; instead, prepare mini ones that can be easily served at individual casino tables. Mini deep dish pizzas are easy to prepare and great in taste. Serve this tasty dish at your casino party and see the great appeal for it.
Romesco Topped Potato Bites
If you want to serve small potato bites that your guests can enjoy while playing casino games, then romesco topped potato bites are the perfect choice. Topped with delicious Italian style herbs, fine ham and cured tomato, this treat will leave your guests craving for more.
Meatballs and Wings
In a buffet style casino food menu, meatballs and chicken wings are always a great addition. Many catering companies offer platters containing meatballs and wings with dips. So, you can easily arrange these delicious dishes for your casino themed party.
Mini Cupcakes
Purchase small cupcakes and use edible paper card suits to give them a casino style look. If you can’t find the required edible paper, attach paper card suits with toothpicks and pierce them into each cupcake.
Blackjack Flapjacks
Blackjack is a popular casino game while flapjack is a yummy treat. If you combine the two, you get the perfect snack that can be served at any event including a casino party. This dish is simple to make and you can easily prepare it at home if you’re inviting only a few guests to your casino party.
With all these delicious buffets and elegant dishes, you can satisfy the taste buds of your guests and make your casino party a hit! Your guests will love to enjoy a variety of dishes at your casino party while they indulge in their favorite casino games. The dishes highlighted above are easy to prepare and you can make them on your own; however, if you are planning a big party, it is better to get professional caterers to arrange it. Or even better, you can hire a professional casino party planner to make all the arrangements for your casino party including the food menu. A professional casino party planner can cater all your requirements for the food menu and arrange all the dishes you want to serve at your casino party.
If you want to hire a professional event planner for your casino party, then choose 4S Casino Party. At 4S Casino Party, we can make all the arrangements for your food menu. Whether you want to plan a buffet or serve trays of finger food, we can make it happen.
For more information, feel free to contact us anytime.
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Poker Party Food Recipes
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