Getting New Players Started – A fun way to get new players started in the game of poker

Sing a simple song

It probably has happened to you already – at a party or a family gathering, an office picnic, or even after throwing burgers on the grill with some friends. If it hasn't happened yet, it will.

Somebody says, "Well, I've been watching that Texas hold'em on TV, but I'm not sure how to play it myself." The others look expectantly at you. After all, you're the poker expert. Now what?

First, this is a great opportunity to create some new poker buddies and make our game more popular than it already is – so don't blow it. Of course, you have to be prepared. These days, that's not hard, because everywhere you go, you see people selling poker chip sets. Gone are the thin, plastic interlocking chips with which we all grew up (OK, with which I grew up). Now, everybody has "casino-quality 11.5-gram chip sets." You can get them at the megamarts, the local drugstore – anywhere. So, you break out your chip set. Now what?

This may surprise you, but don't immediately run a tournament. Oh, that's what they'll want to do, because it's what they've seen on TV. But you'll be a step ahead of them (as any good poker player would be). If you run a tournament, what happens? People bust out and now they're not playing anymore. So, start with a cash game. Have everybody buy in for the same amount, and give out a quantity of chips that works well with that amount. For instance, friends of mine run a regular game and give out 1,000 chip units (in a mix of red, green, and black chips) for $20. So, each "chip" is worth 2 cents. Of course, they could call the chips 10 cents, 50 cents, and $2, but that's not as much fun. They talk about $25 and $200 bets, but when it comes time to cash in, everybody realizes that he won or lost less than the cost of a movie.

While some people may be hesitant to play for real money, I encourage you to play for something – even if it's a negligible amount. If $20 is too big, make it a $5 or even a $1 buy-in. Poker played for no money is usually a silly game.

Teach them the basic rules of the game. Play hands faceup a few times, realizing that many people can't remember if a flush beats a straight. I actually have a little cheat sheet on my computer and print out copies; it saves time and trouble.

Of course, you play no-limit hold'em – as everybody wants to be able to go all in! Set the blinds to something reasonable (my friends use 5-10 blinds for their 1,000 chip game), and, in the words of a very dear friend of mine, "Let's play poker!"

When you're playing, teach them good poker table etiquette (they'll appreciate that when they sit down to play in a real brick-and-mortar casino). Teach them how to look at their cards without picking them up off the table, how to protect their cards with a chip, how to declare a raise before they make it, and how not to splash the pot. Those things will go a long way toward making them feel like real poker players and will make your game run smoothly.

After a while, a few of them may actually want to get better; they may notice that you're folding, betting, and raising more, and calling less. They may notice that you're winning more than the others. What now?

Well, the first obvious thing is to point them to a book. I'd like to recommend my book, Winning Low-Limit Hold'em, but it's about cash limit games and no-limit hold'em sit-and-go tournaments. However, there are plenty of books available and I'm sure you have your favorites.

Tell your friends that the best way to learn poker is to read a good book – to get good habits started early. In the meantime, start them with some simple rules:

1. Fold in early position and raise in late position.

2. Throw away aces with kickers lower than 10 ("play only blackjacks").

3. Fold pocket pairs that didn't flop a set or an overpair.

4. If you've got top pair or better on the flop, bet or raise.

5. Emphasize the idea of scaling bets to the pot size (not every action should be a minimum bet or all-in raise).

This may be more guidelines than you want to cover, or your crowd may beg for more education. Pay attention to what they want and give it to them. And be a little sensitive – you don't have to win all the money on this particular table.

You'll probably find that whether you win or lose, you'll have a blast. After all, you'll be playing for tiny stakes, and your companions will be enjoying themselves. Expect to hear laughter over bad beats and not whining – what a great idea!

Don't be afraid to suggest a future gathering, if it doesn't get suggested for you. You just may have started a long tradition. Suggest a trip to the local card club or casino – or even a road trip to Las Vegas (you might be astonished at the response).

Finally, let me point out something interesting. Earlier, I alluded to the cost of a movie. Me, I'd rather sit around with a bunch of friends playing poker than go to a movie – even if there isn't enough money on the table to buy the largest tub of popcorn at the theatre. After all, we're making our own entertainment. We're not sitting in a darkened room, all watching a screen. We're interacting, telling jokes, catching up on each others' families, critiquing whatever is on the stereo. Sometimes, the poker is just an excuse to sit at a table for a few hours and visit – and that's a fine thing.

So, take a cue from my friend whom I quoted above (and whom you surely recognize as Linda Johnson). Be an ambassador for our game; show people that it can be fun and sociable (they'll learn about the "profitable" part later). And who knows, you may be sitting at a poker table with some of these people in 10 years, and they'll be telling the new players how you got them started in the game.

Try a little Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do

Lee Jones is the poker room manager for PokerStars.com and the author of the best-selling book Winning Low-Limit Hold'em, which was recently released in its third edition.