Regardless of what the best man may think, it’s the groom who gets final say on what style of bachelor party he’ll have. If the man of the hour isn’t feeling the bar or strip club scene, don’t fret. There are countless other opportunities for fun and debauchery. Here are 25 of our favorite:

1. Shooting range
2. Camping/fishing trip
3. Action movie marathon
4. Rent a classic convertible and drive up California’s Pacific Coast Highway
5. Ultimate Frisbee/Disc Golf
6. Scavenger hunt
7. Flag football tournament
8. Wine/beer/whiskey tasting
9. White water rafting trip
10. Concert of a favorite band
11. ATV rental
12. Sporting event
13. Golf outing or Top Golf party
14. Video game marathon
15. NASCAR experience
16. Grilling or culinary class
17. Group trip to the barbershop, classic shaves for everyone
18. Paintball
19. Man vs. Food tour of your city or state
20. Ski/snowboarding trip
21. Wiffle ball!
22. Casino night
23. Learn how to play Rugby
24. Rodeo School
25. Spontaneous road trip: just get in the car and drive with no destination in mind

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Let’s grow this list. Make your addition by leaving a comment below.

It is normally the best man’s job to throw the bachelor party for the groom. And it is his job to ensure the night is both memorable and original – something that can feel like a tall order. However, why not consider throwing a poker party! At first glance it may seem that a guy’s night out playing poker is not necessarily original, despite being huge fun. However, there are a lot of great ways to turn a night of poker playing into a bachelor party that the groom and your friends will never forget. With the growing popularity of online poker, parties like this are happening a lot more. Pokersites United States has lots of access to the best sites to hone your game at.

When to Throw a Poker Themed Bachelor Party

We’ve all heard the stories of the bachelor parties thrown the night before the “big day” and a hung over groom. It’s much smarter for everyone concerned to hold a bachelor party of any kind a week or so before the big event. That lets the groom have plenty of time to recover and be at his very best for the wedding day.

Choosing a Location

The first thing you have to consider when throwing a poker party is where you are going to have it. For smaller parties, a large basement will work, but if you are going to have more than ten people, you’ll probably want to find a hall.

If the bride and groom are getting married in a church, you might find out if you can rent out their basement for a small fee. Some may frown on gambling so you would have to limit the poker fun to non-money prizes, but those are the most fun anyway.

Your local hotel or motel may have an available conference room where you could have a great poker bachelor party for a low cost. Or, you could go all out and hire a limo, limo-bus or van and go to a local casino to play for real. The biggest drawback of going to a casino for the bachelor party is that it isn’t a private party. However, there is the added advantage of all types of casino games being available, and casinos often offer drinks on the house while you are playing.

Dressing for the Event

Casual attire is okay, but for a real “event,” you should consider a theme. You could make it a black-tie affair like something out of “Casino Royale”, or a roaring 1920’s theme with spats and zoot-suits. For a slightly simpler “costume” you could throw an “Oceans 11” poker party and dress up in 1960s suits. The best thing about the theme parties is that they really create atmosphere and bring a party to life.

What you Need

If you choose to hold your bachelor party at a real live casino you won’t need much but the participants. However, if you are throwing a themed party in a basement, room or hall you’ll need to supply all the typical poker accompaniments

You can throw your poker party with regular card tables if you need to, or find a party supply store, or gaming store and rent real poker tables for an official feel. The number of people you can have at each table will depend on the size and style of the table. Figure on anywhere from 4 to 8 per table.

You’ll also need several new, crisp decks of poker cards and enough chips for the number of tables you plan to have.

What Games to Play

The easiest game for new players who might be at your poker bachelor party is 5-card stud. You can have different games at different tables to let more experienced players choose for themselves, or make it 5-card all around. Texas Hold’em is also hugely popular and most people know the rules of that game from watching it on TV. Any poker games that you find at land-based or online poker sites are a great choice for your bachelor poker party.

Should You Play for Money?

Whether or not you should play for money depends a lot on your personal outlook and, perhaps more importantly, on the outlook of the groom. The bottom line is it is his party, and you should always respect his wishes. Taking money out of the equation can make a big difference in how much fun people have, and a game is less stressful when you are not playing for money.

Foods to Serve for a Bachelor Poker Party

Whatever you do, don’t forget the food. Keep it simple and easy. Finger foods are best and let people eat while they play. Fix or buy deli sandwiches and have plenty of chips and a variety of  drinks available to keep the party on its toes.
Most of all have fun and enjoy the event. Don’t forget to take a lot of pictures so the groom to be can have plenty of memories of the great poker night you made for him.

Stormtrooper Wedding Cake – wedinator

Separate Checklist for Grooms – ben the groom

Grooms Get Revenge with Wedding Cakes – cake wrecks

Ross err David Schwimmer is Engaged to Zoe Buckman – cbs news

Clean Bachelor Parties – askmen.com

[Video] Wedding Procession vs. Bicyclist – evil chili

[Good Times] Photos from a San Diego Adventure Bachelor Party – firefly group events

Learn Your Wedding Vocabulary – staggered