If your attempts at hosting a good home poker game have failed, here’s a little checklist that should help you cover all your bases so it doesn’t end up being you, two pissed-off buddies, and your girlfriend playing.

1. Plan for no shows – invite ten players but expect five or six to show up. Be prepared to handle the ten if need be, but bear in mind there are always no-shows.

2. Make sure you have enough chairs and chips – your home game should have a buy-in limit; do the math and make sure you have enough chips to run the game if everyone buys-in for the maximum.

3. Provide drinks and snacks – soft drinks and munchies are de rigueur, not food that will affect the action like pizza or wings.

4. Blind structure – have the blinds increase over a time limit that will force the action of the game to end around the time you wish it to end.