Poker Birthday Cake Designs
Ever since my husband and brother taught my sons how to play Texas Hold ‘Em, they've wanted to invite their friends over for a Boys Poker Night- so I thought a Boys Poker Night Birthday Party would be a fantastic party theme for a tween! If all of the kids already know how to play poker- awesome! But if not, there are lots of less complicated card games that you can play at the party instead. Here's exactly how one of our favorite kids birthday parties unfolds:
Vivicraft Poker Cake Topper Birthday Decorations, Glitter Happy Birthday Poker Cake Toppers Picks for Muffin Cake Fruit Picks Casino Party Decor - Double Sided (6.89' x 4.92') $8.99 $ 8. 99 Get it as soon as Thu, Oct 15. Texas Hold ‘Em is all the rage, but you can have a great card party with other poker variations: five-card draw, seven-card stud, hi/lo, baseball poker and other make-up-your-own-rules games. The most important thing when playing poker is to be familiar with the winning hands.
Boys Poker Night Birthday Party Invitation
I know that you could easily send an e-vite and be done with it, but then you wouldn't have anything cool to put up on your fridge or allow the birthday boy to display on his bulletin board in his room that builds the excitement about his upcoming party! So if you want a cool Boys Poker Night Party invitation, you are welcome to download this one for free at the bottom of this post!
You can print it, fill in your information, snap a picture of it or scan it and send it out to all of your party guests via email or text. Or if you'd like to personalize this invite- follow these instructions on How to Create Your Own Birthday Party Invites Using Picmonkey!
Poker Night Birthday Party Set Up
I am not a big fan of spending money on birthday party decorations- I think it adds cost without adding much value to the party itself- especially for tweens! If you want to decorate your front door- here's a cute idea from the Halloween Forum (link no longer available) that you could easily create from a sheet of red paper:
The most important thing to focus on- is the poker table! Depending on the number of guests you plan to invite- you may want to set up more than one table (and then draw names from a hat to see who plays at which table).
If you happen to own a poker table- awesome! But if not, you easily turn a round kitchen or patio table into a poker table with a !
If your kids have ever watched the World Series of Poker on TV- chances are they would love to add a hat and sunglasses to their “look” while playing against their friends! So it would be fun to have a and a pair of at each place at the table!
A great idea for your card games that also doubles as for a party favor is to get each guest a deck of personalized playing cards!
We ordered sets from Printer's Studio that featured a picture on the front of the deck. You could easily create a party graphic or use a group photo of the party guests to create a cool custom deck of cards!
And finally- you need to decide what you want to do about poker chips. You can use skittles, M&Ms, or other candies- or you can invest in a full-on (which would also make a great birthday gift for the birthday boy!)
Party Food
One of the ways I love to save money on kids birthday parties is to make my own food for the party, rather than shelling out $60 for pizza! And homemade mini pizzas are perfect for a poker party- you can use scissors to trim pepperoni into the suit shapes from playing cards- hearts, diamonds, spades, clubs.
Another fun option is to set up a pasta bar in the kitchen- make one or two types of noodles and let the kids choose their toppings- red sauce, butter sauce, meatballs, etc. Add some salad and breadsticks, and you are all set!
Poker Night Birthday Party Cake
You can make a simple but perfectly themed birthday cake by baking a sheet cake, decorating with white frosting, and create a playing card- just like this great idea featured on Instructables:
Or even bake cupcakes, and decorate them with cut corners of an old playing card deck, as featured here on Catch My Party:
Tips for Playing Poker with Kids / Other Card Game Options
I will be the first to admit that teaching kids to play poker in an hour or two at a birthday party is a little daunting, especially if some of the guests have never played before! And then if they have to go up against players who already know the game- well, it's not much fun for the new learner.
So I suggest that you assess the kids' prior knowledge of the game before you start to play. If you are running more than one game- you might want to set up one table for more experienced players and one for less experienced players.
There are lots of cheat sheets available online that you can use to help teach your guests the poker hands and their hierarchy. This one is my fav:
And there are lots of other card game options that you can play at your party that are simpler to explain and just as much fun- including Blackjack, Crazy Eights, and Spoons.
Be sure to have a parent or an older sibling serve as the dealer/additional player so they can help players who are still learning, and make sure that everyone is having fun!
Want to Turn It Into a Sleepover Party?
