Advice on playing with friends

I've read quite a few threads about playing with friends but I can't really relate to what I've read so far.

Before studying poker, while playing with friends, we all had a load of fun. No money was involved (or very little money) and play was either reckless or just relaxed.

I have not played with friends with money involved lately but I've been playing for chips and fun only. What is happening is that either I don't have fun or the rest of the table doesn't have fun. If everyone is playing loose and relaxed I nail the table quite easily and often. If everyone is playing reckless and while I can't make any sense about what's going on and I'm not enjoying it.

I've considered playing these games in a relaxed way and take the opportunity to study tells and stuff like that, not minding much about the actual play and just loosen up but the last time I tried it didn't work out. I ended up not enjoying the game for the most of it and after adjusting I took everyone out.

Obviously, I just want everyone to have fun. Has anyone been through this? Any advice?

I'm just wondering if your not playing for money, then exactly what do you all play for? Chips? Your games are probably relaxed cuz of the fact that there's no money involved I'd think...Also Why not play like a sng format 10 friends $20 buy in top 3 get paid?

This is what we do, I don't think I would enjoy playing ring style with those morons, lol

Yah, I too prefer to play a Tourney-style game when playing with 'friends'. I don't like playing cash games with them (feels alot less 'friendly')

Cash games tend to to go way too loose and not intense... specially if there isn't money involved

If you are quite a lot organise a tourney, if you aren't that many, a heads up or a shootout one might work, that way people can emphasize on reads, and how to play against X player.

Heads Up small stakes is what I play with my friend. Its fun, doesn't cost either of us much and whoever wins has bragging rights

My 'friends' and family will no longer play with me, snifff... I always ate up home games, miss those days...

Lotsa bullshit emerges mixing people u know with poker, especially when you are out to take their money first and have fun later, and they are doing the opposite

Thanks for the opinions, I appreciate it.

There isn't any issue with friendships at all, just the 'everybody' having fun part. Opinions here are cool for trying some stuff.

Trouble with tournies at home is that the first ones out have a long wait and long drink before the group starts another tourny.
Micro cash games (couple of cents blinds) with small buyin (couple of dollars) mean everyone can play for as long as they like. You can also set a time limit (couple of hours) when everyone has to cashout, take a break and start again to stop dominating chipleaders.
Keeps it fun with just enough incentive for everyone.
And making it bring your own beer stops complaints about the wrong brand.

How would 'dominating chipleaders' negatively impact a game? (as long as players are able to rebuy 100bb's (or whatever # has been agreed upon) I don't see how it'd positively influence a cashgame to make them cashout & start again?
this comment in your post has me confused?

I think I see where Chemist is going with the dominating chip leads. In the venue discussed there are players that aren't "players" and it becomes mentally disheartening as they only want the social aspect of the evening and are in no way concerned with strategy or improving their play they simply want to play cards. in a game of hearts or spades and many other games the play resets many times by its structure and that is what these players (my wife for one) are looking for. So my take on the matter is its more of a matter of making a pleasant game for a variety of types of people. That is one reason I love online and casino play I give no quarter to the people I play nor expect it from them .

^ this. I play $5 or $10NL cash games when I'm with friends, people can come or go whenever they like, rebuy anytime they bust and the stakes are small enough that nobody's really threatened by them but on a good night you can still win enough to cover your drinks or whatever.

Strong understanding of effective stack size.

We play €20nl in my home game. I only ever buy for €20, despite knowing I am by far the best player there. I don't like getting involved in huge pots with my friends and go more for the entertainment value. Left with €170 after a €20 buyin a few weeks ago and I didn't feel too great about it. Some of the guys buy in for ~€100 so you see some interesting 1000bb pots lol.

There is absolutely no point in playing for no money because the game will deteriorate into utter garbage. If you don't want any sparks to fly the safest bet is a $10-$20 sng style game with decent size stacks and blind levels.

I have a group of friends that I play poker with monthly. At the table we still talk as friends but we all know that if you play plan on loosing and at the end we are still friends. Now we dont play high stakes. $100 buy in and blinds are .25 and .50

remember if playing a friendly game plan on loosing. but go to make money.

$100 Buy In 1 time a month? SNG format or cash? I only ask cuz I use to do the same with friends but instead of 1 time a month it was a weekly thing for us, and the buy ins were $20 sometimes $30 ...10 of us and top 3 got paid

its CASH
for us we are all married and have kids and just cant play every week anymore. does not mean that I dont plat live weekly just hard to get the group together that often

Here in Portugal playing with friends for that ammount of money can be quite unfriendly. 5€ buy-in for a cash game is quite acceptable though.

Me and a friend used to host weekly sng's, anywhere from 6 to 10 played $25 bi. Can't get my friends to play none though, wonder why

About twice month a guy host a tourney about 20-30 mins from where I live, $50 bi with re-buys for a good while...usually anywhere from 13-20 that plays in it.

For those that bust out of our tournies early, there is usually a side table where we will play a dealers choice cash game...

And we increase the blinds every time a player busts out so the game can end sooner. So many want to play again.

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