Cost to Host a Poker Tournament

Okay ... so you've decided to take the plunge and invite the boys over for a night of poker. What kind of costs are you looking at? Here is the typical cost to host a half-decent poker tournament for the first time.

This cost estimate assumes that you have a rectangular or round table that can be used for poker. If you need to buy a banquet table with folding legs add about $75 for something a bit sturdy. Check out my Temporary Table page for information about setting up a perfectly suitable homemade poker table for about $135.

So there you go ... about $200 to buy the chips, cards, and felt necessary to hold a somewhat professional poker tournament for ten players in your home. You want the players to walk away at the end of the night feeling like they've just been to an "event". Kinda like going to a casino. You need the chips, the cards, and the proper table to get that "casino" feeling. You could go the el cheapo route and use your existing tablecloth and old cards and use coins for chips but don't expect players to be impressed. Invest a little money into your poker nights and you'll have players raving to their friends about how "It was just like the World Series of Poker!".

What, no pretzels? You can have pizza delivered or simply buy fresh bread and lunchmeat and offer an all-you-can-eat sandwich buffet. I have found that most players prefer the sandwich buffet rather than pizza. A couple pounds of good quality lunchmeat, a couple loaves of fresh bread, three different kinds of mustard, and some peanuts and pretzels ... $25 and no food preparation needed. At the first break, take the food out of the fridge, throw it on a side table and let the boys go at it!