US City Lures in Punters with Poker Pub Crawl

October 4th, 2015 | by Kaycee James

Residents of Lynn Massachusetts create a poker pub crawl to help introduce people to the city’s best venues. (Image: hercampus.com)

Poker and alcohol have always had something of an inseparable relationship and one community organization in Lynn, Massachusetts, has decided to exploit this connection for the benefit of the city.

Looking for new ways to introduce new people to the local area, the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Committee recently looked towards the poker industry for some inspiration.

Poker a Vehicle for Fun

Now seen as the game of the Millennials, poker has been used as a vehicle for a number of mediums in recent years; most notably charity events.

However, in the hipster haunt of Lynn, Massachusetts the local committee decided to use poker in a slightly different way and create a special pub crawl.

Set to take place on October 6, the poker pub crawl will fuse the best elements of each activity and give Lynn newbies the chance to explore the best bars and clubs in the city.

Simple Rules, Maximum Entertainment

Naturally, with alcohol being the key ingredient in the event, the rules are relatively simple. At the start of the pub crawl teams of five players will be handed a random playing card and told to head to the first venue.

In total, there will be five pubs to visit and inside each establishment the players will be handed a new card (by a designated dealer) after they purchase a drink.

After soaking up the atmosphere (and alcohol) for 35 minutes, it’s on to the next venue and another playing card.

At the end of the crawl the players should have a complete hand and the one with the best ranking set will be declared the winner (although at this point everyone will likely be too intoxicated to care).

Although there isn’t a grand prize on the line for the overall winner, every participant will receive a special edition dri-fit sport t-shirt sponsored by the Wynn Casino Resort.

Multi-talented Poker

Over the years poker has been used in a variety of ways to help add some extra spice to an event, and with the Lynn crew using the game to augment their drinking exploits, we thought we’d run through some other ways in which poker has been used:

Charity Events: Regardless of whether it’s an international charity or a local organization, poker has always been a great way to raise funds for a good cause. Guy Laliberte’s Big One for ONE DROP might have been the most star-studded event in recent memory, but the game has successfully served many charities around the world.

Poker Golf: We all know the likes of Phil Ivey and Doyle Brunson love a round of golf, so the concept of poker golf seems like a winner. The aim of the game is simple: make the best five-card poker hand and win the pot. However, to make a hand you need to play certain golf shots and the better your score, the better your chances are of making a good hand.

Extreme Poker: When you’re trying to create a new “extreme sport”, poker is always a great way to get the ball rolling. In recent years the most interesting option within the genre has been underwater poker. Although it hasn’t caught on with the masses, you can still find those who are willing to dive down and ante-up in the name of entertainment.