Charity Poker Tournaments

I recently got back from one of the most enriching poker-playing trips I'd taken in a long while. No, this isn't going to be a column about how much money I won playing overseas. It was a rewarding trip in a different sort of way. Before I tell you why it was uniquely rewarding, I'd like you to think a little bit about poker playing and money.

Think about this: In the year 2001, The New York Times estimated that 45 million Americans played poker on a regular basis. That was primarily before Internet poker and the televised World Poker Tour. What do you think the number is today? 55 million? 70 million? 100 million?

Let's be conservative and estimate that 50 million Americans play poker regularly. What does regularly mean? Every day? Every week? Every month? Let's say it means only an average of 10 sessions a year. I know this number is probably extremely low, but stay with me.

How much money, on average, do you think people intend to play poker with per session? By this I mean money they bring to a game – not how much they lose. Again, let's err on the side of caution and estimate that poker players, on a regular basis, take an average of $20 to a game.

Given these deliberately underestimated numbers, the amount that Americans play poker with each year in the United States is absolutely staggering. It's $10 billion a year. Think about it – $10 billion! That's a whole mess of money.

Now, think about something else. Think about the image of poker and poker players in the minds of the general public. Very positive? Negative? Kind of negative? I'd go with the last image for most people. True, it's changing, but most people still would rank a poker player somewhere beneath a bowler but above a politician – not at the very bottom of respectability, but below the median.

We serious poker players – for the most part, I'd suggest – would like to change that image for the better, if for no other reason than to attract sponsors for tournaments and to bring more favorable publicity to the game we love. True, some of us kind of like the old-fashioned, somewhat seedy image of being a rounder. But when we think about what's really good for the game, a bit more respectability and positive exposure would be a good thing, no?

Finally, think about this: one-tenth of 1 percent. It's practically nothing. It's a tithe of a tithe of a tithe. It's one-tenth of a penny – practically nothing, right?

If the poker-playing community gave to charity one-tenth of 1 percent of all the money wagered in poker, it would be donating no less than $10 million a year. Now, that's a lot of money for charity – enough money to get noticed, and enough to earn some respect from even the most critical anti-gambling zealots.

It's more than just a thought. Many people have already begun to organize poker fund-raising endeavors. And you know what else? These tournaments are a blast.

OK, let's get back to my initial story – my enriching poker-playing trip. I played in a terrific charity tournament. I didn't make a penny, although I finished eighth out of nearly 100 entrants. In fact, it cost me $100. But it was still very, very rewarding.

This charity tournament in Port Chester, New York, was held to benefit Multiple Sclerosis. A fellow by the name of Jason Daloia ran it. His mother-in-law, who suffers from MS, inspired him, and he did a great job. He brought together nearly 100 people who ponied up a total of more than $20,000 to play no-limit hold'em for some very nice prizes (no cash) and a very worthy cause.

We contestants played for real – for about seven hours – and got a double reward. The game was exciting, well-organized, and dramatic – and the product was not just the prize at the end, but the satisfaction of knowing that we had made a difference in the world, raising thousands of dollars to help conquer a debilitating disease.

Many of us who participated were inspired by people we know who have MS, or by our own concerns about this mysterious crippler of middle-aged adults. But any charity is a potential beneficiary. All it takes, really, is someone with a lot of energy and some organization skill, a worthy cause, and some willing poker players.

Jason ran his tournament with nearly 100 percent of the $100 buy-in and $100 rebuys and add-ons going to the charity. There were no cash prizes, so the only amount that didn't go right to the charity went for the purchase of a couple of the larger prizes, the hall rental, and some of the food for the event. The dealers donated their time. Manufacturers donated the chips and cards. Card Player donated a copy of its latest issue to every entrant. The master of ceremonies (me) donated his services and his auctioneer skills for a charity auction that raised additional money for the charity.

This MS Charity Tournament looks like it will last for a while. The event organizers hope to move it to Foxwoods next year. With the expert help of the Foxwoods staff, they'd like to turn it into a much larger event that could garner even greater public support and raise more money for MS. Stay tuned. Maybe we'll see it as a featured event on the World Poker Tour someday. I hope so. It would help a terrific charity and boost poker's image at the same time.

This MS Charity Tournament, however, is surely not the only charity game in town – far from it. In the last few weeks, five different groups looking for help organizing their charity tournaments have approached me.

There are many different ways these charities raise their money from these events. Some just take 25 percent to 50 percent of the buy-ins right off the top and donate it to a charity, then play the tournament just as they would in a casino, with the prize pool being distributed to the winning players. Some have pledges from the players before the tournament starts, a certain percentage of their potential winnings to a designated good cause. Still others are planning to have pledge sheets, like they do for the many walk-a-thons that raise money for charity. Poker players participating in this type of event get a starting chip stack that reflects how much money they were able to raise in pledges for the event. Talk about an incentive to hit up your friends and family for a good cause!

There surely will be, in the coming year, many opportunities for us poker players to participate in tournaments such as these. If you haven't yet done so, I can assure you that playing in these charity events is fun and rewarding – well worth the cost of admission. I believe the publicity and goodwill that they create for poker and poker players is very good for the game. And, of course, it's surely good for the world!