Help me plan a "No real money" charity game

[Toonces]

A friend is adding hold'em poker to her annual "Vegas night" fundraiser. This is a charity event where people get chips with their admission fee and try to win enough chips to compete for auctioned off prizes at the end of the night. Also, the organizers are a litle concerned that th 2 hold'em tables will overshadow the BJ, craps and roulette tables (I wonder why...)

That being said, what would you suggest as the most fun format for the poker tables?

[Runner Runner]

Some sort of sit'n go for this would be best and it's not even close. If you have a lot of players that want to play, you would have to make the tournaments go fast by having a fast rising blind structure. This would give everyone a chance to play some cards and maximize the amount raised for the charity. Fast structured sit'n go's would also give everyone a reasonable chance of winning no matter how bad they played, a no limit cash game may not.

As a side note, you may want to consider doing blackjack tournaments as well, where the person with the most chips after a predetermined # of hands is the winner and gets X number of chips for the auction.

[gmunny]

I would suggest a ring game (NL or limit) vs. a SNG. Although SNG's are more fun, I think with only 2 tables, you would have too much time with empty seats. With a ring game, people can come or go as they please and all seats will be utilized. At our company Christmas party we had 4 Hold Em tables and they were full all the time. Good luck.
G$

[KneeCo]

[ QUOTE ]
Although SNG's are more fun, I think with only 2 tables, you would have too much time with empty seats. With a ring game, people can come or go as they please and all seats will be utilized.

[/ QUOTE ]

I voted SnG before I read this, but it is a very good point.

[Toonces]

This is one of the weak parts of the Sit 'n Go format. I figured that if we did all Sit 'n Gos, we would stagger them so one table started on the hour and the other table on the 1/2 hour. We would need a fast enough schedule to finish it in 55 minutes in time for the next group.

If we do No-limit game, I would just need to figure out a good amount for blinds and a minimum buy in. If each person comes in with $5000 and can buy more chips, I would probably do a $1000 minimum buy-in with $25 and $50 blinds. Also, I was thinking that if you go broke, you have to give up the seat to the next person on the list to make sure everyone gets a chance.

[SamIAm]

[ QUOTE ]
we would stagger them so one table started on the hour and the other table on the 1/2 hour. We would need a fast enough schedule to finish it in 55 minutes in time for the next group.

[/ QUOTE ]
No matter what schedule you use, a 10 person tourney still has ~half empty seats. Also, at these sorts of events I've worked at in the past, players wanted to get up when they choose, not sit till they bust. I vote ring game over tourney for these reasons. I think players will over-bet the pot, and bust too fast to be fun in NL, so I voted for ring limit. (This is assuming your goal is to ensure they have fun, not ensure they lose chips to eachother and have to rebuy.)

But RunnerRunner's right. It's not even close. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
-Sam

[Toonces]

Yeah, you guys suck. 50% say Sit n' gos and 50% say ring games. Which would argue for one of each, but hardly anyone suggested that. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[siccjay]

The play No Limit ring games at church picnics around here.

The rake $1 per person per hand. Someone told me a different place raked $2 per hand per person but I didn't see it.

They are making SICK amounts of money and the people can't get enough. There are people waiting to get on every table.

[tubalkain]

[nit]$20 per hand at a full table? No costs other than a minimum wage dealer? Get me a license to rape stacks like that![/nit]

[siccjay]

LMAO

Dealers are volunteers.

The tables were 8 handed when I seen them though hahaha