Mark

Hello Everyone! I'm somewhat new and hope to do Poker Runs in the very near future. Please educate me as to what is generally involved with these. Assume I know nothing - cuz I know very little as to costs, criteria, etc. I hope to do a few in Florida each year.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Mark

OSO

click on the hotspots in the navbar above to see a list of events by location.

boatme

Steve ,

Is there a way we can get Smoke On the water updated on the map?

It shows Blue Water thunder in Grand Haven Michigan instead of SOTW and it shows the wrong date

Correct date is July 13th and 14th 2007

Thank you

t500hps

Costs and srvices provided vary greatly. Basically you are paying (donation to charity) to run with a group of boats from point A to B (or C, D, E). The event is set up as a showcase for many boats and can include lunch, dinner, band, party, prizes, and NAKED WOMEN!!! If your going to enter one for the first time try to shadow someone you know who has done them before and/or stay in the back and be very careful to "go with the flow"

Mark

Thanks t500hps! Looking forward the the NAKED WOMEN!!!

HUSTLEthis

Steve,

If we could add SCOPE's to the hotspots too...would be great.

Thanks, Tom

TexomaPowerboater

The ones I went on required you to have proof of insurance and the policy must be atleast $100,000 liability.

Also - depending on the poker run, you can not drink alcohol at all, some don't even let passengers drink during the poker runs. The last one I was on they told me you couldn't even have beer in the boat. I was told by Flash Gordon on one of his last poker runs that if you get into any kind of an accident during a poker run your insurance company will not cover you. You and your passengers must all wear a life vest at all times. This was definately one of the more stricter poker runs and rightfully so, the last one he had he died in . Atleast the headlines didn't say they were drinking - and saved a lot of face on the poker run scene. I sure do miss him and his poker runs.... and its not even summer yet. I've been on 4 poker runs and have seen 6 people die. Not amatuers, but top professionals. I pray that this year will not be the same.

I know you may want to try and get up front at the beginning, but listen to T500hps and stay in the back. You will be safer for the start and you can always catch up when you feel more comfortable.

t500hps

Texoma brings up a good point: These thing can be fun....these things can be dangerous. The last PR I ran last year we waited 1/2 mile behind the start when the "flag dropped". We were rafted up with 3-4 other boats swimming just behind our boats while all the boats took off. Once the boats and water cleared up we fired up and left 10 minutes later. I certainly wasn't the first down river, but I had just as much fun as anyone!!!
Life jackets are required in some, not others. At a minimum I have them out along with the throw cushion and I always wear the kill switches.

Mark

Sounds like good advice to me. I would think only the guys with the MTI's , Nortecs, etc. would be up front - big power!
All I care about is having fun and meeting cool people. Passion loves Company!
Thanks for the advice - and keep it coming.
Oh, It's sad to hear so many people died. What kind of situations happend?

TexomaPowerboater

There is a thread on here about 2006 labord day Texoma Poker Run. The last post is from one of the kids whose mom died. Very sad... I get teered up just thinking about it all over again.

What I gathered is that two boats (cats) were traveling opposite directions and Flash lost control (nobody really know why or how) causing him to make a sharp turn into the traffic of the other boat. The other boat ran up the stern of Flash causing 5 deaths. They were traveling around 100mph Only one survived. Flash threw on the poker run and many others in the area. So many that I am afraid that we will not see any for a while around here. This poker run had a cash pay out in excess of $40,000 and was one of the biggest in the country.

The other was actually a plane that was following the poker run boats around and doing arial tricks for spectators. I think they were going to try and get a shot next to Flash (160+mph) and the plane. At one of the final card stops the plane did a sharp incline into the air to make it stall out, the plane was supposed to pull out before it hit the water. He ended up taking a nose dive right in the middle of a marina only 100 ft or so away from the card stop, could have been a lot worse - and I thank the pilot for that.

Sometimes you just have so much fun doing these things that you forget about what is at stake.