I'm better now, so let's get on with it :)
Unless you have lived under a rock, you know that Poker became very VERY popular around 2003. Back then, you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing a show that was running a poker championship event, a cash game, or a celebrity poker game. At least 5 movies came out about poker, and everyone and their brother (and sisters) decided to jump in and play Texas Hold'em.
Well for the last 6 years, Riverchasers Entertainment has been providing free to enter Texas Hold'em tournaments in bars and restaurants throughout our area. "We started out taking advantage of the poker boom and were very successful. We built a huge following and acquired a lot of venues who wanted our service. By offering our games, we were able to attract anywhere from 35 to over 100 people a night to any game we held and that held a lot of value to our clients.", said Andrew Griffith, Vice President of Operations, and who has been with the company since the first year.
Riverchasers is like any other form of bar entertainment where the venue (or client) pays RC a fee to host their service for a night. Most venues sign on for a weekly game and their average tenure is over 2 1/5 years. Players can just show up to play, earn points, and qualify for Riverchasers trimester Tournament of Champions. There, players can compete for a chance at much larger prizes such as buy-ins to real casino poker tournaments. They also have numerous other qualifying events throughout the year where players can earn other larger prizes.
Riverchasers has awarded 5 World Series of Poker Main event seats in the last 6 years and numerous buy-ins to tournaments at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Those buy-ins range from $500 to $5,000 entries to real tournaments. "playing free poker on any night of the week and having a chance to win buy-ins to these tournaments is a ridiculous value. If you win a seat into a $1,000 tournament in a real casino, first place in those tournies can reach $200 thousand!", said Tom McMenamin, an avid player of the tour.
Riverchasers isn't only for the hard core player. Most players who attend played their first game of Texas Hold'em at a Riverchasers game. It is a totally social game and they consider themselves the largest social poker network in the state. You can even get lessons before your first game at any venue you attend.
As far as legalities go, Riverchasers works closely with the LCB to ensure that they are operating within the guidelines of the law. The games are free to enter so no gambling is taking place.
In addition to their bar games, Riverchasers also provides corporate and marketing events. They do everything from company holiday parties to large monte carlo nights for local business looking to attract people to their place of business.
To find out how to get involved, just visit their website. There you will find a nightly schedule of events of where you can play. Right now they service all of the Delaware, Lehigh and Cumberland Valleys, and are starting to expand. The website also boasts a forum where you can converse with other players, pick up information on special events, and even find out where you stand among the other players in the field.
The popularity of poker hasn't died off at all. Riverchasers has a database of over 35,000 players to prove that! Get out and enjoy the fun!
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