Putting on a poker tournament, advice welcomed!!

glanman

Hi,

The players in my GAA club are fundraising because the club is skint so we are holding a poker tournament as part of it.

We are have a five card tourament, about 80 seats, €20 buying, buy backs and top-ups to a certain time. Pot will be €1600 with our profits coming from the buybacks and top-ups and raffle at the break. We are holding it in a local pub on a friday night.

So I am wondering, how many at each table, how are these normally run etc...

I am a regualr holdem player but my clubmates have said we will get more older people if its 5 card. What do ye think and any advice on how to make it a success, i.e something that could be made a regular event and will make us upwards of €1000 a time. Cheers

jack90210

5 card draw!! You should defo play Holdem!

glanman

Thats what i have said too but others have been pushing for 5 card because older people dont play holdem.

Would we need dealers at each table?

DAMO72

If its to raise money for your club then i would suggest you hold a race night , it's much more fun for a night out and it raises a lot more money than poker will.

jack90210

You will probably get more people pushing their chips all in pre flop in a NL Holdem tournie then 5 card draw and therefore raise more money since your profit is coming from the rebuys. I've been to some live rebuys tournies and its a complete all in fest.

glanman

Re the Race night:

We had one last year, quiet successful. Probably do it again but it will be harder to get sponsorship from people this time around I would say.

Re NL holdem, good point, will raise that!

Should it be €20 and 10 or 15 rebuy or 20buy in 20 buy back?

would we need a dealer at each table for 5 card or holdem?

Never been to a five card tournament, use chips the same as holdem?

jack90210

If you do go for NL rebuys, start with say a 5000 starting stack and then for every rebuy increase the starting stack by 1000 so for a persons first rebuy they get 6000, then 7000 for the second etc. It means people have an incentive to rebuy. Make the top up amount the same as the person to rebuy mosts last rebuy amount, so if one person rebuys 6 times they would have got 11000 the last time, this should be the top up amount for everyone so theres a great incentive for people to top up. It makes for a **** game for good players until the break but it will make you profits!

DAMO72

glanman wrote: »

Re the Race night:

We had one last year, quiet successful. Probably do it again but it will be harder to get sponsorship from people this time around I would say.

Re NL holdem, good point, will raise that!

Should it be €20 and 10 or 15 rebuy or 20buy in 20 buy back?

would we need a dealer at each table for 5 card or holdem?

Never been to a five card tournament, use chips the same as holdem?

For 5 card draw they usually use printed money like you would use in monopoly.
The rebuy for draw should be the same as the buy in as there will be less rebuys than you would get in hold'em .And i would also make it clear at the start you will be paying out 50% of the money raised on the night .

If you go with hold'em then you could go with €20 + €10 rebuy with all the rebuys goin to the fund and offer double the amount of chips for an add on at the break eg: Starting chips 2.5k rebuy chips 4k and Add on chips 8k/10k . Goodluck with whatever you choose

glanman

Damo: so for making money you would say go NL.

Jacko: Thats a great Idea, it is in our best interests to have as many top ups as possible.

Will we get enough people buying in and topping up at €20 do ye think?

jack90210

Well I played in a very similar one in the Westbury in Malahide, it was 20 euro rebuys as well. Starting stack maybe even 3000. 3 people all in on the blinds first hand. Guy beside had rebought 7 times in less then 30 minutes, think a guy on another table was in 11 times in the same amount. Everyone basically had to topup to stay in the running. I'd never ever play it again but I think its a fine structure for a fundraising tournament. Also, I'd say just do self deal till a few who wouldnt mind volunteering to deal get knocked out.

glanman

Ya I was thinking self deal would be fine because we want club members to be paying and playing as well, instead of being tied down to dealing. There would be no fear of people tampering with the deck and dealing from the bottom no?

How often should we break and when should we stop rebuys?

I was thinking every ten mins for blinds, break at 1 hr for ten and stop rebuys and top ups at 1hr 30, 5 min break. tables of 6(due to pub size more so than anything) and final 6 get payout.

BIG-SLICK-POKER

We Run Casino Nights and they are much more profitable for the charities then Poker Nights and u also get Sit n Gos at the Casino Nights ..

Our website is www.casinonightsireland.com or www.bigslickevents.net

Would be happy to help u raise some money there


Neill

winstons pt

PM sent

thepokerroom

how many runners do you hope to get ?.

glanman

Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by runners?

winstons pt

glanman wrote: »

Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by runners?

