Poker Tournament
| First Name | Karina |
| Last Name | Sheardown |
| kds301@hotmail.com | |
| Club Name | Kinette Club of Duncan |
| District # | 5 |
| Number of Members | 11-25 |
| Community Size | Medium-sized community (20,000-100,000) |
| Community Type | Rural |
| Project Name | Poker Tournament |
| Type of Project (check all that apply) | Ticketed event (Gala, Princess Ball, Comedy Fest, Lip Sync Battle, Trivia Night etc.) |
| If other, please describe | |
| Was this project a fundraiser? | Yes |
| Description of project | I applied for the liquor and gaming licenses in December. I brought the gaming license to the Casino in a neighboring town and got old cards donated (one box each of two separate colors). -I got one member of another club to be the "tournament director" (to set the rules and run the show). -One member of my club was the foodie (chose, purchased, prepped, and served all food). She opted for chili dogs, Munchies, bagged cheese popcorn. -The Kinsmen donated their bar to us, so they stocked it, ran it, and gave us all proceeds. -One other member came to help me check in on people, food, drinks, run chips out/collect money for re-buys, and offer safe rides home (no one opted for this). Day of Tournament I showed up 2 hours early (5pm) to set up the tables and chairs, made coffee, and set up a "registration table" at the door where people paid, and I got their name written down on a ticket stub. Once everyone had paid, we put all the names into a bowl, drew out names and put them in order around tables (first name drew at one chair, and then clockwise around that table until it was full. Then repeat with all tables. (We had three tables of 9). The Tournament Director explained the rules: the person sitting in dealer spot dealt, and the person to their left had a separate deck of cards (in a different color) that were to be shuffled and ready to go when the first hand was over. Once someone was out, they could buy back in for the full price ($60) up to the first break at 8:30pm. Blinds started at 25/50 and doubled every half an hour. Break At the first break (of two 10 minute breaks) we served the food and took care of any extra re-buys. Prizes After we had determined the number of tickets and re-buys, we took $40 of each ticket towards the prizes and gave away four cash prizes ($750, $450, $220, $60). Two people donated $60 back to the Kinsmen Foundation. The top two players decided at about 12:30pm that they would call it a tie and split the pot. After that, we cleaned up the kin hut and left at about 1:15am. |
| Service Hours | 21-50 |
| Did you leverage this project as a way to recruit new members? | No |
| If you answered yes to the question above, please explain: | |
| How was this project promoted in your community? | Word of mouth, and social media |
| What were some challenges you faced with this project, and how could your project be improved? | I was told it would be no problem to sell out our 50 tickets, but as the days approached, we hadn't sold more than a handful; most people were paying at the door. Everyone who committed to coming did show up, but it was concerning how many people we would get. I would open the event up to more people by using posters, and other advertising, but making sure to PRE sell all tickets. |
| What was the approximate budget for this project? | Less than $1,000 |
| If the project was a fundraiser, what were the sources of revenue for this project? | Ticket sales, bar profits. We made $1750 for the Kinsmen Foundation selling 27 tickets, and having 11 people re-buy in to the tournament. |
| If this was a fundraiser, how much money was raised (minus expenses)? | $1,000-$5000 |
| What were the expenses for this project? | Food ($110), liquor license ($37), gaming license ($25). |
| Is there anything else you would like to share that would assist another club in duplicating this project in their community? |