If after the kids have played cards for an hour or two you are looking for a few activities to direct them towards next- I suggest having them all roll out their sleeping bags, pop a couple of big bowls of popcorn- and put on a movie. Here are a few ideas (but please check out their reviews on Common Sense Media to judge the appropriateness for your child and his guests!
- (Vegas/Poker based)
- The Hunger Games (A different kind of game!)
- (Football movie that is quite inspiring!)
- (about a track team)
Boys Poker Night Birthday Party Thank You Notes
It might be one of my kids' least favorite parts about having a birthday party- but I think it is so important to teach kids the art of writing a nicely crafted thank you note! So I always create an easy format that they can use that fits the party theme! You can download this thank you note for free below!
Casino Birthday Cake Designs
Want to Download the Poker Night Birthday Party Pack!
Poker Birthday Cake Designs Templates
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I hope your kids enjoy their Boys Poker Night Party as much as mine did!
Check out some more awesome Tween Birthday Party Ideas:
- Star Wars Party Ideas for Tweens!
Check out all of our Kids Birthday Parties here:
Looking for Some More Great Party Games, Crafts, & Activities for Kids?
- 100 Truth or Dare Questions for Tweens (free printable party game!)
- “What's On Your Phone?” (free printable party game for tweens and teens!)
- 50 Would You Rather Questions for Tweens (free printable party game!)
- Photo Scavenger Hunt for Tweens (free printable party game!)
- 10 Great Birthday Party Games for Tweens (tons of ideas from around the web!)
- 10 Fun Birthday Party Activities for Tweens (fun things to do at your party!)
- 10 Awesome Backyard Games for Tweens! (perfect for parties!)
or Shop for These Awesome Party Games!
Poker night? We’re all in. Check out our pointers for planning one.
Invitations
Get started by sending an Evite invitation, like the free “Who’s In?” cards-themed invitation below or a premium “Ante Up” poker night invitation. Check out our game night invitation gallery for more designs.
Decorations
It’s easy to find a home poker kit that includes cards, nice chips and a good playing surface. But if you don’t have one of these fancy kits, take a trip to a fabric store and get a big swatch of green felt to put over your tabletop.
It’s important to make sure you have enough poker chips for all of your guests. You probably can’t get by with less than 35 chips per person — most experts suggest more like 50 to 100 per head. If you don’t mind a mish-mash, ask your guests to bring some extra chips of their own. If you’re playing Texas Hold ‘Em, make sure you have a special chip set aside for the button.
Poker Birthday Cake Designs Images
To round out the theme, pick up some casino-themed napkins and plates decorated with images of dice, cards or dollar signs from a party store.
Attire
Even if you’re not playing for high stakes, you can still dress the part. Asking guests to come in suits and ties or cocktail dresses makes a simple get-together seem like an event.
You can also go casual and ironic by getting cheap costume armbands and green plastic dealer visors — poker doesn’t have to be super serious.
Playing with some card sharks? If they arrive wearing shirts with billowy sleeves, make sure they roll them up when you play so they can’t hide cards in them.
Variants
Texas Hold ‘Em is all the rage, but you can have a great card party with other poker variations: five-card draw, seven-card stud, hi/lo, baseball poker and other make-up-your-own-rules games.
The most important thing when playing poker is to be familiar with the winning hands. Here they are from high to low:
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a kind
- Full house
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pair
- One pair
Too confusing? Just remember that a full house flushes a straight.
Food
Get a pizza delivered for quick sustenance that minimizes card-playing down time. Or put together a simple spread of appetizers. Make your own or get a big box of warm-in-the-oven hors d’oeurves at a warehouse club store. Just keep the food away from the playing table.
Drinks
If you’re playing poker, you might be thinking martinis are in order. Martinis will make your party upscale for sure (but they do call to mind James Bond, and his game was baccarat). If you’re going to go for some straight liquor, grab a bottle of single-malt scotch. Or, to mix cards and cocktails, consider the classy, old-fashioned cocktail called the Sidecar.
Sidecar
- 2 parts Cognac
- 1 part triple sec
- 1 part freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake, then strain into a chilled highball glass.
There are many who say that serious cards need to be played without the hazy influence of booze. So for a non-alcoholic alternative, grab some carbonated soda water and mix it up with some Italian syrup.