Get your poker face ready for Rotary tournament

Do you like Texas Hold’em poker? Do you like the idea of winning up to $1,000?

Whether you are a poker ace or just like to enjoy a fun night of playing cards, the Rotary Club of Winter Garden’s 11th Annual Poker Tournament will provide an exciting evening that also will raise funds for local charities.

The $50 prepaid entrance fee guarantees players pizza, salad, two drinks and an evening of poker. Big Stacks Poker League is running the games. Raffles will be held during the event with chances to win a variety of prizes.

The venue can hold up to 100 players.

Poker winners will receive a $1,000 Visa gift card for first place, $500 card for second and $250 card for third. There are prizes for the 11 winners at the final table, as well.

“I know you are thinking, ‘Aren’t there usually only 10 players at the final table?’” Pam Bozkurt, Rotary secretary, said. “We auction of an 11th seat. It is additional money for the tournament. The winning bidder gets a chip stack that is equal to the average stack at the final table.”

This tournament is one of the Rotary’s major fundraising drives. In its last fiscal year, the club raised $45,500, which was distributed to more than 22 nonprofit organizations, local and international, with gifts ranging from $300 to $7,500, Bozkurt said.

The event is so popular that there are players who have attended every tournament since its inauguration 11 years ago.

“It’s a fun atmosphere, and (we have) fantastic prizes,” Bozkurt said.