Jan 14, 2017 How to Organize a Successful Charity Motorcycle Poker Run or Event 1. Pick a Non-conflicting Date: There is no doubt that Mother Nature can make or break. Organize a Planning Committee: Appoint people to different positions. Choose the Type of Motorcycle Event: There are many different. Organize the game by tables and reorganize as each table loses players. Use a big and small blinds to make the tournament move at a decent pace. You can either use voluntary dealers or have the deal move around the table one at a time.
The high-water woes that has plagued a large portion of the country has reached upstate New York and has threatened the overall success of the 1000 Islands Charity Poker Run, leaving most of the village docks at the scheduled lunch stop in Alexandria Bay, NY underwater and essentially unusable.
With the third installment of their highly successful Poker Run just days away, organizer Nolan Ferris and his team behind the Clayton, NY event decided not to let the high-water issues sink it for their attendees. But rather hunker down and roll up their sleeves. Literally.
“We purchased the materials ourselves and had a group of volunteers, including contractor Lance Peterson from Clayton (New York) that brought his whole (JR Construction) crew, and a friend of mine (Bruce) from New Jersey who’s a contractor and a friend of mine (Brian) from Pennsylvania who’s a contractor–drove up this morning to help us put this together today,” said Ferris. “We had a crew of 16 people and we nailed it out in about eight hours–600 feet of dock, three feet wide.”
After dealing with the town of Alexandria Bay for over a month regarding this issue, Ferris decided last week that it had to be done and to handle it themselves, mainly for the participants who will be traveling great lengths to experience this event–many for the first time.
The Poker Run, which is a 160-mile run out and back across the St. Lawrence River highlighted by picturesque castles and scenery, benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York and River Hospital, which provides Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment to America’s heroes–past and present.
After the docks were installed and complete, the group received a generous $1000 donation from Carnegie Bay Marina in Alexandria Bay for their efforts. The fasteners were provided at cost from Garlock Lumber, also in “Alex Bay.”
In only their third year of running this event, it’s clear that the team truly cares about it and its success. They are excited that so many new people will be coming to the small town of Clayton for some big fun and promises a charity presentation not to be soon forgotten.
COMMENTS
A poker run is an organized event in which participants, usually using motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, boats, snowmobiles, horses, on foot or other means of transportation, must visit five to seven checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one. The object is to have the best poker hand at the end of the run. Having the best hand and winning is purely a matter of chance. The event has a time limit, however the individual participants are not timed.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the record for the largest event was set in 2009 with 2,136 motorcyclists benefiting the Fallen Firefighter Survivors Foundation (FFSF).[1]
The record for the largest single venue event was set in 2012, with 586 motorcyclists raising money for Prostate Cancer research in Ottawa, Canada.[2]
Variations[edit]
Poker runs usually require a fee to enter and some for each additional hand; in some events a small part of the fee may go to funding the event, including the prizes, while the rest goes to the event's charity recipient or club treasury. In charity events usually most, if not all of the funds goes to the selected charity. Prizes, such as money, plaques, or merchandise donated by commercial sponsors of the event, are awarded for the best hand. Some runs will award smaller awards for lower hands or even the lowest hand.
Each checkpoint might offer food or entertainment, either covered by the entry fee or at additional cost. Each participant is responsible to maintain the integrity of their hand during the run. Hands are usually written down or marked with punched holes on a ticket, rather than assembled from actual cards given to the riders. The only requirement is that riders arrive at the final checkpoint by the time prizes are awarded, usually near the end of the day, typically at a party with food and refreshments. It might be required that participants collect all of the requisite number of cards, five or seven, or they might be allowed to miss checkpoints and use a hand with fewer cards, though the odds of a winning hand are much lower.
Transport[edit]
Although most events are on motorcycles, off-road vehicles, boats, or horses, events involving small aircraft, ATVs, bicycles, golf carts, snowmobiles,[3] skateboards,[4] running,[5] canoeing and kayaking,[6] and geocaching[7] have been held.
Dice run[edit]
A dice run is one variation, where instead of collecting cards, participants roll dice at each stop. The object is to have the highest score as determined by the sum of the dice rolls.
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^'Largest motorcycle Poker run - Guinness World Records Blog post - Home of the Longest, Shortest, Fastest, Tallest facts and feats'. Community.guinnessworldrecords.com. 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^'Largest motorcycle poker run (single venue)'. 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
- ^[1]Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^'Poker Run', Silverfish Longboarding - The Longboard Skateboard Community - P - General Longboard Glossary, archived from the original on 12 December 2007, retrieved 2010-07-02
- ^[2]Archived August 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier: Canoe/kayak poker run will benefit ill children
- ^Geocaching.com: First Annual Lillington Poker Run
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Organizing A Charity Poker Run 2019
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