Poker Fundraising Advice

One-time Pokerati contributor (and my hunting coach) Nick in Dallas writes in with a request for some charity theatrical poker tourney assistance:

Hey Dan,

So some friends and I are going to throw a poker tournament in February here in Dallas as a fundraiser for a theater production company that we started this fall. Blue Mesa Grill is going to host the games (free appetizers and happy-hour-priced drinks) and we are going to have a $20 per player donation buyin with rebuys. I was wondering if you had any advice/suggestions:

— How often should we up the blinds so that a game starting around 3 on a Sunday will be over by 8 or 9 at the latest?
— Do you know any poker company/group willing to lend/donate us enough chips and cards for 100 people or so?
— Do you know any poker company/group that would be interested in donating a prize?
— Do you know any poker company/group that would be interested in financially sponsoring the event (we\’re tax deductible) in exchange for publicity on our event fliers, website, and performance playbills?
— Do you know ways to publicize this to the Dallas poker-playing community?
— Anything else you think would be helpful?

thanks a lot,
Nick

Nick, as always, good to hear from you. One of these days you will find purpose in your life and ditch the restaurant-service/medical-technology career combo, as well as your passion for the arts and philanthropy, to discover your true calling as a poker blogger. Either that, or you are clearly nothing without Markus and Andy.

In the meantime, click below for answers to your questions:


— How often should we up the blinds so that a game starting around 3 on a Sunday will be over by 8 or 9 at the latest?

You probably want 20-minute blinds. That gives you roughly 15 levels to work with. Generally, the best tournaments start off slow to give everyone play, pick up some blind pressure in the middle, and then slow down to bring skill back into when the money counts. But this will be a charity tournament, so you\’ll want to facilitate rebuys. Don\’t start with an insultingly low stack, but maybe like 3,000 or 3,600 with blinds starting at 25/50. Also, in addition to rebuys, be sure to offer an \”add-on\” … meaning anyone, no matter what their chip-stack, can pay an extra $20 for another initial buy-in\’s worth of chips at the end of the rebuy period, which probably should come at the end of the 4th level.

(You know, I used to actually have different blind structures for different events posted on this site. But i can\’t for the life of me find them … kinda like your posts from back in 2005!)

— Do you know any poker company/group willing to lend/donate us enough chips and cards for 100 people or so?

Sadly, I do not. The poker biz is full of greedy bastards, and most are hurting for money moreso than back in \’06. At the same time, you may find some group that used to throw big events but no longer does that has a bunch of extra poker gear lying around. (If any Pokeratizens can help on this, speak up!) I also recommend contacting karridy – at – gmail dot com for tables.

— Do you know any poker company/group that would be interested in donating a prize?

Sadler & Carter have helped out with some prizes in the past. And they always had good gear. Bluff Magazine has donated subscriptions … that\’s always a nice throw-in … top 3 get subscriptions to Bluff or something like that. And, of course, you could always hit up The Lodge for lapdance coupons.

— Do you know any poker company/group that would be interested in financially sponsoring the event (we\’re tax deductible) in exchange for publicity on our event fliers, website, and performance playbills?

Ha ha, too funny. You said \”financially sponsoring\”! You know, it occurs to me that this isn\’t a charity event — it\’s just a fundraiser for the arts. (How are you tax-deductible?) That makes it more difficult to get help, because while poker players love to say they\’re helping a good cause, few of them have read any Samuel Beckett.

However, there\’s always an interest by those in the poker biz to reach poker players. And with that in mind, I would try hitting up Choctaw in Oklahoma for flyer sponsorship. WinStar\’s good, too, but I suspect you\’re too small for them to give you the time of day.

— Do you know ways to publicize this to the Dallas poker-playing community?
Yes, you should send an email to dan – at – poker dot com. If you get lucky, he may actually answer it. You also should probably take out a big ad on Pokerati. In the alternative, the guys over at BigStack.com (formerly Weston Poker) are nice dudes always looking for some good low-stakes action.

— Anything else you think would be helpful?

Good luck! I look forward to seeing coverage of the event on YouTube … and I\’m sure everyone playing would too.

Oh, also, pack heat in case the Dallas Poker Bandits show up. I\’ll vouch that you\’re a good shot!