Walking into your first pub quiz can feel intimidating. Everyone else seems to know what they're doing. The experienced teams have their rituals and their usual spots. Here's what you need to know to have a great first game — and many more after it.
15 Beginner Tips for Pub Quiz
Before the Game
- Arrive 15–20 minutes early. Registration, seating, and getting your drinks sorted is easier when you're not rushing.
- Eat before you go. A hungry team makes bad decisions in later rounds.
- Pick a team name in advance. Don't waste your first 5 minutes debating. Have one ready.
- Check the venue's team size rules. Most allow 2–8. Don't show up with 10 people and have to split up.
- Turn off phone notifications. Distracted teammates miss questions. No phones during rounds is the rule anyway.
During the Game
- Write something down — always. A wrong answer is worth as much as no answer (nothing). A guess at least gives you a chance.
- Trust your first instinct. The most common mistake in trivia is knowing the right answer and debating yourself into the wrong one.
- Designate a writer. One person writes the final answer. This prevents two people writing different things simultaneously.
- Don't show your sheet to other teams. This is cheating and ruins the experience for everyone.
- Listen to every word of the question. Hosts often embed key information mid-sentence that teams who aren't fully listening miss.
- Ask for repeats early. If you didn't hear the question clearly, ask the host to repeat it. Don't wait until the last second.
- Manage betting rounds carefully. If a wager round exists, bet conservatively when you're uncertain. Many games are won or lost in wager rounds.
After the Game
- Don't argue about disputed answers after the game. It rarely changes outcomes and sours the experience. Save feedback for the host's post-game question period.
- Review what you missed. 10 minutes of post-game review teaches more than 2 hours of random study.
- Log your game. Start tracking from day one. MyTriviaTeam takes 30 seconds and builds your history automatically.