Poker Snack Ideas

• Poker Snacks Ideas

Sweet snacks are another snack food choice you can serve at a church group. Bring candy or bake a tasty dessert. Or, combine a couple different snack ideas and add a sweet twist. For example, you can bring chocolate covered pretzels or chocolate covered strawberries to a church group. Cookies are another sweet snack food option. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Food for Poker Night Recipes. Aug 25, 2013 - Explore Amy Graves's board 'Poker party food' on Pinterest. Find quick & easy Poker Game Night 2020 recipes & menu ideas, search thousands of recipes & discover cooking tips from the ultimate food resource for home cooks, Epicurious.

Nov 15, 2017 - Explore Olga Bishop's board 'Poker party foods' on Pinterest. See more ideas about Food, Appetizer snacks, Recipes. The red and black chips on the table shouldn't be the only chips you should be invested in. Serve a hearty appetizer that's easy to eat with one hand, so as to better conceal your cards, and delicious to boot. Unlike salsas or cheese dips, guacamole won't drip, so your card table will stay in pristine condition.

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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Poker night is more than just a night of playing card games. We all know that it’s a night of fun with the boys and girls while sharing delicious food and drinks.

When it comes to food for poker night, it’s easy to fall into the trap of serving the usual salty, fatty, or sugary fare that ends up on the table.

In most cases, most people won’t mind. However, if you want to have that one poker night to remember or become the undisputed “best poker night host”, you’d better upgrade your poker game night snacks.

Lucky for you, we are here to help.

Food for Poker Night Recipes

We have scoured the internet for the best game night snack ideas so you don’t have to. Don’t worry these recipes won’t require the skills of a gourmet chef since they’re relatively easy to prepare. However, you can trust that they’re downright delicious.

Without further ado…

Philly Cheesesteak Nachos (Prep Time: 20 mins.)

When it comes to poker game snacks, it’s hard to go wrong with serving nachos. Upgrade the traditional nachos by combining it with a fan-favorite sandwich, the Philly Cheesesteak.

Check out this bound-to-be-favorite nacho recipe from All Recipes:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1/2 pound shaved rib-eye, chopped
• 1 (18 ounce) package restaurant-style tortilla chips
• 1 (8 fl. oz.) jar processed cheese spread (such as Kraft® Cheez Whiz®)
• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Cook rib-eye in the same skillet, stirring occasionally, until browned and juices have evaporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir onion back into the skillet.
• Place a handful of tortilla chips on each plate. Spoon rib-eye and onion mixture over chips; top with cheese spread and jalapeno slices.

If jalapenos are not available, you can use pickled jalapenos as a substitute.

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich (Prep and Cook Time: 3 hrs. 40 mins.)

If you want to serve something with more bite, this recipe for the Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich from none other than Guy Fieri of The Food Network fame should get the job done.

Be sure to start preparing and cooking earlier because this recipe takes a lot of time.

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds, top round with fat cap
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 3 tablespoons bacon fat, or canola oil
• 3 yellow onions, chopped
• 1 cup garlic, whole cloves
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 sourdough baguette rolls halved, toasted
• 1 cup chopped giardiniera vinaigrette vegetables
• 1 cup jarred red sweet peppers

Directions:

• Rub meat with dry ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
• Add meat to a roasting pan with bacon fat, add onions and garlic, sauté for 15 minutes, deglaze with wine, and add Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, and bay leaves.
• Place roasting pan in the oven and cook for 3 hours, uncovered, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 135 degrees F in the center. Remove, let cool, then slice very thin.
• Cool broth in roasting pan and remove the fat that rises to the top. Strain.
• Reheat the broth, and add the sliced meat. Place some meat on each toasted roll, ladle with some broth and top with giardiniera vegetables and red peppers.

Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Tacos (Prep and Cook Time: 4 hrs. 15 mins.)

This is not the tacos that we all know and love. Instead of the ever-familiar salsa, we will be using ranch.

This recipe from Who Needs a Cape is guaranteed to be a hit with your poker buddies.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (or 1 packet of taco seasoning)
• 1 packet of ranch seasoning
• 8-10 small taco-sized flour tortillas
• ranch dressing, to taste
• 2-3 cups of cole slaw, without sauce
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• Optional: shredded cheese, diced avocado, diced tomato

Instructions:

• Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Pour in water, then sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning and ranch seasoning. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours.
• About 20 minutes before serving, use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to a bowl, shred with 2 forks, then return to slow cooker and stir.
• When ready to serve, fill tortillas with shredded chicken, then drizzle with ranch dressing.
• Top with slaw, red onions, cilantro, and any additional desired toppings such as shredded cheese, avocado, or tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Feeling Hungry Yet?

All of these poker snacks are guaranteed to be delicious and will make your guests ask for more. These foods for poker night recipes are very easy to prepare and cook, and the ingredients are all easy to get.

What do you think of these recipes? Do you have a favorite poker night snack recipe? Feel free to share in the comments!

Poker Snacks Ideas

For more fun articles and tips about card games, visit CardGameInfo for a great collection of card game blogs.