Start Here
Three Decisions That Drive Everything Else
Settle these before games, prizes or add-ons. Changing one later almost always changes the other two.
- 1
The date
Weekends fill before weeknights, so if your date is fixed, ask about availability before you commit to a venue.
- 2
The headcount
Realistic attendance, not the invite list. Table count follows guest count, and a floor built for a hundred looks thin with forty at it.
- 3
The venue
The room decides more than the budget does. Check that equipment can physically reach the space before you sign anything.
The Floor
Choosing Your Table Mix
Bookings start at three game tables, so the first question is which three. Build for participation rather than variety, and use the published seat counts as your planning number.
Blackjack
Seats seven and teaches itself in a minute. If you take one table, take this one.
Roulette
Seats eight on a full-size 32 inch double-zero wheel, and gathers watchers as well as players.
Craps
Holds fifteen and runs with two dealers. The loudest corner of any room.
Texas Hold'em
Seats nine, suits the group who will settle in, and can run as a tournament.
We also run 3 Card Poker, Let It Ride, Ultimate Texas Hold'em, High Card Flush, Casino War and Money Wheel, for ten dealer-staffed table games in all, plus self-service slot machines. The full list is on the gaming page.
The Room
What the Space Actually Needs
This is where plans most often come unstuck. Measure before you book the venue.
Floor and access
- Tables run eight to twelve feet long and four feet deep
- Allow at least two feet of clearance on all sides of every table
- Level, stable floors; eight feet of ceiling height recommended
- A clear access path of thirty-six inches or more for delivery and setup
- Climate-controlled space, and real cover over the tables if you are outdoors
- A dock or ramp for a sixteen foot box truck, or a service elevator eight feet wide or deep
- We cannot set up at a residence with excessive stairs to gain entry
Power
Most of the floor needs none. Three items do, and they are easier to solve when the venue knows in advance.
- Electronic Roulette Reader: a 120v outlet within twenty-five feet of the roulette table
- Slot machines: a 120v outlet within twenty-five feet of the slot table
- Four-foot lighted CASINO letters: a standard 120v outlet
Venue types differ by market. See San Antonio, Austin or Corpus Christi for the properties we see most in each.
The Evening
How the Night Actually Runs
Knowing the shape of the evening makes the rest of the planning obvious.
- 1
We arrive and build the floor
Setup typically completes forty-five to sixty minutes before your start time, and none of it counts against your gaming hours.
- 2
Guests get a Players Card at the door
Vegas-style Players Cards go to your host to hand out as guests arrive. They cost nothing and make walking in feel like an entrance.
- 3
Everyone starts even
Each guest trades their card at any table for a starting stack of 1000 in chips. Nobody buys in, and arriving late is not a disadvantage.
- 4
Dealers run the room
Uniformed dealers run each table and teach as they deal; craps runs with two. The floor keeps moving without you managing it.
- 5
Cash-out and the prize draw
At close, chips are exchanged with the nearest dealer for raffle tickets, typically one per 1000 in chips. Guests drop them in front of the prize they want and your host draws the winners.
The Occasion
Plan Around What the Night Is For
The format is the same; the priorities are not. Each of these has its own page with the specifics.
- Fundraisers. Chip-for-donation and raffle structures.
- Corporate events. How table count scales with headcount.
- Holiday parties. Our busiest season, and the one to ask about earliest.
- Weddings. Fitting a floor around receptions and welcome parties.
- Birthdays. At home or at a venue, with the trade-offs of each.
- Poker tournaments. A different format, with a bracket and a finish.
Avoid These
Five Mistakes Worth Not Making
Booking the room before checking access. Confirm the dock, corridor and elevator before the venue contract, not after.
Sizing the floor to the invite list. Build for realistic attendance and add, rather than watch half the floor sit empty.
Treating setup as part of the party. It sits outside your gaming hours, but it still needs access time and a clear room.
Leaving the prize structure late. The draw is how the night ends; decide the prizes and who draws them in advance.
Forgetting the guests who will not sit down. Money wheel has no player limit and slot machines are individual play.
Extras
What Else Can Be Built In
Promotional media tablets and LED uplighting come standard on our floors. Beyond those you can add a photo booth or selfie station, a professional DJ or a PA system, premium features such as an electronic roulette reader or four-foot lighted CASINO letters, and TABC licensed bartending. The full list is on the features and add-ons page.
OUR HAPPY CUSTOMERS
Planning Questions
Casino Night Planning FAQ
How many tables should I book?
Do my guests need to know how to play?
Is any real money involved?
What do you need to know about my venue?
How far ahead should we book?
More on how an event runs is in our full FAQ, and past events are in the gallery. When you are ready for specifics on your date, get in touch.