Texas Hold 'Em for a cause

New Jersey -- Hoboken Poker Club holds event for Toys for Tots

John Hanti is the owner of The Studios at SST, a Weehawken-based production company that supplies music production, equipment rental, recording studios, equipment storage and technical services for the mainstream music business worldwide.

Hanti's list of clients read like the performance list at the Grammy Awards, but he declines to officially reveal the people he works with because they like the anonymity his studio provides.

"They can come to me with no makeup and no worries about being recognized," Hanti said.



In his spare time, Hanti is also a card playing enthusiast, especially the game of poker.

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"But you won't find me playing in any high stakes games," Hanti said.


Free poker league



In fact, Hanti mostly plays poker for fun. He plays regularly in a league that is called the New Jersey Free Poker League that plays at different sites throughout northern New Jersey, like Willie McBride's in Hoboken and the Park Avenue Bar and Grill in Union City.

"It's basically bar poker," Hanti said.

"It's a lot like the way people play darts in bars," said Hoboken resident Chris Van Cleve, a fellow member of the New Jersey Free Poker League.

While the players don't compete for the multi-million dollar prizes that one would find on the hundreds of different poker games shown on television, the competition does get pretty intense.

"We compete like crazy," Van Cleve said. "There are points involved and standings. We can get at each other pretty good."

"It's more social than anything," said fellow member Griff Auld. "I've made a lot of friends this way through poker."

"You get the experience of sitting at a poker table without having to gamble," Hanti said.



Doing it for the kids



Last year, Hanti came up with a great idea to have a poker tournament and do something nice for the holidays at the same time. So he held a 'Texas Hold 'Em' poker tournament at his studio in Weehawken and the entry fee was a $20 unwrapped toy to be donated to needy kids for the holidays.

"It was so successful that we've decided to do it again," Hanti said.

Only this time, there's a little different twist.

Hanti and his cohorts, Auld and Van Cleve, have formed the Hoboken Poker Club, an official 501C3 non-profit organization set up to allow poker players the opportunity to give back to the community.

The organizers hope to perpetuate the idea of "Doing Well by Doing Good," giving poker players a chance to enjoy their favorite game while benefiting charities at the same time.

"It's about time that the world saw that poker players are real people," Hanti said. "The image of poker being played in dark, backrooms is over. Regular people actually enjoy playing poker. Our goal is to make the Hoboken Poker Club a vehicle to run fundraising events for area charities. This is our way of giving to those less fortunate. We want to use poker as a vehicle to help as many people as we can."

The Hoboken Poker Club only received its official charter and tax-free non-profit status last month, so they're still in their infant stages. But they're ready to host their first event, once again with Toys for Tots as the beneficiary.



Charity event



The club's first new venture will be held Saturday, Dec. 15 at the Park Avenue Bar and Grill in Union City (3417 Park Avenue, at the corner of 34th and Park). The entry fee to play is a toy valued at $20 or more and a $5 tax deductible reservation fee. Players will play in Texas Hold 'Em tournaments competing for several prizes that were donated by area businesses.

There are several excellent prizes at stake, like tickets to see the New York Jets play Kansas City on Dec. 30 or two tickets to see either Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton or to see Lenny Kravitz in concert.

There are plenty of gift certificates from area restaurants like The Harbor Bar and Brasserie, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Arthur's Landing, Houlihan's and Fuddrucker's in Weehawken, Willie McBride's and Maxwell's in Hoboken, O'Connell's in Jersey City and of course, the host Park Avenue Bar and Grill.

There is also a six-month membership to the Meadowlands Health Club, valued at $400, at stake and package of new music releases, valued at $350.

"We're trying to get 60 people to play," Hanti said. "We've already filled 35 of the seats. The idea was initially to get as many local people interested in playing in a free poker league. We can play bar poker and do something good. I enjoy playing poker with my friends. It's fun."

"We want to provide a venue for people who want to play the game without losing their shirt," Van Cleve said. "We can all have an enjoyable game and do something for a charity."



Trivia contest too



Auld, who said that he plays free poker "about 270 nights a year," said that there are plans already in place to do similar charity events to help the Alzheimer's Foundation and the American Cancer Society.

"People can come and learn about the game, not hampered by financial restraint," Hanti said. "We're hoping to get new members for the club, people who want to pursue the betterment of the game. This is all part of introducing the club and making it real."

There will also be a trivia contest for those who don't play poker. The trivia competition will be held as the poker tournament is going on. To enter the trivia contest, all you need is a $20 toy donation as well.

The event begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15. The poker games will begin at 12:15 p.m. and continue throughout the afternoon.

Faye Rousch, the manager at Park Avenue Bar and Grill, said that the bar will offer drink specials from Grey Goose all day. Grey Goose is one of the event's sponsors.

"We're still getting to know our community here in Union City, Weehawken and the area, but we want to reach more people," Rousch said. "We want to get people out of Hoboken and keep people from going into the city. Poker players are coming from all over and we're seeing new people all the time."

Park Avenue Bar and Grill offers free poker on Monday nights.

"It's really been well received," Rousch said. "We're happy to have our first organized fund raiser here." Union City Mayor Brian Stack has pledged his support to the event and vows to bring Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner with him.

"It's a full day for just the Hoboken Poker Club and Toys for Tots," Rousch said.

The three poker players met through the New Jersey Free Poker League and have now become friends. They vowed that they will not play in the tournament.

"I never played poker in my life before this," Hanti said.

"I'm addicted," Auld said. "But it's a good addiction."



For more information about the Hoboken Poker Club or their fundraising event Dec. 15, log onto www.hobokenpokerclub.net or call (201) 348-3328.

Hudson Reporter

News Added: 02 December, 2007

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