Poker Run – You might be thinking running is involved but it is not. A Poker Run is a great way to spend a few hours whether it is for a family reunion or a community event. Never played Poker before? No problem. We will share this fun activity that you can organize on your next vacation with friends.
#1 Great Venue
Find a great venue. It can be someone’s home, a park, a community center or a resort that you and your friends decided to meet up at. If you are going to have your players drive to multiple locations, let them know in advance. If you are going to provide alcohol at the stations, I recommend not having stations that players have to drive to.
#2 Deck of Cards
Bring multiple decks of cards. We played 5 card poker. Therefore we had 5 decks of cards. Also, note that we played with 43 people. There is no limit to the number of people playing because the deck of cards stay at each station.
#3 Map and Score Card
If you are staying at a resort, get permission from the manager first. See if they will allow a staff member to hand out the cards at the station. Create a map of all your locations and then provide it to the players. This helps the players to spread out and not all be at the same station at the same time.
Provide each player with a scorecard with rules at the bottom.
#4 Stations
At each station, the cards are set out randomly. Each player chooses a card and the host at the station marks and initials on the scorecard the playing card like 4 of clubs. Then the card gets put back into the pile.
The organizer for our stations was very creative and had themes at each station. For example, one station was a Gin distributor and they had samples of different types of gin. Another station was an ice cream bar with all the toppings. This also helps keep people at locations for about 5-15mins.
#5 Prizes
Games are fun when there are prizes. There was a time limit for this game. We were given 1.5 hours to visit all the stations. Then we met back at one central location to turn in our scorecards and determine the winners. Note: our stations required driving to different locations. If you are doing that provide extra time.
The Poker Run game we played had a winner for the Best Hand and the Best Worst Hand. There was a big scoreboard in the final location. As players came in, the organizer would determine if it would beat the best or worst hand and update the scoreboard. The winners were determined by standard poker rules.
The winner of our game had 5 fours. That is very lucky. He won Diamondback Baseball tickets. Every player won a deck of cards from the organizer. The deck of cards was a nice bonus.
Poker Run
This was great fun and simple game to play with good friends and to meet new people. Highly suggest this themed event for a community gathering or friend reunion. Have you played traditional poker before?
I love playing games and learning new ones!
Me too!
This looks like so much fun!
It was. 🙂
Looks like it’s a fun activity.
Yes, it was.
Never seen Poker Run done like this. What a fun idea!!
It was a fun time.
This sounds like such a fun game! I can see mixing it up with different treat stations and even different card games if kids are coming.
Yes, that is a great idea.
Wow, I could really use some of those snacks and desserts about now! This looks like such a fun way to spend some time with friends. I do like playing Texas Hold-em!
Since you like Texas Hold-em, you would do great at this game.
This looks like so much fun! Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome.
What a great idea! Sounds like a fun way to bring people together!
It sure was.
What a neat idea! Seems like a fun game to play with all ages
Yes, it would be.
Sounds like a lot of fun with friends and to get to know new people better.
The people we meet were very cool.
Fun game! I like the treat at the end. LOL
The ice cream was soooooo good.
It looks like a lot of fun.
Yes, it was.
I know not the first thing about poker but it sounds like it was a good time for all! 🙂
Neither did I. The organizers were a great help.
Interesting! I haven’t heard of this but it sounds fun for sure.
It was fun. If you get a chance to attend such an event in the future, I recommend it.
What a unique and fun thing to do! Love it!
Yes it was unique.
I LOVE poker runs! They are a great way to bring a community out and about. We have a poker run every year down at the Ohio River in Indiana. It’s a BLAST.
That sounds like an awesome time. Will you be partaking in the Ohio River event this year?
Not much of a poker player over here, but I have a family member who enjoys the game. Thanks for sharing the idea for a fun night.