Tourney Bitten off more than he (we) can chew? Charity Tournament advice being sought. (1 Viewer)

[Statesvegas]

So......

As a project for school, my 10th grader decided he wanted to act as a tournament director in a local poker tournament fundraiser. We have held a few two table tournaments at the house before, but nothing of the scale that he was talking about doing. We had participated in a couple of local fundraising tournaments (40-60 players), and figured if the knuckleheads that ran those (players at my house), SURELY he could handle it as well.

We have met with and joined up with a local charitable organization, and we have also got a commitment for a facility to allow us to hold the tournament without cost. They have the space, the parking, adequate tables and chairs and facilities for serving food. We have secured the paperwork for the charity and venue to secure the necessary permits to hold such an event and he has become well versed in the laws pertaining to holding "game nights" such as these and what is permissible vs. what is forbidden. There can be no cash prizes in my home state.....

We have tried to develop an outline on what needs to be accomplished and when, but we are smart enough to know that we don't know what we don't know (You read that correctly). We think we have a good grasp on the big picture, but I am fearing the small details that have yet to be considered by our team.

We are hoping for between 80 and 100 players, but could squeeze in a few more if we can get than many players. The consensus between the charity and the host facility seems that we will not have any problems hitting those numbers. I am not so sure. We are just at 2 months out, and will start advertising the event next week.

My son will not be playing in the tournament since he will be acting as the tournament director. I won't be playing so I can step in when and if any type of conflict were to arise. We are having the charity handle all of the funds coming in for transparency, and I have the chips and cards needed for the event. There is no alcohol consumption permitted at the event (as per the charitable orginazation), and approximately 50% of the participants with be current/former law enforcement officers or former military (or both). Median age will likely be mid 50s.

What are the pitfalls we need to be worried about? Things you wish you had known before hosting your first larger scale tournament?

Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can provide.

 

[UW85]

Brings back memories...fortunately the old Chiptalk was around and a bunch of folks really helped me out. First year I "survived". The second year was much better and by year 3 I had it down pretty well. I have loads I can offer but don't really want to type it all out. A couple quick things IMO to consider. You need ONE point person to handle all the sign ups, money and table placements. Having a designated dealer and/or player-dealer at each table is a must -- they will be invaluable as people go out and you begin to break tables. I used a fairly simple table card system that works great IF you have a dealer at each table. Dead button rule as people go out -- IMO don't try to do something more challenging. You MUST have some sort of PA where you can talk, announce etc. and must make a speech at the start that "You are here for a fundraiser. This is not a casino and it won't run like one. If you can't handle a dead button rule (if they even know what that is) and you want to play with the rules of a casino, I'm happy to refund your money right now so we don't have issues later." IF not, you'll have people who try to run the show for you. Maybe you could send me a personal message with your phone # and I can give you a call soon and talk through what I've learned. For sure, there are many folks here with much more experience and, as always, there are many ways to do things. I just always try to keep it simple and make sure players understand WHY they are there.

Oh, and if possible, get a cute female to help you move players as for sure, at times, players will not be happy with their moves -- simply amazing to watch how differently those players react to a nice female...just the way the world works and I accept that. Ha! Rock on. UW85. Oh, at one point I posted up the system I used for moving players and breaking down tables -- I'll try to find it.

And good lord...how could I forget the most important part. You need ONE set of chips for all players and tables, so start buying! Sure wish I still had the over 7,000 original Pharaohs I used those first couples years! Wonder what those would be worth today! $25 - $1,000 denoms with 5K plaques.

 

[UW85]

HERE ya go. Looks like some of the pic links are broken. LINK

If that link doesn't work (sorry, not great on here): https://www.pokerchipforum.com/thre...-keeping-tables-balanced-in-a-tournament.184/

 

[tabletalker7]

Charity tournaments are easy if you make it easy. I follow these simple steps and I have never had issues with it.

1. NO REBUYS. Too difficult to figure out how much to charity vs how much to prize pool. Besides there are better ways to raise more money for the charity than rebuys.

2. Figure out if you want add-ons or not, and how to handle them. In previous charity tournaments I have run, the add-on was a toy for the "Toys For Tots" bin. I had a guy give people a ticket when they dropped off the toy. They gave me the ticket when they bought in and I gave them the extra chips for the add-on then. Too easy.

3. Figure out your buy in amount. Then figure out how much to charity vs how much to prize pool. I always did a $50 buy in with $30 to prize pool and $20 to charity. I understand this may not apply to you with your state and the laws on charitable gaming, but this list is comprehensive. Sorry.

4. USE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR. I can't stress this enough. Not only will TD seat people, handle your blind structure, move people when needed, and basically make running the thing easy, but you can set your buy in amount and tell it to RAKE THE CHARITY PORTION of each buy in. TD will then handle what the prize payouts are without you stressing about the math. You can also set audible "actions" to communicate information (blind levels) so your tournament manager doesn't have to babysit everything.