Runners = Players sitting down:D

glanman

OK!! We are planning on having up to 80, space becomes an issue in the pub that wil be holding the tournament

Maddogg

€20 rebuy no limit holdem tourney is the way to go.
as Damo says start with a 3k stack and make first rebuy 5K, second 6k and so on and have an add on of 8k-10k at cut off point

Dublin poker nights have run these events in many gaa clubs in the past
contact rob on http://www.dublinpokernights.com/

might be worth getting someone experienced to run it for you!!!

if you have about 80 thats a great number and you are sure to raise plenty for the club but you will need 8 to 10 tables if its self dealt and ALOT of chips

where is the gaa club????

Flushdraw

I think you're getting yourself in way over your head here tbh. There's been some good advice (mainly the people who suggested getting someone else to run it) but you've also been given a lot of bad advice.

If you do anything like starting with a 5k stack, with 1st rebuy 6k, 2nd 7k and so on, you'll need a sh1tload of chips, someone keeping record of how many rebuys players have, table cards incase players get moved etc. Seeing as you are holding it in a pub, you might have to be finished by a certain time so the more chips in play, the harder this will become.

Just start with 3k chips and have all rebuys as 4k and 1 top-up as 5k. That would be the maximum i'd suggest.

If you're running 5-card-draw, you'll need to decide if its going to be limit, pot-limit or no limit. I've never heard of no limit so i'd pressume one of the others. If its going to be self-deal, you'll need people to be aware of the rules and bets and how to calculate pots. You wont get as many rebuys etc. I wouldnt worry too much about older players. They wont be turning up expecting to win millions so they'll probably not care either way.

You should play NL holdem. Its far easier for everyone involved, makes self deal easy and will get more rebuys. You'll probably get more players because there's a lot of younger players will never have played 5 card draw but would love to give NL holdem a bash. If you're running out of time towards the end of the night, you could also speed up the clock and double the blinds to get the game finished. Its a lot harder to push along if it was a 5 card draw tournament.

You cant have levels only 10 minutes long. If its a self deal, that will probably be 3 hands a level. 15-20 mins a level and have rebuys for the first 3-4 levels.
8-9 per table is better pressuming you are getting your hands on poker equipment? If you have 50-80 just pay the final table of 8. If you have less than 50, pay top 6.

Take 20 min break at the end of rebuys and a 10 min break every 90 mins or so to keep the smokers happy.

The most important thing though is to let everyone know that only the initial €20 entry fee is going to the prizepool and that all subsequent rebuys/top-ups is for the club. This will probably have an impact whatever game you run so it may affect rebuys. Just make the situation as clear as day before you begin.

glanman

Chips shouldn't be an issue. Probably have set chips on certain tables and then as players move we will swap there chips off table A to the same chips being used on table B

The Gaa club is in Cork, just of the Dublin/Cork road.

Taken that it is being held in a pub, do we need permission from cops or anything like that? What time should we be starting at, aiming to finish at 12.30 or thereabouts

winstons pt

glanman wrote: »

Chips shouldn't be an issue. Probably have set chips on certain tables and then as players move we will swap there chips off table A to the same chips being used on table B

The Gaa club is in Cork, just of the Dublin/Cork road.

Taken that it is being held in a pub, do we need permission from cops or anything like that? What time should we be starting at, aiming to finish at 12.30 or thereabouts

Moving players and changing/swapping chips as well is going to be very messy. The guards wont really say anything about a fund raiser especially if its for a GAA club, if you want to finish at 12.30 with 80 runners and you have rebuys and top ups, it wont happen, you better think about this very carefully, there is a lot more into it than you might think i wish you all the best with it m8, and hopefully with all of us here on Boards.ie we will get you sorted out

thepokerroom

here is what you could go with, 35 entry (15 reg ) with 1 re-buy or add-on at 25 euro. take 5 euro for your event of the re-buy. so based on 80 players your reg should give you 1200 euro, if everyone re-buys 400 euro, so you should raise 1600 euro. with a good prize-pool. starting stack 5k
with re-buy 6k and 7k for add-on. this would stop a crab shoot.

best of luck with this.

princessandy

Flushdraw wrote: »

I think you're getting yourself in way over your head here tbh. There's been some good advice (mainly the people who suggested getting someone else to run it) but you've also been given a lot of bad advice.

