Organize Your Charity Poker Night in 6 Steps

You’re a generous person, and you want to support causes that are dear to your heart. That’s commendable indeed, and you want to make sure that your charity event raises the most possible money as possible.

Holding a charity poker night is an excellent option. The overhead costs on your end will be extremely low, and since people actually like to play cards, lots of people will show up to play. After all, who really wants to go to another boring charity dinner gala? A poker night offers something exciting and different, and for a good cause. Here’s how to pull one off:

1. Estimate your expected attendance.

Try to predict the potential turnout of your event. You don’t want to end up with more attendees than available spots, and on the other hand, you don’t want to end up in the hole due to overestimated expenses.

You’re probably not a psychic, so you don’t need to be exact- a basic estimate based on your area’s population and demographics will do. You don’t want to end up with more attendees than available spots, and on the other hand, you don’t want to end up in the hole due to over-projected expenses.

2. Find an appropriate charity poker event venue.

You’ll need to find a hall large enough to support your expected number of attendees. You’ll also need to make sure that the venue you rent is legally allowed to house your event- i.e., the hall has the proper event permits in your jurisdiction.

Most social clubs rent out their halls for private events- those should be your first stop. Many public or private community centers also have halls available for rent, as do some schools, colleges, and universities.

3. Acquire the necessary poker supplies and hire poker tables.

You’ll need the proper amount of tables, chairs, decks of cards, dealer buttons, and chips to ensure smooth play at your charity poker event. If you live anywhere near a town or city, there is most likely a retail recreation outlet that rents poker tables for events of all sorts. Call them up, and try to negotiate a package deal including all the supplies you need. Often, shops will give you a discount if you rent in bulk. Better yet, try and persuade the shop owner to waive all or part of your rental fee in exchange for advertising at your event.

Find an appropriate number of dealers to handle the smooth operation of the tables. Dealers will generally charge anywhere from £25-40 ($35-$50), which is well worth it. Imagine having to find enough of your friends who are both capable of dealing professionally, and willing to work for free. Worse yet, imagine having to deal a table yourself, while trying to run your event. Not likely! Hire a pro.

4. Generate a buzz about your poker night.

Your event at minimum needs to meet your bottom-line costs, so raising awareness of your event is critical. Of course you should be spreading the news of your event as much as you can via word-of-mouth, but that alone will not be enough. A key to charity event success is media publicity.

To try and get airtime on television and radio, you should submit press releases announcing your event to all regional media outlets. Write convincing press releases that appeal to the wants of mass media- highlight the fact that all proceeds go to charity by including an emotional story related to the cause.

Usually, major media outlets have a designated person who is in charge of receiving and reviewing press releases. Check each station’s website for a direct contact, or call them up to inquire about where to send your press release.

Remember, the goal is to get your event advertised on the news. The news likes exciting content that viewers will like. Sending a TV station a sensationalized, heart-warming story related to the charity you promote will increase your likelihood of getting airtime, as opposed to a boring, “come here on this night” advertising message.

5. Attract some sponsors to donate prizes.

Poker is fun to play and all, but who’s really going to show up if there are no prizes? Try to convince local businesses to donate cash or material goods as prizes in exchange for advertising.

If you offer a valuable prize, you will attract more players to your poker night. Offering a poker-related grand prize, such as entry to an international-scale real money tournament, will ensure a huge turnout of poker players.

A grand prize that can be publicized will be beneficial to you. People respond to incentives and to some, charity and benevolence is not an incentive to get out of their houses. If you offer them a great prize however, they might be more likely to come.

When approaching a business owner for sponsorship of a charity poker or casino event, make sure you stress the fact that their enterprise will gain tons of positive publicity by donating to your event. Business owners love looking good in the public eye. If there is already a media buzz surrounding your event, you have more bargaining power- perhaps you could rename your event to include the business’ name, in exchange for a generous donation.

6. Make some money for your charity!

There are a few ways to generate cash from your charity poker night. The most common way is to charge players a set entry fee to play in a poker tournament. A less popular method is to hold a cash game, and keep a percentage of each pot played.

If you plan on charging an entry fee or raking pots, make sure that doing so is legal in your jurisdiction. Check your local regulations to determine the legality of holding real money poker events in which the host takes a cut.

There are other, more indirect ways of making money from your poker night as well. You might offer beverages and food for sale at your event, for a fee. Perhaps you could sell poker-related merchandise, such as playing cards or chip sets. The possibilities are endless!