5. Take your normal blind structure, and slow it way down. Charity tournaments are not played by people trying to make money from it (the charity takes too much for it to be considered "profitable" to those people). Charity tournament players want to have the social experience. People are putting up a sizable chunk of cash, especially with this being Christmas time, and need to feel like they got their money's worth. I used to take a normal T10K blind structure and run a T20K with it so people would last longer and get their money's worth.

6. 10 minute break after every hour of play. I used 20 minute rounds, so a break every 3 rounds worked. It gives smokers a chance to duck outside and drinkers a chance to hit the can. The breaks also help with the whole "social experience" thing too.

7. 50/50 raffles raise more money for charities than you can imagine. Remember step 1 where I said there was better ways to make money? Here it is. Have someone selling tickets for it right from jump street, and draw it during the second break.

8. You have the facilities available for food. Do you know how much grocery stores will donate to something like this just for the tax write off? Have a 1 hour break for dinner planned in there, and start talking to supermarket management. I never had issues getting hot dogs and burgers and rolls and salads and all kinds of stuff donated. They just want the paper for the tax write off.

9. Take the amount of decks of cards you think you need, and double it. Your players are not professional players, and s**t happens. Be prepared.

10. Figure out what rules you want to use, and have a copy of it on hand. I used RROP version 11 and I have a pdf of it stored on the laptop with TD. I am not saying you will need it, but again, s**t happens. I have run tons of tournaments before, and I still find myself needing it from time to time to make an accurate ruling. Better to have it. Then when a ruling is made and someone doesn't like it, you can show them the rule. That ends disagreements quickly.

11. Your tournament manager needs to be active with the people. They are entrusting said manager to provide the poker experience they seek. Said manager needs to make themselves available to the people. Walk around during play. They don't even have to say anything. They have to see and be seen. If a player needs something, they will speak up, but they can't speak up if the manager is nowhere to be found. The whole politician mantra of "shaking hands and kissing babies" works real well at keeping people happy. Happy people stay longer and spend more.

Wow I started writing this and thought it would be a short quick post. Sorry if I went too far.

 

[Statesvegas]

Great insight and advice. I will be following up later today with questions, and appreciate everyone’s assistance.

 

[doublebooyah85]

You could almost do a shootout to make it easier. 10 single sit and go tourneys. Winners meet at final table.

 

[allforcharity]

Best of luck with this endeavor. Gaming for charity is a win-win for all.

The goal is to raise as much money as possible. Of course you should allow rebuys up to the logical times. Modify your blind structure to keep things timely.

 

[doublebooyah85]

Charity tournaments are easy if you make it easy. I follow these simple steps and I have never had issues with it.

1. NO REBUYS. Too difficult to figure out how much to charity vs how much to prize pool. Besides there are better ways to raise more money for the charity than rebuys.

2. Figure out if you want add-ons or not, and how to handle them. In previous charity tournaments I have run, the add-on was a toy for the "Toys For Tots" bin. I had a guy give people a ticket when they dropped off the toy. They gave me the ticket when they bought in and I gave them the extra chips for the add-on then. Too easy.

3. Figure out your buy in amount. Then figure out how much to charity vs how much to prize pool. I always did a $50 buy in with $30 to prize pool and $20 to charity. I understand this may not apply to you with your state and the laws on charitable gaming, but this list is comprehensive. Sorry.

4. USE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR. I can't stress this enough. Not only will TD seat people, handle your blind structure, move people when needed, and basically make running the thing easy, but you can set your buy in amount and tell it to RAKE THE CHARITY PORTION of each buy in. TD will then handle what the prize payouts are without you stressing about the math. You can also set audible "actions" to communicate information (blind levels) so your tournament manager doesn't have to babysit everything.

5. Take your normal blind structure, and slow it way down. Charity tournaments are not played by people trying to make money from it (the charity takes too much for it to be considered "profitable" to those people). Charity tournament players want to have the social experience. People are putting up a sizable chunk of cash, especially with this being Christmas time, and need to feel like they got their money's worth. I used to take a normal T10K blind structure and run a T20K with it so people would last longer and get their money's worth.

6. 10 minute break after every hour of play. I used 20 minute rounds, so a break every 3 rounds worked. It gives smokers a chance to duck outside and drinkers a chance to hit the can. The breaks also help with the whole "social experience" thing too.

7. 50/50 raffles raise more money for charities than you can imagine. Remember step 1 where I said there was better ways to make money? Here it is. Have someone selling tickets for it right from jump street, and draw it during the second break.

