If it's easily legal in your state, I guarantee there are dozens of organizations that already do this. If there are not dozens, then it's probably not legal. Not to be a total stick in the mud, but it's probably true.

I guarantee that if there where even 100's already doing this, none are as ambitious, well intentioned, professional, likeable, people oriented, poker trained etc etc etc than I am. But I love you for your honesty Deb.

THis idea is more to the direction that you should take. But instead of using their name, you get the charity to help run it. They may be able to provide/obtain a place to play, help networking to sell tickets and get prizes. Provider staff to run the tourney even if none of them play poker. I was a TD for a fundrasier and on game day I had staff who never played poker do.

1: 2 staff Regrister players

2: 1 staff watched the program tournement director and he removed payers from it as there were beat out. He also announced blind changes and breaks

3: 1 Staff stayed with one and helped chip up and/or moving players to other tables.

4: Since it was a fund raiser, 5 dealers from the local poker places donated their time and dealt for free. The balance of the dealers were poker players from the charity.

5: AS TD I walked around helping mostly the dealers from the charity and helping the guy running the software.

6: The charity obtained at no charge a place to play at the local hotel, they got a laptop, projector and screen so the blind levels were displayed on a large screen.

First thing I'd do is research your state gambling laws. In many states (such as here in Ohio) charity poker events can be held, but the only party that can legally profit is the charity. That means no tipping, no rake, etc. All the fees need to go to either the charity or the winners. Now, like Pali said, if you're low key and under the radar, then you're probably not gonna get busted. But if you're going to do it frequently enough to actually make an income at it, then that probably means it's going to attract attention.

Anybody know the laws about putting a tournament on in New York?

Just in case anyone new reads this thread: I went to law school and can reaffirm what Owl said. My 2c is to be careful with assuming definitions of the word charity. Legal definitions of words are always different than the every-day use. I can assure you that how my state defines charity is much different than yours.

This also changes by what the event is. There are lots of "charitable gaming" tables in bars around here for blackjack, where a small X goes to the bar, Y goes to operational costs, and Z goes all to the charity. In my state charity generally means non-profit organization, regardless of type of business, even if the gaming is most def FOR profit. This would include something like a historic art gallery, or the salvation army. The state also requires these charities receive at least the majority of revenue if not more.

Now when my local golf course hosts its annual "Charity Poker Tournament", things get interesting cuz the rules for this are completely different than the charity rules of house games. For example, to host a charity poker tourney, a single location cannot host it more than 2 times a year, BUT there is no minimum the "charity" must receive to hold it. Nor does the actual "charity" even need to be a non-profit under these definitions! So the golf course schedules it twice a year, and they create huge prize pools compared to other charity events because they only take like 7%, dealers get paid, and the other 90% goes to prize pool. This doesn't even sound like a "charity" event in the every-day use of the term, but the law sees it very different.

Just be careful, and make sure you know what charity means IN THE SPECIFIC USAGE OF HOW YOU INTEND TO OPERATE. Do not go off of the blackjack definition. I'm not knowledgeable about anything else putting them on, this is all I can offer you.

Every read "King of a Small World" ? Get the book, I think you'd enjoy it.

I have that on my list...thanks.

Hey hows it going? If you dont mind,what state are you from? As far as gambling laws, where or who would be the best source to to find them?..In the town i'm from there was a local club(lets just call it Ron Dolski's).This club put on a monthly tournament..I played in about four tourney since finding out about it..It was open to the public..Rumor has it, that they were shut down because+ the game was illegal..Now, there are 100's of bingo games going on around my town every week..How is Bingo not gambling and poker is?

Here in upstate New York, lots of fire houses and nonprofit social clubs (e.g. VFWs, American Legion Halls, Elks or Moose lodges, rod & gun clubs, Polish-American and Italian-American social organizations) hold regular poker games.

Some of these are weekly, some monthly. A large portion of the proceeds goes to the players, with just a small donation to the host facility. (Example: A fire house game which costs $125, $100 to the prize pool, $15 to the host, $10 for a very basic lunch)

Though my amateur research into the legality of these games does not reveal whether or if they are really permitted, the games go on unmolested by law enforcement. I even know of one underground game—not held at a nonprofit, just in the back of a local business—which is regularly attended by the town's police chief.

My sense is that organizations considered quasi-sacred by law enforcement—such as volunteer firefighting, veterans' groups, etc.—are pretty much allowed to do what they want.

Likewise, groups which are popular or otherwise considered traditional among the authorities are given a pass.

Maybe there is in fact some law which permits this. But what I have read seems to really narrowly restrict such activities. So my sense is that if it is a crime, it is just not usually deemed worthwhile to enforce.

Yep, sounds totally legit to me.