chad:poker

I have been known on occasion to host a poker night. Typically these are an invite only affair. Depending on the attendees, it will be for some small stake of money ($5-$10), but more often than not there is no buy in (although people are always encouraged to bring snacks to share).

I model this game night on one run by my friends Mark and Charley, and so some things may be different from other poker games you've been involved in.

First, Texas Hold'Em is one of the -least- played variants. I play a Dealer's Choice table, meaning the dealer decides what variation of poker is being played on that hand. Many of the games played are variations on seven card stud, as it offers a good blend of skill, luck, hidden and known information, and has enough basic structure to make for a lot of variation possibility. That said, there are also Hold'Em variants, 5 card draw variants, etc. It is incumbent on the Dealer to explain the game though.
Second, because of the above, games are played with an ante instead of with blinds. Ante is done after the game is picked (and maybe explained), so if you want to sit out a particular variant, you simply need not ante.

For a full list of the house rules and variants generously imported from Mark and Charley's poker night, I refer you to Mark's wiki page on the subject, available at http://www.querki.net/u/jducoeur/poker/

For a primer on the rules of poker, including a listing of the ranking of poker hands, I refer you to the pagat page at http://www.pagat.com/vying/pokerrules.html.

You might also look at boardgamegeek's page at http://www.geekdo.com/boardgame/1115 for some resources.

If you are curious as to the history of poker, see http://www.pagat.com/vying/pokerhistory.html.