Put on your poker face and help raise some money

The Homemakers' Auxiliary and the Rochester American Legion will host a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Legion Hall on 94 Eastern Ave., in Rochester. ( New York Times News Service photo)

By ROBERT M. COOK

Staff Writer

ROCHESTER — Card sharks young and old can court Lady Luck this Sunday at a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament, vie for $8,600 in prize money and lend a helping hand to two community organizations.

The tournament is being hosted by The Homemakers' Auxiliary and the Rochester American Legion and will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Legion Hall on 94 Eastern Ave., according to Charlene Paris, the Homemakers' special events coordinator and marketing and development representative.

Paris said registration begins at 11 a.m. and play begins at noon. The tournament entry fee is $100 in advance and $125 at the door. Paris said the Homemakers' and American Legion hope to raise and split $10,000 after all of the prize money is paid out. Like many other nonprofit groups, Paris said the Homemakers wanted to take advantage of a poker phenomenon that is sweeping the nation.

"Most of the fund-raisers we do are labor intensive and Bingo takes a lot of volunteers to run," Paris said.

By partnering with the American Legion, Paris realized one afternoon that a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament could be a huge hit.

"It is something we can do and it's a fun afternoon and it doesn't take a lot of volunteers," Paris said.

In Texas Hold'em, players are dealt two cards, held face down, that are used in combination with exposed community cards. The game has literally sky-rocketed in popularity over the past few years, according to an article published on-line in PokerMag.com in December.

Two years ago, the Travel Channel became the first cable network to regularly broadcast the World Poker Tour, the magazine reported. Then Chris Moneymaker won $2.5 million in the World Series of Poker on ESPN in front of millions of television viewers.

"A year and a half later it's now possible to watch poker on TV sometimes eight hours a day: Celebrity Poker, World Poker Tour Ladies' Night, even reruns of 11-year-old poker games, with NBC planning to air the two-hour finale of Poker Superstars right before the start of the Super Bowl in February," the magazine reported.

The stakes won't be quite that high at the Rochester event this weekend, but players have the potential to walk away with a pretty good pay day, according to Paris.

For $100, players receive $3,000 worth of poker chips. If they run out before the end of the fourth round, she said people can pay $50 and receive another $1,500 worth of poker chips. The first place prize is $2,500, second place is $1,500, third place is $1,000, fourth place is $800 and fifth place is $600, Paris said. Those who finish sixth to 14th will receive $250 each in prize money, she added.

"It's a good deal and it's a win-win situation for everyone," said Paris, who added the event will have a cash bar and food will be available.

To register or for more information, people should contact Paris at 335-1770/1-800-660-1770, ext. 104 or Gary at 332-2024.