My friend would tell me horror stories about GTAO until I happened upon the so-called GTAO Solo/Invite Lobby glitch -- so-called because you had to keep constantly checking the player list since players would slowly be added back to your "Solo" session over time.

(Ref. Sid_be_Onit's How to get a solo lobby in GTA 5 without mods)

Everything I learned about Solo/Invite Lobbies for both GTAO and RDO came from Reddit.com.

Your RDO Solo Lobby portal starts here:
https://lmgtfy.app/?q=red+dead+redepemtion+2+solo+lobby+poker&iie=1
and optionally add pc to the search after that but that didn't really help me out much.

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Reddit PS4 instructions:
❗️HOW TO do Poker Table SOLO LOBBY ❗️

Reddit platform-agnostic instructions:
Just experienced my first solo lobby

YouTube allegedly platform-agnostic instructions for tl;dr peeps:
How to Start a PERMANENT 100% PRIVATE LOBBY in Red Dead Online 2020!

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• If you're unfamiliar with jeanropke.github.io maps, then you're doing it wrong...

RDO Main Map (Camps, Challenges, Shops, Animals, Events, Misc.)[jeanropke.github.io]
RDR2 Collector's Map (Madam Nazar's Weekly Collection, et al.)[jeanropke.github.io]

?'s How to buy a large amount of items in Red Dead Online (no processing transaction). using a web browser

HallusH's RDR2 Online: Gold,Cash, Leveling and Roles.

Strzelec®'s Red Dead Online – ability cards and sets

ZER0_K%'s How to Level Up Ability Cards Fast (UPDATED)

Zesty's Online Horse Stats & Selection Guide

ZER0_K%'s Fast Trader Leveling

ZER0_K%'s How to Restock Trader Fast and Easy with Naturalist Role

Heavily-augmented Shrek's More XP with Free-Aim

Henrik's Red Dead Online Collector Webpages with external links

DarkSait's Naturalist Profession - Interactive Animal Map (+Legendary Animals Map)

ZER0_K%'s How to Protect Yourself Against PvP only players

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I rely heavily on the Steam Guides Community and was initially disappointed there wasn't a simple non-firewall rules related way to create a solo lobby the way you use Resources Monitor a la Sid_be_Onit's How to get a solo lobby in GTA 5 without mods.

I actually had to go to Reddit.com (the fount from which all glitches flow) and Google.com.

O RLY? Srsly, WTF.

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My same GTAO friend eventually started playing RDO and told me moar horror stories. I was like, "Your only transpo options are a horse or an even slower wagon?!? Where's the Deluxo?!?" I didn't do any solo lobby research a la GTAO but Steam's discounted Black Friday deals compelled me to at least try.

I told my friend, "If this method does not work, I will not be playing RDO with you. Sorry/Not sorry."

200+ Solo/Private Invite Only Lobby hours later has me saying, "Sorry/Not sorry!" to Public Free Roam sessions.

Another R* Social Club friend is 10,000% required full stop. At least one of you should have will want to use Voice Chat or else your timing may be off.

Ideally, one person will say, "OK, clicking on Poker Invite . . . Processing Invite!!!" which is when you immediately join their game from the R* Social Club Overlay.

Otherwise, may I recommend some Windows firewall rules-based guides?

4kGamer's 4K's Solo Lobby Huckleberry guide

The Mogician's (POTENTIALLY OUTDATED) Invite Only Lobbies and You: The Way It Should Be

I tend to start in New Hanover and Quick Travel or ride to the nearest Poker Table but anywhere is fine.

For best results, have them in a different Free Roam session and Territory. YMMV.

If you are both in the same territory, they may insta-join your Poker Table so it's just worked out better that they are freezing their ass off alone in Ambarino while you get comfy in warmer climates.

You have about two minutes before the Poker Table invite times out so you have One Job:

• Open the R* Social Club overlay
  
• Find your friend's name
  
• Get ready to click on the Join Game button beneath their name

Your voice-chat enabled friend can audibly count down the time before clicking on the Poker Table invite so when they yell,

do your job in Step 6!

You'll need to press <ENTER> twice in order to reach the "Processing Join..." screen

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Join too soon and you'll get an error message saying that you're both already in the same session and you'll get bounced out of the Poker Table private game to somewhere nearby and your friend may wind up at the Poker Table. Booo.

Join too late and your friend will be seated at the Poker Table and one of you has to go so that you all can start over from Step 3.

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Ideally, you'll want to see:

Second runner-up is the Alert that you are already in the same session. However, this may also indicate you have failed -- predicated upon whether or not your friend finds themselves forever alone in their own Game Lobby.

If your friend is forever alone, then great! Move on to Step 9.

• Otherwise, keep coming back -- it works, if you work it.
  
• Wash, Rinse, Repeat from Step 3.

They can send the Invite via the Join Posse invite, but that will only go as far as having you join their session. They'll still have to resend the Join Posse Invite.

This is not meant to be a complete list of things that may/will not work in your private lobby but I have experienced all of the following. YMMV.

COMPLETELY BROKEN:

• Harriet's Legendary Missions so far have never started properly so just start them from a Public Lobby

You will be bounced out to a Public Lobby and you'll have to recreate your private lobby (i.e., can be done as the last shared activity):

• Legendary Bounty Missions
  
• Maggie's Moonshiner Story Missions (Bootlegger Missions do not count)
  
• Harriet's Legendary Missions (if it worked for you)

Assuming you are the Posse Leader, you may attempt to start these Mission activities below but you get a permanent black loading screen. Your Posse can move around but you're screwed. You will have to quit your game and be invited back into the Solo/Private Invite Only Lobby:

• Three-Star Bounty Missions (more likely than One- or Two-Stars)
  
• Cripps' Trader Resupply or Sell Missions
  
• Marcel's Moonshiner Sell Missions
  
• Random Missions with a cut-scene involved

Assuming you're a Posse Member, if an activity fails to start but you're still both able to continue playing, the Posse is now bugged and you cannot Abandon Posse or Stand Down:

• In rare occasions, the Three-Star Bounty and Resupply Missions end up having a weird delayed start and/or you're still be able to do a One- or Two-Star Bounty Missions later on despite being bugged.
  
• You can switch Posse Leaders by having the bugged Leader jump into another session in order to be re-invited back. However, if you try to rejoin their posse, most likely it will still be bugged.

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Worst-case, you just have to re-create your Solo/Invite Only Lobby again.

• What's another ten minutes to recreate The Bliss from FAR CRY 5?

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I made this guide primarily because this guide was missing and more of us PC gamers should enjoy what the console gamers have been glitching for years but also because I have personally benefited from sooo many well-written Steam Guides in my years spent in the Steam Game Client overlay. Please let me know if there are any typo's or if anything is still unclear.

Although ZER0_K% has many excellent guides for RDO, his too-comprehensive How to avoid getting banned because of cheaters/hackers (11.15.20) guide scared me straight from ever wanting to play in a Public Lobby or joining a Public Posse or allowing Randos to join my Posse ever again. YMMV!

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In sum, I wanted to spare others the heartbreak of getting insta-banned or auto-drained of funds simply by joining a session. Also, I wanted to create this guide before Christmas so everyone can enjoy the game The Way It's Meant To Be Played™. (Thanks, NVIDIA®!)

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