There is no shortage of joints that offer a decent night of trivia around Newcastle and the Hunter, some more competitive than others.

Valentine Bowling Club and Prince of Wales Hotel both host trivia every Tuesday, The Foghorn Brewery on Wednesdays, Redhead Bowling Club every Thursday, and the Royal Crown Hotel at Dudley on Tuesdays (they're hosting a special charity trivia event on July 23 to raise money for local boy Kobe Duck who is battling a rare disease).

If you're a pop culture buff, Nick Milligan's Music and Movies Trivia at The Stag is the place to mull over a few rounds of brain-busters.

"I have aways been a bit of a music and movie nerd, so my trivia is specifically that," Milligan says.

"It covers subjects that I'm passionate about and there's a little bit of TV and pop culture trivia in there, too."

The Stag's trivia includes four rounds of 10 questions, covering recent entertainment news from the week, with a mix of multiple choice questions and visual questions via the big screen.

"There is a David and Margaret [of At The Movies] question too, so I put up a movie and you have to guess who gave it a higher rating - David or Margaret," Milligan says.

"We give away a round of drinks every round by playing a game of heads or tails. All of the teams are eligible to play and the teams with the highest score get to play for a round of drinks."

Here's five places to try trivia:

187 Maitland Road, Mayfield Self-confessed movies and music nerd Nick Milligan had his first taste of hosting trivia at the Cambridge Hotel. He has since moved on to The Stag where he hosts Nick Milligan's Music and Music Trivia in the front bar every Tuesday at 7pm - there's even a few teams from the Cambo days that have followed him over to Mayfield.

The entertainment journalist and author knows his stuff and writes all of his own questions - some easy and others a little more obscure.

Teams are limited to a maximum of eight and entry costs a gold coin, which is donated to a different charity each month.

Each week there is a $40 bistro voucher and a "massive fruit and veg tray" up for grabs, while a $200 jackpot is drawn at the end of the month.

"It's sort of like a raffle. We draw it on the last Tuesday of each month and you get an extra spot in that draw for every week that you came to trivia during that month, so teams that come every week would get four entries in the jackpot."

Bookings are recommended.

31 Morehead Street, Lambton It's a music venue with food, and that's exactly what the trivia centres around at Lizotte's. Hosted by Newcastle muso Ty Penshorn, Think Rock n Food Trivia is not your standard trivia night. There are music-related brain-busters, including questions via video asked by artists that have performed at the venue, as well as food and wine questions which include tastings to test your knowledge.

"The wine comes out in small servings and punters try to guess which one it is from the wine list," Lizotte's spokesperson Mel Murray says, "and the food component is dip plates, so people have to try to guess the ingredients."

A live band, fronted by Penshorn, performs on the night, too.

Upcoming trivia nights will be held on July 18 and September 5.

Tickets cost $10 per person and you can make a night of it by ordering dinner as well. Book a table online at lizottes.com.au

71 Tudor Street, Hamilton If you've ever wished you could put your in-depth knowledge of Seinfeld to use, The Greenroof is the place to do it. The theme of the pub's weekly Monday trivia night changes week-to-week and typically centres around movies, television shows and popular culture - recent trivia nights at The Greenroof have included Seinfeld, Lord of The Rings, Disney princesses and Married At First Sight (the show's Newcastle contestant Nic Jovanovic even showed up to help with hosting

duties that night). Upcoming themed trivia nights include Sex And The City on July 15 and The Office on July 22.

Trivia is held every Monday from 7pm to 9pm and includes three rounds. It costs $2 to play, with up to $500 in prizes to be won. The lightning round cash jackpot grows each week and there are drink specials available. Book a table on 4961 3079.

635 Hunter Street, Newcastle The World's Least S**t Pub Trivia (yep, that's what it's called) is held every Thursday at the Family Hotel, with Newcastle comedian Andrew Milos at the helm of the question asking. Milos, who has a history in Newcastle's comedy scene and organised the inaugural Newcastle Comedy Festival in May, took on hosting duties with the promise of dishing out laughs to keep it entertaining.

"Every show we put on is always busy and we have a lot of fun with it," Milos says. The topics range from "music, movies to all sorts of stuff" and there are bar tab prizes up for grabs for the teams that take out first and second place. Participants also have the chance to spin The Family Hotel's big prize wheel (think Wheel of Fortune) for their chance to win from a pick of what Milos describes as "a bunch of weird little prizes" (glass of goon, anyone?). Milos also ensures the playlist on the night is top-notch. "I play 80s music in the background, so a lot of Madonna, Phil Collins and Prince," Milos says.

Trivia is held every Thursday at 7pm.

458 High Street, Maitland As long-time Herald readers would be aware, Ben Quinn has a way with words. The former Herald scribe has the gift of the gab, too and he puts it to brilliant use as the host of The Imperial Hotel's weekly trivia event every Tuesday at 7pm. His trivia nights have built a faithful following since he took up the post, with the event regularly drawing a full house.

In his own words: "Do you have the guts to stare down the Quizlamic State across the battlefield and stick to your guns

on that Clint Eastwood chin-scratcher to which most people would confidently answer Dirty Harry but you know is actually Sudden Impact thank you very much ... if so, you should really get a team together and give the $70 bar tab and bonus prizes a red-hot crack. Go ahead, make my day."

Bookings essential on 4933 6566.