Opening Thoughts

If you’re anything like I am, often the idea of having friends around for food and a poker night is better than the execution of the idea. That is unless I win the game, of course. No, but seriously, there’s a balance to be had between host and poker dealer, and if you’ve got a few friends who take poker night a bit too seriously, then games can go on too long, and it can all become tedious. 

This might sound disingenuous and pessimistic, but all hope is not lost. Do not worry; even the most mediocre poker nights can be saved with a solid range of snacks, chips, and dips, or something more substantial. Let’s have a look and see which foods have made the cut in our list today.

Hosting Basics

If you’re mapping out how your poker night will look, it might seem like a pretty basic place to start, but understanding the game and having a strong, adequate base knowledge of it is the first point. We’re not aiming this point at you as the host; getting everyone around to play it for hours would be a pretty wild jump, and you’d be skipping several essential steps. 

Although there are many poker variants, the most common one for poker nights tends to be Texas Holdem. You don’t have to tell your friends to be the next Phil Ivey before they dare step foot into your humble abode for a poker night, but understanding the mechanics of Texas Holdem is a pretty obvious step. Texas Holdem hands ranking system would be the first step if somebody is embarking on a poker night – it’s something to commit to memory before weighing up the idea of bringing a pizza or a bag of chips to the event anyway; that’s what I say.

Fast Food Options?

I was going to start this section by saying that you can’t go wrong with takeaway food, but you definitely can, or I definitely have in the past, I should say. Deciding what other people want to eat at your poker event is a situation beyond the realms of your control, even if you are a controlling host who wants to dictate the cuisine on offer. From my experience, finger foods, or sticky foods, are a no-go. The last thing you need is someone to have chicken wings, contaminating the pile of chips – the poker chips. 

My two cents for the best poker night food would be something more straightforward and quick. McDonald’s is usually quick and dependable and can be a win-win for poker night. It doesn’t matter if your game has started late at night or you’ve opted for an early evening or afternoon session, where you can order from the lunch menu instead, with chicken nuggets, chips, burgers, and the rest of the range to choose from – this is often a winner and can appease most of the players at the table. I’d throw KFC and Burger King into the mix as well, but I don’t want to go too heavy on the meat-based recommendations if you’re catering for vegans, pescetarians and vegetarians as well. 

Cook Your Own

Some poker hosts want total authority over how the night goes, even down to who cooks the food and who sits in what seat. Now, there are two types of hosts here – the one who throws a few frozen pizzas in the oven and the ones who put themselves on par with Gordon Ramsay.

It’s about balance, really. Are you hosting a dinner night or a poker night? You’ll unlikely have time for both; players probably won’t be keen to reset the table between games and taking long meal breaks. Stick to the picky, snacky food – that’s what I say, you can’t go wrong. 

Final Thoughts

Chips and dips are great to have on the table, and obviously, unless you have a friend who has a nut allergy, having an assortment of them dotted in bowls around the table is a good touch, too. Some dips can contain nuts by mistake, and as somebody who has a nut allergy, I find this to be comforting news to read. Opting for corn chips or fries then opens up a world of sauces and other condiments. 

McDonalds, or frozen pizzas and an accompaniment of snacks, is an approach that covers all the necessities. I’m going to say with quite some confidence that if somebody is gearing up to come around for a poker night, maybe they’ve got a few drinks, they’re not coming around to have a sit-down meal, there’s no point putting the slow cooker on, or asking them if they want a medium-rare steak. 

Simplicity is key. Accept that it’s part of the night and not the entire point of the night, and your main dish and snack selections will act as a perfect complement to the poker gaming festivities.