Poker has become an increasingly popular pastime in California, especially at home. Though the Golden State boasts a vibrant live poker scene and even the biggest poker room in the world, private games can also bring the action. Many of Hollywood’s and music’s elite enjoy these private home games in the state. Los Angeles is also becoming a hotspot for high-stakes poker games for the local art scene; gallerist Eric Kim hosts poker games and plays with other artists at his home gallery. If you’re into playing poker, both live or online, a poker room can be a great addition to your California home. Here are some essentials you need for the ideal poker-playing space and experience:
High-quality Poker Tables
A poker room wouldn’t be complete without a top-notch poker table. Though you can still use a regular one for more casual games, having a bona fide poker table can make the space feel like a real card room in California gaming establishments like the Commerce Casino. You can explore various poker tables to find an option that suits your room, budget, and expected game experience. Folding poker tables are a budget-friendly choice that can fit a smaller home poker room since you can fold them to make space when not in use. Some folding tables can come with cup holders or wheels for convenience when playing and storing. If you have the space, you can invest in a standard racetrack or Texas Hold ’em table that can seat many players. Materials like oak can also make the table more durable and sturdy; you won’t have to worry about wobbly legs or shifting. You may even see high-tech tables in the future. The Angel Group has been experimenting with smart tables equipped with RFID and artificial intelligence technology in Asia, which can provide real-time data on the games being played and chips on the table. In the meantime, you can also invest in gadgets like automatic card shufflers or dealers to make your home games more efficient.
Monitors for playing and streaming
Even if you’re not hosting poker games at home, you can still build a poker room optimized to keep the action going. You can create a digital corner for the space with monitors for playing and streaming poker. Though online poker in California exists in a gray area because no state-based poker options are available, players can still play on global sites. Americas Cardroom is a popular voice for Californians since it has established a reputation for fairness, strong security, and fast payouts. There is also a diverse array of tournament options for players of all skill levels. Having a desktop setup in your poker room can make playing online poker a more immersive experience. Aside from playing, you can also watch other skilled players and pros dominate the tables in real-time. Live streaming makes it easy to watch others play poker and get an inside look at their strategies while also being able to interact with them through chat. That’s also why Americas Cardroom leverages the massive streaming landscape with their streamer community, ACR Stormers, who stream games from all over the world. The site also established the ACR Team Online, which is comprised of their top streamers like Evan ‘Gripsed’ Jarvis and Oskar ‘Deckflow’ Ojaveer. Events like the ACR Team Online Championships can be exciting to watch in your home’s poker room when you aren’t playing a game yourself.
Smart home technology and hubs
Smart home tech can be a game-changer for your California poker room. If you’re engrossed in the action but want to make some adjustments to the room, you don’t need to step away from the action to change the lighting, temperature, or music. As our “Smart Home Essentials” post highlights, smart home tech can be controlled remotely or even automatically, so you can stay focused at the poker table. You can brighten, dim, or change the color of smart lighting to shift the ambiance or enhance visibility, and you can even schedule it to turn on at certain times of the day. Smart thermostats can help you manage the temperature of the room for the optimal playing environment. Smart home entertainment devices can keep the space lively without having to navigate cables and wires for streaming or music. Smart TVs can offer a wide range of streaming platforms that can broadcast your favorite poker shows, videos, or live streams, while smart speakers can allow you to play music and find the right playlist without fuss. You can use a connected mobile app to manage all these devices from your phone, or smart hubs like the Amazon Echo or Apple HomePod can enable voice commands to help you adjust the room to your liking while staying in the zone during a poker game.
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