8. You have the facilities available for food. Do you know how much grocery stores will donate to something like this just for the tax write off? Have a 1 hour break for dinner planned in there, and start talking to supermarket management. I never had issues getting hot dogs and burgers and rolls and salads and all kinds of stuff donated. They just want the paper for the tax write off.

9. Take the amount of decks of cards you think you need, and double it. Your players are not professional players, and s**t happens. Be prepared.

10. Figure out what rules you want to use, and have a copy of it on hand. I used RROP version 11 and I have a pdf of it stored on the laptop with TD. I am not saying you will need it, but again, s**t happens. I have run tons of tournaments before, and I still find myself needing it from time to time to make an accurate ruling. Better to have it. Then when a ruling is made and someone doesn't like it, you can show them the rule. That ends disagreements quickly.

11. Your tournament manager needs to be active with the people. They are entrusting said manager to provide the poker experience they seek. Said manager needs to make themselves available to the people. Walk around during play. They don't even have to say anything. They have to see and be seen. If a player needs something, they will speak up, but they can't speak up if the manager is nowhere to be found. The whole politician mantra of "shaking hands and kissing babies" works real well at keeping people happy. Happy people stay longer and spend more.

Wow I started writing this and thought it would be a short quick post. Sorry if I went too far.

11. Your tournament manager needs to be active with the people. They are entrusting said manager to provide the poker experience they seek. Said manager needs to make themselves available to the people. Walk around during play. They don't even have to say anything. They have to see and be seen. If a player needs something, they will speak up, but they can't speak up if the manager is nowhere to be found. The whole politician mantra of "shaking hands and kissing babies" works real well at keeping people happy. Happy people stay longer and spend more.

WELL SAID, ESPECIALLY #11, AGREE WITH EVERYTHING BUT DEEP STACKS ON A CHARITY TOURNEY, NO THX.

 

[bernielomax]

I ran a tournament around 5 years ago that included about 80 people (local association members only).

Few things that made the event nicer:
-I was able to get the sponsors of the event to provide dealers which was nice. Rather than having players deal.
-It was played at a local tavern that had adequate tables and chairs, but I ended up renting poker tables and chips/supplies from a local A to Z rental store.
-If there are prizes, make sure they are present and can be handed out that night.

Couple of things I was not prepared for:
-Cash games forming on the open tables after players bust.
-The number of players that really don't know poker.

 

[Statesvegas]

I ran a tournament around 5 years ago that included about 80 people (local association members only).

Few things that made the event nicer:
-I was able to get the sponsors of the event to provide dealers which was nice. Rather than having players deal.
-It was played at a local tavern that had adequate tables and chairs, but I ended up renting poker tables and chips/supplies from a local A to Z rental store.
-If there are prizes, make sure they are present and can be handed out that night.

Couple of things I was not prepared for:
-Cash games forming on the open tables after players bust.
-The number of players that really don't know poker.

I suspect that a fair number of our players will be novices. Finding dedicated dealers might prove difficult, as anyone I know who knows how to deal proficiently will want to play. I will reach out to the sponsoring charity to see if they can supply some dealers.

 

[Statesvegas]

11. Your tournament manager needs to be active with the people. They are entrusting said manager to provide the poker experience they seek. Said manager needs to make themselves available to the people. Walk around during play. They don't even have to say anything. They have to see and be seen. If a player needs something, they will speak up, but they can't speak up if the manager is nowhere to be found. The whole politician mantra of "shaking hands and kissing babies" works real well at keeping people happy. Happy people stay longer and spend more.

WELL SAID, ESPECIALLY #11, AGREE WITH EVERYTHING BUT DEEP STACKS ON A CHARITY TOURNEY, NO THX.

Point taken. I will make sure my son knows to be circulating throughout the group continuously.

 

[Statesvegas]

Charity tournaments are easy if you make it easy. I follow these simple steps and I have never had issues with it.

1. NO REBUYS. Too difficult to figure out how much to charity vs how much to prize pool. Besides there are better ways to raise more money for the charity than rebuys.

2. Figure out if you want add-ons or not, and how to handle them. In previous charity tournaments I have run, the add-on was a toy for the "Toys For Tots" bin. I had a guy give people a ticket when they dropped off the toy. They gave me the ticket when they bought in and I gave them the extra chips for the add-on then. Too easy.

3. Figure out your buy in amount. Then figure out how much to charity vs how much to prize pool. I always did a $50 buy in with $30 to prize pool and $20 to charity. I understand this may not apply to you with your state and the laws on charitable gaming, but this list is comprehensive. Sorry.

4. USE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR. I can't stress this enough. Not only will TD seat people, handle your blind structure, move people when needed, and basically make running the thing easy, but you can set your buy in amount and tell it to RAKE THE CHARITY PORTION of each buy in. TD will then handle what the prize payouts are without you stressing about the math. You can also set audible "actions" to communicate information (blind levels) so your tournament manager doesn't have to babysit everything.