If you do anything like starting with a 5k stack, with 1st rebuy 6k, 2nd 7k and so on, you'll need a sh1tload of chips, someone keeping record of how many rebuys players have, table cards incase players get moved etc. Seeing as you are holding it in a pub, you might have to be finished by a certain time so the more chips in play, the harder this will become.

Just start with 3k chips and have all rebuys as 4k and 1 top-up as 5k. That would be the maximum i'd suggest.

If you're running 5-card-draw, you'll need to decide if its going to be limit, pot-limit or no limit. I've never heard of no limit so i'd pressume one of the others. If its going to be self-deal, you'll need people to be aware of the rules and bets and how to calculate pots. You wont get as many rebuys etc. I wouldnt worry too much about older players. They wont be turning up expecting to win millions so they'll probably not care either way.

You should play NL holdem. Its far easier for everyone involved, makes self deal easy and will get more rebuys. You'll probably get more players because there's a lot of younger players will never have played 5 card draw but would love to give NL holdem a bash. If you're running out of time towards the end of the night, you could also speed up the clock and double the blinds to get the game finished. Its a lot harder to push along if it was a 5 card draw tournament.

You cant have levels only 10 minutes long. If its a self deal, that will probably be 3 hands a level. 15-20 mins a level and have rebuys for the first 3-4 levels.
8-9 per table is better pressuming you are getting your hands on poker equipment? If you have 50-80 just pay the final table of 8. If you have less than 50, pay top 6.

Take 20 min break at the end of rebuys and a 10 min break every 90 mins or so to keep the smokers happy.

The most important thing though is to let everyone know that only the initial €20 entry fee is going to the prizepool and that all subsequent rebuys/top-ups is for the club. This will probably have an impact whatever game you run so it may affect rebuys. Just make the situation as clear as day before you begin.

Should definitly consider this,best suggestion so far in my opinion!!!....Would you have the space to maybe have a small 5 card draw game for the older crowd aswel as the main holdem game??

The Clamper

i CUT MY TEETH ON THESE 5-CARDRAW TOURNEYS, LONG TIME AGO NOW

sorry its so far from Dublin or I would have gone and run it for you, They still run these tourneys in the Fitzwilliam, perhaps give Denise a call and she will talk you through the best way to manage it on the day, to max the value for the players and the fund

there is a standard method to running them, its easy once you get in on it

the one in the Fitz ends relatively early and of course 5 card always ends when you are down to 4 players, unlike Hold'em which has to end with just one player

fwiw, most players, old and young alike, have watched hold'em on TV and have a decent grasp of it, I suggest that you switch to Hold'em for your next event, if it isnt too late to change now

also, you couls ask one of the older players coming to your event, how they see it running and get their ideas from tourneys they played already

GL with it

Derek

kakak1

glanman wrote: »

Re the Race night:

We had one last year, quiet successful. Probably do it again but it will be harder to get sponsorship from people this time around I would say.

Re NL holdem, good point, will raise that!

Should it be €20 and 10 or 15 rebuy or 20buy in 20 buy back?

would we need a dealer at each table for 5 card or holdem?

Never been to a five card tournament, use chips the same as holdem?

I have a set of Rules for 5 card Draw tournament, if you PM me your email address I can send them to you.

tipp86

Im guessing the club is Glanworth.

Heres my suggestions.

I make the buy in €30 + 5 reg. I make the rebuys €15.

4000 starting stack + rebuys 4000 + top up at break 6000

I would have 20 minute levels.

Assuming you get 80 runners i would estimate that this would make the club €3200. I would assume an average 2.5 rebuy/add ons per person.

Big tip if you could run maybe 2 cash games for players who exit these games could make €120 + an hour which would be a nice bonus on top.

Make sure you are aware of the correct blind levels people here can help you out.

If its five card draw i would make it pot limit.

Slash/ED

Is pot limit just complicating a self deal tournament and also restricting rebuy potential? No limit 5 card draw is fine surely, they spread it on Stars, don't see why you can't do NL

tipp86

Slash/ED wrote: »

Is pot limit just complicating a self deal tournament and also restricting rebuy potential? No limit 5 card draw is fine surely, they spread it on Stars, don't see why you can't do NL

I dont know id say it would be pretty ridiculous and i reckon any reg 5 card draw player wouldnt like it as i think a lot of 5 card draw is half the pot limit. It would essentially be a different game.

