Playing poker at home is fun, especially with friends. If you’re planning on hosting a poker night with friends, you’ll want to make sure that everyone will have a good time. Since your friends will likely stay for a while, you’ll want to ensure there’s food and drinks for everyone. Another thing you should figure out is how many poker chips you will need – I have a great in-depth article about this topic.
The best food and drinks for a poker night include:
- Chicken wings
- 7-Layer bean dip
- Cut veggie tray
- Party pepper poppers
- Spiced/buttered popcorn
- Pizza
- Chips and crackers
- Desserts
- Cocktails
- Soda and seltzers
- Wine or beer
You should serve the food and drinks that everyone will enjoy. How many types of food you serve may also depend on the number of guests you’re expecting. Read on as I discuss food and drink ideas for your game night.
1. Chicken Wings
Chicken wings are easily shareable and customizable with sauces. In addition to this, now they’re easily accessible as many stores and restaurants sell them. However, you can make them ahead of time, especially if you marinate them overnight.
On the day of your game, put together the dips and everything else you need to serve them. About an hour before your game, cook them according to the recipe and you’re good to go.
2. 7-Layer Bean Dip
A poker night is more fun when there’s a dip for everyone to enjoy. Check out this great 7-layer bean dip recipe that you and your friends should like. These are great because you can pair them with many foods, and you can often make them with many ingredients in your home pantry.
3. Cut Veggie Tray
Veggie trays are a popular addition to many social gatherings, as they allow a healthy option for those who wish to eat that way. Most people now suggest making these at home to save on money and unneeded plastic dishes. However, if you’re short on time, you can pick up a veggie tray on your way home from work.
4. Party Pepper Poppers
Many people like pepper poppers, which are stuffed/roasted peppers. These are great, especially with small baby peppers, because they can easily become finger food that’s quick and clean to eat.
5. Spiced/Buttered Popcorn
Everyone loves popcorn! Similar to chips, popcorn is easy to share and gives a nice crunch. Plus, it’s cheap and easy to make and is customizable. Add butter or other spices, such as taco seasoning, salt, or powdered ranch, you like. Or, to really save time, you can buy a box or two of microwave popcorn and let your guests make their own bag of popcorn.
6. Pizza
Probably one of the most obvious choices, pizza is almost always liked by house guests, especially when playing fun games like poker. It’s excellent because you can often customize it by the slice or by the half-pizza, allowing you to choose the flavors.
You can choose to make it yourself or order out in time for game night.
7. Chips and Crackers
There’s a wide variety of chip and cracker options at the store, which come in almost any size, shape, or flavor. They’re great for party settings because you get bang for your buck, as having a large bag of chips only running you around $3. A box of crackers costs around the same amount.
8. Desserts
Some great dessert options are cookies, brownies, cakes, or chocolate-covered items These are all good for poker nights as they can feed many mouths while also being cost-effective. If you or your partner is a great baker, you can make your own treats. However, you might want to put this on your grocery list when shopping for poker night.
9. Cocktails
Cocktails can lighten up a poker night and are infinitely customizable and interchangeable. Plus, it’s often easy to “virginize” many classic cocktails. However, if you are not adept at making cocktails, or you don’t want to take the time to make them, you can get the ingredients and let your guests make their own.
10. Soda and Seltzers
These are excellent, especially if you don’t want to serve alcohol, or you have guests that don’t want to drink and drive. You can buy them in big bulk bottles or small individual cans, making them very versatile.
11. Wine Or Beer
Some people prefer wine or beer over cocktails, so you’ll want to provide these options for your friends. Of course, if you conduct a survey of your friends coming for poker night, you’ll know exactly what type of drinks to provide them.
This Is the Exact Amount of Each Food Needed for a Poker Night
When hosting your game night, make sure you’ll have enough food and drinks for everyone. How much food you’ll buy depends on your budget and the number of guests who will be coming.
Below is a simple table of all listed food options, with a general serving amount needed. The amounts needed are matching if you are only serving that one dish. If you for example want to have a veggie tray and pizzas, then reduce the quantities accordingly.
| 3 People | 4 People | 6 People | |
| 7 Layer Bean Dip | One small-medium sheet pan’s worth | One small-medium sheet pan’s worth | One large sheet pan’s worth |
| Cut Veggie Tray | 1 Pepper, 1 Cut carrot, 1 broccoli head, 3 celery sticks, and so on. | 1 Pepper, 2 cut carrots, 1 broccoli head, 4 celery sticks, and so on. | 2 Peppers, 3 cut carrots, 2 broccoli heads, 5 celery sticks, and so on. |
| Party Pepper Poppers | 3-6+ filled peppers (according to the recipe, allowing 1-2 peppers per guest at least) | 4-8 filled peppers (allowing 1-2 peppers per guest at least) | 6-12 filled peppers (allowing 1-2 peppers per guest at least) |
| Spiced/Buttered Popcorn | 1.5-3 cups popcorn kernels (allowing .5-1 cup popcorn per guest) | 2-4 cups popcorn kernels (allowing .5-1 cup popcorn per guest) | 3-6 cups popcorn kernels (allowing .5-1 cup popcorn per guest) |
| Chicken Wings | 6-12 count wings (allowing 2-4 wings per guest) | 8-16 count wings (allowing 2-4 wings per guest) | 12-24 count wings (allowing 2-4 wings per guest) |
| Pizza | 1 large pizza, or 2 medium pizzas | 1-2 large pizzas | 2-3+ large pizzas |
| Chips and Crackers | 2+ party bags of chips and at least 2 boxes of crackers. | 3+ party bags of chips and at least 2-3 boxes of crackers. | 4+ bags of chips and at least 3-4 boxes of crackers |
| Desserts | 1-2 desserts of choice per guest (i.e. – 2 cookies per guest) | 1-2 desserts of choice per guest (i.e. – 2 cookies per guest) | 1-2 desserts of choice per guest (i.e. – 2 cookies per guest) |
| Cocktails | 1-2 prepared drinks of choice, or mocktail versions | 1-2 prepared drinks of choice, or mocktail versions | 1-2 prepared drinks of choice, or mocktail versions |
| Sodas and Seltzers | 1-2 boxes of canned sodas/seltzers, or 2+ large bottles | 1-2 boxes of canned sodas/seltzers, or 3+ large bottles | 3+ boxes of canned sodas/seltzers, or 4+ large bottles |
| Wine or Beer | 3-4 bottles of wine, or one12 pack of beer | 4-5 bottles of wine, or 1-2 12 packs of beer | 6-7 bottles of wine, or 2-3 12 packs of beer |