Poker Fundraiser Suggestions

levendis · May 11,2010, 10:16 AM

Hi guys, new to this forum and the poker scene, although I do get together with friends for casual games.

I would like to hold a fundraiser for our Minor Hockey team and I just want to get some ideas as how to get something like this started.
I've seen in another thread, someone is holding a similar event at Max's Diner in Mississauga. Are there similar venues in the east-side of Toronto that organize such events? Halls, bars, restaurants?

Any suggestions and or information to get me started will be greatly aprreciated.

George

pokerJAH · May 11,2010, 10:39 AM

get ready for the illegal poker event posts

just ignore them, they will go away eventually.

Best thing is to just run it yourself or all your donations will go to overhead costs. You can probably find someone on this site to be the tournament director and then all you really need is a location (probably find a hall willing to hold it for a worthy cause) and cards/chips. For one night, I wouldn't bother with dealers/poker tables as then it gets too complicated. There are lots of 'charity events' listed on this site so you can probably find a few people that have run these kind of events before. Good luck in any case.

levendis · May 11,2010, 11:03 AM

thanks, pokerJAH.

that was the idea, to run it my self. i know someone that could be a tourney director. where would i be able to get cards and more so, chips for 50-100 players? if anyone else reads this post, please do not hesitate to reply. in the meantime, i'll keep searching.

george

HVEEPOKER · May 11,2010, 06:50 PM

Pretty simple as I have made some discreet enquireys about card Games.
The Police really don't want to bother with the little guys who run small tourneys out of their houses or leagues that do the same.
their big concern is the ones who are running major cash games, Taking a rake (earning a profit) selling liquor without a license and those who have a couple of randy females who don't mind offering their services upstairs for a fee.
Basically charities and minor sports leagues can apply for a permit to run a casino night to raise funds for their respective whatever.
If you go this route you are better off to run an event in a hall where you have control of the food and bar.
I have been to a couple of these and they were good.
In order to serve alcohol you would have to hire and pay bar staff who have smart serve certification.
I am currently discussing a tourney with the group I play with to figure out which way we are going to go.
Good Luck.

levendis · May 11,2010, 07:58 PM

hveepoker, got the idea. just wondering, can we apply for our own license and serve alcohol our selves? shouldn't be too hard to organize i guess. just got to find lots of chips now.

thanks hveepoker & pokerJah for your replies

gruven72 · May 14,2010, 05:06 PM

The AGCO has apparently hired three more inspectors, so expect more of a crackdown.
Also, a casino night license does NOT allow for poker. Poker falls under a different category-lottery, as a matter of fact- and is not allowed under a casino night license.
Your best bet is just run it quietly, and try to avoid advertising anywhere. Also check with the hall, because some of them will no longer allow poker nights.
Spend the money to hire a real tournament director, because knowing how to set the levels and co-ordinate they rebuys and add-ons is not as easy as you might think. It's a delicate balance: if you hit it just right, you get about 50% rebuys, and 70% of the remaining field to add-on. Do it wrong, and those numbers drop significantly.
Good luck!

levendis · May 14,2010, 09:43 PM

Thanks for the reply, gruven72, but how can a tourney director be able to set levels and co-ordinate the rebuys and add-ons to reach those kind of numbers and even more so, how much would a GOOD director cost me?

George

gruven72 · May 15,2010, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by levendis

Thanks for the reply, gruven72, but how can a tourney director be able to set levels and co-ordinate the rebuys and add-ons to reach those kind of numbers and even more so, how much would a GOOD director cost me?

George

Well, think of it this way:

You are going to have rebuys for a certain number of levels: if the structure is too fast or too slow, you will miss out on a lot of rebuys- if it's too fast, people wont rebuy because they realize it's a bingo game. If it's too slow, not enough bust out, and your rebuys are minimal.
With the add-on, the amount of chips provided for the add-on (and it's NOT necessary to provide the same amount of chips as a rebuy!) has to be enough to make sure the big stacks still add-on and the small stacks do it to keep themselves in contention.
You also dont want to come across as making a cash grab, since that will kill your RB/AO action as well.
A good TD will probably cost you a couple of hundred dollars, but they can make you an extra thousand. Remember, if you rent equipment, the people you rent from have already made their money: they dont want to be there any longer than they have to, so they have no incentive to create a good structure, just incentive to create a fast one.
As for finding a good TD, there are a few. Just find the ones that do the BIG charity tournaments, and you know they know their stuff. A big charity tourney might bring in between 60K-80K, so a good TD can make or break an event like that.