How to run a great pub quiz

Running a pub quiz might seem simple, but there's an art to creating an evening that keeps people coming back week after week. Whether you're a first-time quizmaster or looking to level up your game, this guide will help you create an unforgettable quiz night.

Planning your quiz

Choose the right number of rounds

Most successful pub quizzes have between 4-6 rounds, with 8-10 questions per round. This typically takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours, which is the sweet spot for keeping people engaged without exhausting them.

A good structure might look like:

1. General knowledge - A warm-up round to get everyone started
2. Specialist round - Music, sport, geography, etc.
3. Picture round - A visual break from pure trivia
4. Current events - What's been in the news recently
5. Wild card - Something unexpected or themed
6. Final round - Often with double points to keep things exciting

Balance your difficulty

The key to a great quiz is getting the difficulty balance right. Aim for roughly:

• 30% questions most people will get
• 50% questions that are challenging but gettable
• 20% questions only the real trivia buffs will know

This keeps everyone engaged. If questions are too easy, it's boring. Too hard, and people give up.

Writing great questions

Be specific but fair

A good question has one clear, unambiguous answer. Instead of asking "Who wrote Hamlet?" (which could technically be "Shakespeare" or "William Shakespeare" or even "the Bard"), ask "In which century was Shakespeare's Hamlet first performed?"

Avoid trick questions

Trick questions might make you feel clever, but they frustrate players. Your job is to test knowledge, not to catch people out with wordplay.

Mix up your topics

Don't make every round about the same subjects. Think about your audience - if you're running a quiz in a sports bar, yes, include sport, but don't make it all sport. Variety keeps things interesting.

On the night

Set the pace

Keep things moving. Dead time while teams wait for the next question kills the energy. Have your questions ready, your answers prepared, and keep a steady rhythm.

Read clearly and repeat

Read each question clearly, then repeat it once. Some people need to hear things twice, and background pub noise can make it hard to catch everything first time.

Be a host, not just a reader

Inject some personality! Comment on interesting answers, make jokes, acknowledge good scores. You're not just reading questions - you're entertaining people.

Handle disputes gracefully

Sometimes teams will challenge an answer. Have your sources ready, but also be prepared to accept alternative answers if they're genuinely valid. A quiz should be fun, not a courtroom.

Tech tips

Using a tool like quizquiz.co can make your life much easier:

• Create presentations that display questions on a big screen
• Include picture and music rounds without faffing with multiple devices
• Track scores automatically
• Reuse and adapt your best quizzes

Final thoughts

The best pub quizzes have a host who genuinely enjoys what they're doing. Your energy is contagious - if you're having fun, your audience will too.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Try new round formats, different themes, or unusual question styles. Pay attention to what gets the best reactions and do more of that.

Most importantly, remember that a quiz night is about bringing people together. The questions matter, but the atmosphere matters more. Create a space where everyone feels welcome, and they'll keep coming back.

Happy quizzing!