So, you’ve decided to host a poker night. You’re going to get all the boys round to your place, where you’ll play for some big bucks. Or maybe just for fun. But what should you wear to a poker night? Should you enforce a dress code to see how well your friends meet the task you set them? You might think of a sharply-dressed, James Bond style outfit. However, look around at any modern poker tournament and you’ll see an array of different styles of dress. Some people will be in collared shirts , while others will be wearing sweats and a hoodie. So how should everyone dress on your first poker night?

 

Casual Dress

One of the options is to dress casually. You could just wear your regular clothes, or you could step it up for a more casino-style look. Think Vegas sun visors , Hawaiian shirts and purposefully sloppy dress. You can have some fun by choosing an outfit that’s as tacky as you can get. However, if you’re not into that, you can stick to something that’s more like what you would wear on a normal night with your friends. Think about whether what you’re wearing could give away your thoughts as you play. Even though your friends already know you well, you can try to project a particular image through what you wear.

 

Dressing Sharp

You’ve got everything set up so that you’re ready for an epic poker tournament. You have the tablet and the casino style poker supplies . You’ve dimmed the lights, and you’ve got cigars and plenty of alcohol ready to go. If you don’t want to go for the more modern and casual style, you can turn your night into a sophisticated affair. Have everyone turn up wearing suits, or at least a shirt with a collar. If you all want to have some fun with it, you can dress like a gangster – an old school one, that is. Get out your trilby hat, put on a tie and polish your very best shoes for the night. You can all spend the evening pretending that you’re stuck in a time warp. At least until it’s time to stop playing poker and put the TV on.

 

Costume Party

If you want to elevate your poker night above a quiet game round your kitchen table, you can turn it into a proper party. Use poker as a theme to inspire the rest of the night, and invite as many people as you want. It can work especially well if it’s a mixed party with both men and women turning up. Costumes could be anything from tacky Vegas casino outfit or slick ’50s poker player to actually dressing as a card or poker chip. Everyone can have a lot of fun, and not everyone has to play poker if they don’t want to. Make sure there are other things for people to do or perhaps set up an entire tournament.
There are no rules for how to dress for poker, even at professional tournaments. Whatever you prefer is the right choice.