January 11, 2006
Gamblers run into problems as events get bigger and more money changes hands at pokerparty com. The more people involved, the more likely police will notice, he said. Gamblers looking to test their pokerparty skills behind closed doors do not have much to worry about. Bay County Prosecutor Joseph K. Sheeran has not received many complaints about small-time pokerparty gambling in his 12 years.
"If I were a betting man, I'd say most people would not want law enforcement to spend a great deal of time waiting outside in the bushes for penny-ante pokerparty games going on," he said. Nonprofit organizations are running sanctioned pokerparty .com tournaments, providing a legal betting opportunity. The Michigan Lottery issues a "Millionaire's Party" license, which recently added PokerParty hold 'em to the games allowed. Groups can get four permits a year.
Fireworks Festival President Doug Clark has hosted two charity pokerparty tournaments, with more planned. "Everyone tells us we need to have more," he said of his tournament's popularity. He has heard from other nonprofit agencies, looking for advice on running similar events. An initial "Millionaire's Party" at Westown bar, 611 E. Midland St., attracted 91 players, while the second at Monitor Township Hall, 3483 E. Midland Road, drew 156 entrants.
Clark obtained a temporary liquor license for the poker tournament, and Westown was allowed to sell alcohol at the first event. "We cross all our T's and dot all our I's before we run a tournament," he said. The Lottery commission sets stringent rules on payouts and specifics on how to run certain games, such as player limits, Clark said.
The second tournament raised $3,200 for the Fireworks Festival at Pokerparty com, and organizers will host another event April 3 at Monitor Township hall. The Grzegorczyks, a father-and-son combo, took home two $500 prizes at the second tournament. Jerry Grzegorczyk said he hones his pokerparty skills on the Internet at various pay or amusement-only sites. Howard says he moved to Las Vegas in 1993 in order to take his pokerparty game to the next level.
He concentrated on cash games for ten years, but also continued to have success at the WSOP. From 1993 to 1999 he made eight final tables before winning his first gold bracelet in the $5,000 buy-in Limit Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament in 2000. The following year Howard won his second WSOP tournament, the $5,000 Deuce to Seven event. By this time he was known as a top-flight cash game player, but the prize money was growing at an astounding rate in tournaments and the emergence of the World Pokerparty Tour convinced him to enter more events.
