[brightball]

For what it's worth, I've been working from home for about 8 years now. The only way to make it work for me was deliberate social activities with my neighbors, people from church or local charity orgs (Rotary, etc).

I met them, I got their numbers and I started asking them to lunch at least once a week (sometimes more). That small, very determined activity just leads to more. You have to do it very consistently.

Hosting a poker night is very similar. It will start small and sometimes not happen, but you have to be relentlessly consistent to get it established.