Poker is sweeping the country by storm. There are poker tournaments, poker festivals and even TV shows on playing poker. If you have a poker fanatic, a party to celebrate their birthday or any event would be great with a poker theme.

Choose your Poker theme party purpose. Do you want a tournament or to celebrate a birthday? Or you could even do both at the same time! If you have a tournament, you can only use so many numbers of players and move up through a pyramid system to winning. Determine if you need an entry fee to cover chips or if each person decides on how much money they spend.

Invite your poker players with card invitations. Use oversized “cards” or simply the shape of a heart, a diamond, a club or a spade. These would all be available at the party supply store. They will also have all of the paper products needed if you will be serving food.

Poker theme products include plates, cup, napkins and tablecloths. Table pieces aren’t really needed since you need the space for card playing. Decorations can be minimal, or extravagant. Balloons in black and red, along with black and red streamers can add a dramatic effect to your theme. Add in a little gold to symbolize money, and you have an elegant look.

Food can be made into fun poker shapes. Cut sandwiches, brownies or anything else into shapes of the cards – hearts, diamonds, etc. Rename food dishes to coincide with your theme. Make Sloppy Joes into King of Spade sandwiches. Make it unique and people will talk about it for weeks after.

Remember to take pictures as people fall out of the tournament. Take a group picture to post on a website or to save and add to if you make it a yearly event. Another good idea would be to donate any profits to a local charity.