Everyone loves to have a good time and there is none better than a casino party. But throwing a successful casino party is more than just hiring some tables and dealers. A reputable casino party hosting company will help guide you through all of the considerations. Here are some guidelines to help you scale and plan the event one your own so that a disreputable casino hosting company doesn't try to over-sell you on things that will detract from the experience.
Head Count
You should have a fairly accurate idea of the number of guests that will be attending before deciding on the number of tables and games. Sure, not everyone plays but that is mostly because they wont admit that they don't know how. Make sure that the casino hosting company you hire is capable of teaching the games to new players. You may even want to dedicate the first half hour to teaching new players. With that being said, you will want to make sure that the are enough tables to accommodate all of your guests. A poker table will hold 9 to 10 players. Black Jack will hold 6 to 7 players. Craps and Roulette will vary depending upon the size of the table. The bottom line is to be sure to ask because not all tables are designed the same. The worst thing that could happen is that you have players standing around because all of the tables are full.
Have a Room with Room
Most casino parties inside of a typical single family home can handle up to four tables and 35 to 40 players. Anything larger than that and you will want to consider hiring out the neighborhood clubhouse or a reception hall. Even if you think you can squeeze in another table here or there, just remember that you don't want to 'box in' your guests. People should be able to flow freely between the gaming tables, the food and drinks, and most restroom! If the weather is good, some of the games can be located outside to make more room. Card games are not usually the best candidates because a random gust of wind can send the cards flying down the street. Craps and Roulette are good candidates for an outdoor setup if you need the extra room.
Something is Better than Nothing
Even though you are playing for fun and not money, you can still make things interesting and exciting for you guests by offering prizes at the end of the event to the winners. For a small casino party in the home, this can be something as simple as a trophy that commemorates the event. For a larger casino party like a corporate event or a fundraising event, larger and multiple prizes are more appropriate. One of the best systems for awarding prizes at the end of a casino party is to have a table displaying all of the prizes with fish bowls in front of them. When the players cash out their chips at the end of the event, they are given a number of raffle tickets (supplied complimentary by a quality casino hosting company) that correspond to their chip count. Then the players can distribute their raffle tickets into the fish bowls of the prizes that they are most interested in winning. Even though the gaming chips have no monetary value, playing to potentially win something at the end will always make the gaming more fun and exciting for your guests.
Timing is Everything
A typical casino party event is contracted for 4 hours which includes 1 hour of setup and teardown. This means that you will get 3 hours of actual playing time. If you plan on serving your guests dinner on the front end, then be sure to factor that in to make sure it doesn't cut into your playing time. If guests are scheduled to arrive at 7pm, then plan on opening the casino at 8pm or 8:30pm otherwise the tables will be empty and the dealers will be standing around waiting for player for the first hour or so while people eat dinner. Also, make sure in advance that you can extend the event if necessary and know what the cost will be in advance.
It's the Little Things that Matter the Most
Here are a few additional details that will make or break you casino party.
Drinks. Everybody loves them and will have them at the gaming tables. Most gaming tables will have cup holders or rails for player to rest their drinks in. Make sure that the glasses or cups you will be using to serve drinks will work with the cup holders built into the tables. Stemware is not usually a good idea for this application.
Chips. Make sure that your players are starting off with the same amount of chips to keep things fair. This can be a simple token or ticket that is given to your guest when they enter and they present to the dealer when they are ready to play. Also, consider what you want to do if a player runs out of chips before the end of the event. How will you keep them in the game without making it unfair to the players that are winning?
Cashing In. Allow about 15 minutes at the end of the event for players to cash in their chips in exchange for raffle tickets or other means of determining the ultimate winner. Playing right up to the last minute could potentially place you into an overtime situation that could cost you more than expected.
Head Count
You should have a fairly accurate idea of the number of guests that will be attending before deciding on the number of tables and games. Sure, not everyone plays but that is mostly because they wont admit that they don't know how. Make sure that the casino hosting company you hire is capable of teaching the games to new players. You may even want to dedicate the first half hour to teaching new players. With that being said, you will want to make sure that the are enough tables to accommodate all of your guests. A poker table will hold 9 to 10 players. Black Jack will hold 6 to 7 players. Craps and Roulette will vary depending upon the size of the table. The bottom line is to be sure to ask because not all tables are designed the same. The worst thing that could happen is that you have players standing around because all of the tables are full.
Have a Room with Room
Most casino parties inside of a typical single family home can handle up to four tables and 35 to 40 players. Anything larger than that and you will want to consider hiring out the neighborhood clubhouse or a reception hall. Even if you think you can squeeze in another table here or there, just remember that you don't want to 'box in' your guests. People should be able to flow freely between the gaming tables, the food and drinks, and most restroom! If the weather is good, some of the games can be located outside to make more room. Card games are not usually the best candidates because a random gust of wind can send the cards flying down the street. Craps and Roulette are good candidates for an outdoor setup if you need the extra room.
Something is Better than Nothing
Even though you are playing for fun and not money, you can still make things interesting and exciting for you guests by offering prizes at the end of the event to the winners. For a small casino party in the home, this can be something as simple as a trophy that commemorates the event. For a larger casino party like a corporate event or a fundraising event, larger and multiple prizes are more appropriate. One of the best systems for awarding prizes at the end of a casino party is to have a table displaying all of the prizes with fish bowls in front of them. When the players cash out their chips at the end of the event, they are given a number of raffle tickets (supplied complimentary by a quality casino hosting company) that correspond to their chip count. Then the players can distribute their raffle tickets into the fish bowls of the prizes that they are most interested in winning. Even though the gaming chips have no monetary value, playing to potentially win something at the end will always make the gaming more fun and exciting for your guests.
Timing is Everything
A typical casino party event is contracted for 4 hours which includes 1 hour of setup and teardown. This means that you will get 3 hours of actual playing time. If you plan on serving your guests dinner on the front end, then be sure to factor that in to make sure it doesn't cut into your playing time. If guests are scheduled to arrive at 7pm, then plan on opening the casino at 8pm or 8:30pm otherwise the tables will be empty and the dealers will be standing around waiting for player for the first hour or so while people eat dinner. Also, make sure in advance that you can extend the event if necessary and know what the cost will be in advance.
It's the Little Things that Matter the Most
Here are a few additional details that will make or break you casino party.
Drinks. Everybody loves them and will have them at the gaming tables. Most gaming tables will have cup holders or rails for player to rest their drinks in. Make sure that the glasses or cups you will be using to serve drinks will work with the cup holders built into the tables. Stemware is not usually a good idea for this application.
Chips. Make sure that your players are starting off with the same amount of chips to keep things fair. This can be a simple token or ticket that is given to your guest when they enter and they present to the dealer when they are ready to play. Also, consider what you want to do if a player runs out of chips before the end of the event. How will you keep them in the game without making it unfair to the players that are winning?
Cashing In. Allow about 15 minutes at the end of the event for players to cash in their chips in exchange for raffle tickets or other means of determining the ultimate winner. Playing right up to the last minute could potentially place you into an overtime situation that could cost you more than expected.