5. Take your normal blind structure, and slow it way down. Charity tournaments are not played by people trying to make money from it (the charity takes too much for it to be considered "profitable" to those people). Charity tournament players want to have the social experience. People are putting up a sizable chunk of cash, especially with this being Christmas time, and need to feel like they got their money's worth. I used to take a normal T10K blind structure and run a T20K with it so people would last longer and get their money's worth.

6. 10 minute break after every hour of play. I used 20 minute rounds, so a break every 3 rounds worked. It gives smokers a chance to duck outside and drinkers a chance to hit the can. The breaks also help with the whole "social experience" thing too.

7. 50/50 raffles raise more money for charities than you can imagine. Remember step 1 where I said there was better ways to make money? Here it is. Have someone selling tickets for it right from jump street, and draw it during the second break.

8. You have the facilities available for food. Do you know how much grocery stores will donate to something like this just for the tax write off? Have a 1 hour break for dinner planned in there, and start talking to supermarket management. I never had issues getting hot dogs and burgers and rolls and salads and all kinds of stuff donated. They just want the paper for the tax write off.

9. Take the amount of decks of cards you think you need, and double it. Your players are not professional players, and s**t happens. Be prepared.

10. Figure out what rules you want to use, and have a copy of it on hand. I used RROP version 11 and I have a pdf of it stored on the laptop with TD. I am not saying you will need it, but again, s**t happens. I have run tons of tournaments before, and I still find myself needing it from time to time to make an accurate ruling. Better to have it. Then when a ruling is made and someone doesn't like it, you can show them the rule. That ends disagreements quickly.

11. Your tournament manager needs to be active with the people. They are entrusting said manager to provide the poker experience they seek. Said manager needs to make themselves available to the people. Walk around during play. They don't even have to say anything. They have to see and be seen. If a player needs something, they will speak up, but they can't speak up if the manager is nowhere to be found. The whole politician mantra of "shaking hands and kissing babies" works real well at keeping people happy. Happy people stay longer and spend more.

Wow I started writing this and thought it would be a short quick post. Sorry if I went too far.

If we have NO payouts, and ALL the funds go directly to the charity, do I really need Tournament Director? Perhaps breaking down tables is more difficult than I think it will be.

 

[doublebooyah85]

If we have NO payouts, and ALL the funds go directly to the charity, do I really need Tournament Director? Perhaps breaking down tables is more difficult than I think it will be.

No payouts and over 50 people will be a nightmare shove fest. Really like my shootout style. Will make it much easier.

 

[tabletalker7]

If we have NO payouts, and ALL the funds go directly to the charity, do I really need Tournament Director? Perhaps breaking down tables is more difficult than I think it will be.

I won't do it without Tournament Director (I also have it on my laptop so I can take anywhere). TD handles player seating and moving, the clock for rounds, player movement to keep tables balanced ...... It literally can handle EVERYTHING!

Tell ya what man...... Give me all the relevant information. I can make the whole thing here and give you a folder to download with instructions. That way you can download TD, run your event during the 30 day trial period, and if it doesn't sell itself then you can uninstall it and pay nothing for it. The trial version is fully unlocked.

 

[Statesvegas]

No payouts and over 50 people will be a nightmare shove fest. Really like my shootout style. Will make it much easier.

I've participated in a couple of tournaments with a number of people that will be part of ours, and I have to say that they took it more seriously than I would have thought with no money on the line. I am anticipating allowing rebuys up to the first break/color up, as I think the ability to buy back in will stimulate players to be a little more aggressive in the early rounds.

 

[Statesvegas]

I won't do it without Tournament Director (I also have it on my laptop so I can take anywhere). TD handles player seating and moving, the clock for rounds, player movement to keep tables balanced ...... It literally can handle EVERYTHING!

Tell ya what man...... Give me all the relevant information. I can make the whole thing here and give you a folder to download with instructions. That way you can download TD, run your event during the 30 day trial period, and if it doesn't sell itself then you can uninstall it and pay nothing for it. The trial version is fully unlocked.

That is very generous and considerate. Would I be correct to assume that player names are part of the relevant info (I wont have those for a while yet)? Starting stacks, blind structure, level duration?

 

[tabletalker7]

That is very generous and considerate. Would I be correct to assume that player names are part of the relevant info (I wont have those for a while yet)? Starting stacks, blind structure, level duration?

Player names are not needed until they actually buy in. Starting stacks are needed. Blind structure and level duration..... I can make that but if you have a desired format than yes. Also a name of the event and charity would come in handy in making screens for the players to see. Also, any technical information you have on the venue could be helpful. As a learned in April, taking over most of the screens in a bingo hall to show TD turned out easier than I thought.