Pub trivia nights are a fun social get together with friends. It only takes one person to discover the local hotel, club or restaurant has a regular trivia night and they’ll organize a small team from workmates, friends or family.
Most of us are more knowledgeable than we think. Trivia is trivia, a touch of general knowledge and a lot of what you are interested in. Do you know someone who watches a lot of TV? Music lovers with a CD collection spanning several decades are useful. Travellors have a wealth of knowledge about locations and their cities and rivers. Amateur chefs can tip the balance if you get a tricky food trivia question. Don’t forget someone strong in sport.
Getting a good team together may be the prime objective for those with a highly competitive streak who are playing to win jackpots and prizes. Most of us are happy to pick up a bar voucher or a free dinner coupon at a trivia night. We’ll still keep attending for the social interaction .
Ten tips for for your first trivia night.
- Turn up around 15-30 minutes before the first comp starts. You’ll be able to get a good table, where you can see the screen and are able to hear the questions, and you can meet the host so he can explain the rules to you.
- Don’t be afraid to drag along a younger or older aquaintance. People from different generations have an individual knowledge base, that can make all the difference.
- Turn off or simply don’t take your mobile phone in with you. Serious trivia night competitors can suffer “cheat rage” if they see you checking your messages. Many hosts take a dim view of anyone playing with mobile phones as well.
- As competitors compete as a team, bring a friend or two along with you, you’ll enjoy yourself more.
- Don’t overdo the geeks on your team. Strong personalities arguing they’re right can spoil the fun for the rest of you.
- If you intend to dispute an answer, be prepared to back it up with a reputable source.
- Put your thinking cap on and come up with an inventive team name. Its far easier to keep using the same one.
- Make sure the person chosen to write down answers has clear handwriting. You don’t want to lose points on technicalities. The best person is also decisive so he or she can play referee when two team members disagree.
- Trust your instincts. The first answer to pop into your head is most likely to be the true one. Don’t overthink it too much.
- Beware of a few trick questions. Ignore the tip above and think carefully before you commit to an answer that seems too easy. Quiz masters love to throw a spanner in the works by playing on obvious answers that are false.