Most casino party poker is run as a no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament. Guests buy in for a fixed chip stack, blinds increase on a timer, and the last player standing wins the prize. Your job as dealer is to keep the game legal, fair, and energetic.

Hand rankings (high to low)

  1. Royal Flush
  2. Straight Flush
  3. Four of a Kind
  4. Full House
  5. Flush
  6. Straight
  7. Three of a Kind
  8. Two Pair
  9. One Pair
  10. High Card

The hand structure

  1. Post blinds: Small blind to the left of the button, big blind to the left of that.
  2. Deal hole cards: Two cards to each player, one at a time, starting left of the button.
  3. Pre-flop betting: Action starts left of the big blind.
  4. Burn and flop: Burn one card, then deal three community cards face-up.
  5. Post-flop betting starts left of the button.
  6. Burn and turn: One more burn, one more community card.
  7. Post-turn betting.
  8. Burn and river: Final burn, final community card.
  9. Final betting round, then showdown.

Pot management

Pull bets to the center after each round. Keep the pot tidy — separate stacks of 20 by denomination make it easy to count and easy for players to see. On all-ins, build side pots immediately so nothing gets confused at showdown.

Handling player disputes

Disputes happen — usually from guests who play more poker than the rules allow at a casino party. A few principles that defuse most situations:

  • Stay calm and neutral. Never take sides on tone.
  • Cards speak. The hand on the table is what counts, regardless of what the player calls it.
  • If you're not sure, call the floor (your lead). That's exactly what they're there for.
  • Once the floor rules, the ruling stands. Move on.

Keep the table social

Casino party poker isn't the WSOP. Talk to players, explain the action for spectators, celebrate big hands. The table that has the most fun is the table guests rave about — and the table that gets your dealer recommended for the next event.