I need information on holding a poker fundraising event.?

Question

I am a board member on a local charity. We are wanting to hold a poker tournament to raise money. Please let me know some good ideas on how to do this and what I need to watch out for and ways of drawing people in.

We were also thinking of having other card games also to bring more people. What suggesions would you have for that.

We are looking for a good way to earn some money and make people aware of our foundation. We want people to have fun, and want to attend future fundraising events.

Thanks!

Answer 1

The first thing you need to do is determine what you are allowed to do legally. Most places have governmental laws, rules and regulations about charitable gaming. If you live in the United States the laws vary by state.

Where I live the State will give you some help. Assuming you rent equipment the company supplying the equipment will also probably be glad to help you.

You might also try attending similar events held by other charities to see what they do. I have often seen flyers for a future event handed out other similar charity events. That has always seemed like a good idea for me since you know everyone taking one of the flyers some interest in gambling.

Answer 2

Definitely start by checking the legalities of what you are planning on. Not sure where you are located but for instance, in California, non-profits are not supposed to engage in charitable gambling events ...The laws here are pretty rigid and it is a misdemeanor violation with up to 1yr jail-time or a $5000 fine.

So review the laws and regulations before you go any further in planning. If you find that you would not be in violation of relevant laws, then there are some things to keep in mind:
- Arrange for some security
- Decide how many spots you will offer
- Purchase or find a way to get supplies to accommodate that number of people (Poker Chips, Tables, etc)
- Create a pleasant atmosphere

A place to inexpensively find some supplies is:
http://wwwmydealpoker.com

http://mydealpoker.com/index.php?keyword=1000+Poker+Chip+sets

There's a menu at the top. There's also a search for more specific items and some relevant leads on the left hand side.

Answer 3

Hello I go to a catholic school and we have poker nights =) what we do is make flyers and send then home every week we usually have one once a month. To raise money to hold the event we ask buisnesses to donate the supplies needed!!!So there not as expensive!!!hope this works out for you make sure you ask restaurants to donate chiars and stuff

Answer 4

if it is a big group that you are planning on, then you may want to watch out for some poker sharks. they have no lives... they go to these kinds of things, and they can really clean out peoples pockets, making it a misserable experience for the others.
Have drinks and snacks.
Soft music in backround.
Maybe even an entertainer

Answer 5

ever hand must have a $10 to play and $2 get the chips