Poker
Texas Hold ‘Em Tournaments are more popular than ever. More people understand the game today than at any other time in the history of the sport. This makes the game a great fit for all adult ages, both genders, for any charity event, bachelor party, neighborhood gathering, and birthday.
Set a buy-in amount that is reasonable for maximum participation. Most charity events take 1/2 the money off the top and use the other 1/2 for payouts. If you’re running a fundraising tournament, most of your money will be made in offering re-buys and mystery chips. Re-buys simply allow players that are eliminated early another chance. If the original buy-in fee is $50, a reasonable re-buy amount would be $25. Giving the guests the option to purchase the re-buy at a discount to start the tournament ($15) is another way to raise money.
Offering mystery chips is an exciting way to drive revenue. Organizers wrap 3 different denominations in paper or aluminum foil. For $10, players can unwrap a mystery chip that could be worth an additional 10% of their starting bankroll, 25%, or 50%. Event planners must ration the mystery chips so there is a limited amount of the 50% chips.
Having dedicated dealers can make the difference in the world. It’s efficient. More hands dealt, more fun. If you cannot arrange dedicated dealers for each table, be sure to include two decks of cards on each table. Have players shuffle in between hands so at the conclusion of one hand, a second can begin immediately. Appoint a player at each table to handle any disputes should they arise. To control the length of your tournament, keep the blinds moving.
Having a bounty on a player (previous champion, bachelor, who’s birthday) creates extra buzz around your event. You can offer a prize or trophy for the person that eliminates the Bounty by beating them in an ‘all-in’ hand. Consider offering a door prize for the first player that calls an ‘all-in’ or is eliminated from the tournament. Providing more opportunities for people to win something, by spreading the prizes around, always makes a more memorable tournament.
It always helps to have good food (potluck) and beverages included in the original buy-in price. Shuffle up and deal!
