What does a casino provide its customers with? A fun, exciting and risky but exhilarating experience where people can reap the rewards of their own ability to ‘live a little’ every now and then. But are you limited to a casino, or can you recreate this atmosphere within your own means?
Providing a casino based party theme would represent the key values of going to an actual casino, but allows the organiser to choose individual aspects of a casino that they see fit to include, such as certain games, food, drinks and possibly a dress code, all related to creating a realistic casino experience.
Below are some guidelines that explains the necessary planning guidelines to creating a successful casino night that your guests will love. Included are just some areas you need to consider in general, enabling you to pick each planning item and choose specifically what you want and what would work best for you, your guests and your budget!
Pre-Planning – 2 months
Below are some of the most important factors to consider. Setting your budget first of all will allow you to work out realistically how many people you can invite, and therefore what size venue you need to hold your attendees. Once you have established this, you can go onto ordering appropriate amounts of drink, food and other items related quantitatively to how many people you invite.
- Determine your budget – sorting out the budget allows you to decide how elaborate the party will be
- Create a guest list – tying in with the budget, this allows you to sort out the right amount of food, drinks and the perfect venue.
- Procure the venue – will it be a big party or an intimate one, the choice of venue can make all the difference.
- Settle on the date – Weekends are great for casino-themed parties (especially after pay day).
Planning – 1 month
Considering the theme of the party, you will want to provide games that will appeal to your guest list. This should include old favourites like Blackjack and Roulette that people with little or no experience with gambling will understand, as well as more complicated games like Poker. Again all of this should be considering budget and the size of your guest list, as do the apparatus needed for the games such as tables and dealers.
A fun option is to set up laptops throughout the room with online casino games. It’s a great way to ensure the playing is interactive, fun, and as an added benefit, you could save on hiring a dealer. Your guests could play online pokies and feel the excitement of visual, descriptive game play.
Activities – Choose a few easy to learn games
– Put different games in different areas/rooms
– Texas Hold ‘em, Blackjack, 5-card stud, dice games, and roulette to name a few
– Be sure to pair your novices party-goers with old pros
Hiring a dealer – If you’ve put part of the budget aside, ask at local casinos if they know a dealer with a few hours, or ask a knowledgeable friend.
Renting/Organising the tables – if you’ve got enough money in your budget, then look into renting the tables to arrive before the party date. not enough money to rent tables, cover your tables with black felt and use a white poster paint marker to line out baccarat, blackjack and craps.
Planning The Finer Details – 2 weeks
The small things in life often make biggest improvements. To create a realistic casino experience you must consider every aspect of the environment you wish to create. For a 1920’s theme this could be down to intricate things such as cherries provided with cocktails , ambient lighting and suave, chique guest attire. Whatever you want to create, always consider your budget. Always use your imagination to stretch that budget even further or maybe consider researching similar parties. All this will is done to ensure the excitement that the event will offer to your guests.
Invitations – time to send out the invitations to your lucky guests.
Decorations:
– Think Red & Black for colours as well as green.
– Turn lighting down low to give feel of casino
– Decorate the place with fake money, casino chips and cards.
– Provide each person with a bucket to keep their winnings in
– Arrange tables in the rough layout of a casino floor, with enough room for people to circulate the different tables
(Maybe think up some prizes for the biggest winners and losers)
Costumes:
– Be sure to provide your dealers with arm garters and visors.
– Suits and Tuxedos for the men, and sparkly dresses/gowns for the women.
– Pocket watches and sparkly jewellery
Food:
One thing is certain. Stick to finger food. It allows your guests to keep playing even whilst eating.
Going for the high-brow approach? Then maybe some sides of the following:
– Potted crab
– Artichoke hearts
– Oysters
– Shrimp cocktail
If you’re thinking less 1920s and more of a modern-day casino feel, maybe these foods will better suit the party
– Chicken wings
– Chips
– Bruschetta
– Cheesy Garlic Bites.
Drink:
If you have enough money in your budget for a barman, pick out a couple of different cocktails to serve your guests over the course of the night.
Here are a few suggestions:
– Swimming pool
– Martini
– Old Fashioned
If there’s not enough money for a barman though, why not get a couple cases of cheap prosecco and make a bowl or two of punch!
Also non-alcoholic beverages, juices, water (still/sparkling) etc
All of the things considered will provide you with the ideas needed to establish what your party will resemble. Will it be a glitzy, glamorous 1920’s theme, or a more modern day, sophisticated and cutting edge theme? Whatever the decision, using the above will provide you with a great base the work off, and ensure your guests will love their casino experience without even being in one.
Visits: 436
great tips..thank you
I love all outside themes
My friends would love this. It may be expensive, with hiring someone to be the dealer but perhaps we can pool resources so no one has to spend a lot of money.
Love your planning post. I do lots of dinners and party’s and I find that I am always prepared using all of your tips above. So many people get very frustrated when party’s don’t come out as planned because they were not organized properly. Hope everyone learns from your post. Thank you, very well wrote.
What a fun theme party to have! I never thought of having a game night, but it sounds like it would be really fun to go to as well as prepare.
Love the tips for the pary theme! Thanks for the great post!
That sounds like a heck of a party. A lot of work involved but fun!
This is a SWEET idea, thank you for the tip!
Interesting but heavy on the wallet!
Creating a budget and guest list are the most important part this is true
If only I had money enough to pay for parties.
Great idea! This owuld work well for a fundraiser, for sure!
Great ideas! Thanks!
Wow! Sounds like a party I’d love to be at. Sign me up!
I’ve gone to a party put on by my mom’s employer that had the casino theme. They had poker and blackjack tables set up, they had craps and a slot machine they rented. They had fake money and at the end of the night we cashed them in for prizes. It was a blast. Thanks for the information.
I LOVEEEEE the casino idea!!! Looks like it could be so much fun!!
I love this. It takes the ‘theme party’ to the next level. Combine this with a James Bond costume party, and wow!
I’ve never planned a party of this magnitude, but these were some awesome tips. Thank you.
We had a Zombie/Dead things party and it was awesome! the most fun party I’ve ever been to, if I do say so myself!
i never threw a party . but these are some wonderful ideas. if i ever do decide to throw one i will be using some of these great ideas. Thanks so much
hmmmm… it looks interesting! it seems like an exciting idea. I want a glitzy, glamorous 1920’s theme which is quite sophisticated. Now I have some plan for our girls night 🙂
This looks like a great party theme, I’m pretty sure all the guests would have a great time.
What a cool idea! I lived in Las Vegas for 12 years, and the entire city was a theme party!
Great suggestions! This would be so much fun!!