Charitable organizations at one time turned to bingo and Las Vegas nights for fundraising events. Today they're capitalizing on the poker craze to raise money.
Texas Hold'em poker tournaments for charity are no penny-ante fundraisers. The rooms are usually packed with enthusiastic players who take satisfaction in knowing the money that's raised is for a good cause.
Unlike live poker rooms at casinos in the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana where you have to be 21 or older to play, the minimum age for charity tournaments is 18.
Jim Kasputis, president of Rockford Charitable Games Association Inc., runs one of the biggest traveling poker games in Illinois. He started his company in 1984.
RCGA maintains a database of 10,000 active players representing all levels of experience. Anywhere from 300 to more than 500 players will turn out for each of the nearly 200 events that will be held this year at venues in the greater Rockford, Ill., and Chicago areas.
An organization qualifies for a charitable games license in Illinois if it is 501(c) tax exempt and has been in existence for five years or more. Once licensed, it can hold up to four poker fundraisers a year.
The host charity, which has no investment in the games, extracts a "rake" of 10 percent from each pot up to a maximum of $5. The state takes 3 percent of the gross with the charity pocketing the rest after it pays the rent and a fee to RCGA.
Legally, a player can cash out $250 more than what they bought in for but each fundraiser can offer unlimited prizes, such as seats to the World Series of Poker.
This Sunday the West Suburban Association of the Deaf, based in Oak Brook, Ill., will sponsor a Texas Hold'em poker tournament for deaf players at Hanging Gardens Banquets, 8301 W. Belmont Ave. in River Grove, Ill., from 3 to 7 p.m.
For more information about RCGA and a schedule of charity poker fundraisers, log on to www.rockfordcharitablegames.com.
Casino news
Tune in Comcast SportsNet (check local listings) this Sunday at 9 p.m. for the premier telecast of the dramatic final table at last October's Heartland Poker Tour event hosted by the Majestic Star Casinos in Gary. The week-long competition brought out 186 players who competed for a $436,910 pool including a $122,334 prize to the winner.
Majestic Star's poker room impresario Dom Niro reports that the casino will be hosting three Heartland Poker Tour events this year (March 17 to 25, July 21 to 29, and Dec. 1 to 9). Visit www.heartlandpokertour.com or stop by the poker room on Majestic Star II.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at jbrokopp@comcast.net.