The Clamper

USUALLY IN 5-CARD, SOMEONE HAS TO OPEN WITH A PAIR OF JACKS OR BETTER HAND, THIS IS USUALLY FOR HALF THE POT

THERAFTER, SOMEONE CAN RIASE THAT TO DOUBLE THE LAST BET, in this case, the pot

the pot must be opened for half the pot, however if a players doesnt have half the pot left in chips, then another player can make a pot bet, for the full pot amount

therafter, half the pot if usually considered the size of any bet, riasing by double the previous bet

NL in 5 card draw, while not impossible, is not normal

incidentally, the original pot is made up of a blind bet by the dealer
in some cases, the pot is made up of a small blind from every player of say a tenner, with the dealer bringing in for 20

connie147

Hi there,
dunno much about hosting 5 card draw tourneys, but it cant be much different organisation wise.

1)--If you decide to keep all rebuys and top-ups for the club cause, you wont get any poker players to support it other than club members as there will be too much taken out of the prize-pool.

2)-- A better way of doing it and probably raises as much money is:

a)-Get the tables sponsored by local businesses/ club supportters so that when a player picks his seat, instead of being on table 1, seat 7 he is going to be on table "Musgraves cash and carry", seat 7. Put a list up in the bar of the table sponsors, charge €150 to sponsor a table. 80 players equates to 14 tables of 6 (5 card draw has tables of 6), so 14 x €150 = €2,100.

b)- Now advertise it as buy in €30 + €10 reg (10 reg for the club)
Rebuys are €20.
Top-up is €20.

4,000 chips to start, rebuys 5,000 chips for 80 mins (4 x 20 min blind levels), top-up 6,000.

You should also utilise the double top-up in your fundraising. Say a top up is 6,000 chips for €20, a double top-up is 15,000 chips for €50.

You can let all the €30 entry fees, all the rebuys and all the top-ups go into the players prize-pool. The extra double top-up amount of €30 can go to club funds. That way, your not raping the prizepool.
Of the expected 80 players, at least 60 of them will do the double top-up,(from my experience of running fundraising events), so thats:

60 x €30 = €1,800 (double top-ups)
80 x €10 registration = €800
14 x €150 table sponsorship = €2,100.

Thats a total of €4,700 euro you could generate (we did one for a soccer club near my home town that generated over €6,000), and the best thing about it is because your not raping the prizepool, peolpe will play in the tournament who have no real interest in the club.

If you need any further advice on it, ask here or pm me if you like.

Connie

Four of a kind

connie147 wrote: »

Hi there,
dunno much about hosting 5 card draw tourneys, but it cant be much different organisation wise.

1)--If you decide to keep all rebuys and top-ups for the club cause, you wont get any poker players to support it other than club members as there will be too much taken out of the prize-pool.

2)-- A better way of doing it and probably raises as much money is:

a)-Get the tables sponsored by local businesses/ club supportters so that when a player picks his seat, instead of being on table 1, seat 7 he is going to be on table "Musgraves cash and carry", seat 7. Put a list up in the bar of the table sponsors, charge €150 to sponsor a table. 80 players equates to 14 tables of 6 (5 card draw has tables of 6), so 14 x €150 = €2,100.

b)- Now advertise it as buy in €30 + €10 reg (10 reg for the club)
Rebuys are €20.
Top-up is €20.

4,000 chips to start, rebuys 5,000 chips for 80 mins (4 x 20 min blind levels), top-up 6,000.

You should also utilise the double top-up in your fundraising. Say a top up is 6,000 chips for €20, a double top-up is 15,000 chips for €50.

You can let all the €30 entry fees, all the rebuys and all the top-ups go into the players prize-pool. The extra double top-up amount of €30 can go to club funds. That way, your not raping the prizepool.
Of the expected 80 players, at least 60 of them will do the double top-up,(from my experience of running fundraising events), so thats:

60 x €30 = €1,800 (double top-ups)
80 x €10 registration = €800
14 x €150 table sponsorship = €2,100.

Thats a total of €4,700 euro you could generate (we did one for a soccer club near my home town that generated over €6,000), and the best thing about it is because your not raping the prizepool, peolpe will play in the tournament who have no real interest in the club.

If you need any further advice on it, ask here or pm me if you like.

Connie

Very good idea this Connie. Would be a cool way to run a fundraiser.

Have you ever thought about organising tourneys yourself Connie? :D

The Clamper

dont forget the max number of players at each 5-card draw table is 6

6X5 =30 + possible 3 cards drawn each player = 18 added to the 30 = 48

unless you decide to have 7 players, which may mean digging out cards from the muck for drawing cards