Attention Saratoga Degenerates: Poker (with money!) Hits Town Next Month

We got a little advance notice of something you gambling degenerates in Saratoga (and there's a bunch of you) should be made aware of...

But let me get this one straight: it costs nada / zip / nuttin honey / zero to enter this poker tournament, but it has $1,000 in purse money? WTF, sign us up, bro!

Sunday, July 15th at The Parting Glass.  Full scoop for this baby is RIGHT HERE.

I'll see YOU at the final table!

FOLLOW-UP....

Here is a story that touches on the 'legality' of this event as well as the means in which business activity is enhanced by a simple loosening of government bureaucracy....



July 15: Free Entry
New Ruling Opens Way for Cash Prize Events and New Businesses

$1,000 Poker Tournament Slated for Parting Glass

(Saratoga Springs) …. After a full day of elimination play, the poker tournament is down to its final table. There, eight stern-faced card sharks are looking to outfox the others in successive rounds of Texas Hold 'Em, with a pot of cash on the line for the top finishers. Finally, the last round is won, a single player has all the chips and the onlookers burst into applause. A champion is crowned.

Where, now, might one envision the above scene unfolding? On late night cable television, possibly? Or maybe a Vegas, Atlantic City or Native American casino? All would be logical options.

Now, how about the possibility of this unfolding locally in a place that bills itself as “Saratoga's Original Irish Pub,” otherwise known far and wide as The Parting Glass? Well, not only is it a possibility, but reality, as that downtown establishment will be hosting the $1,000 DILLIGAF / Parting Glass Open Poker Tournament on Sunday, July 15 at 1PM.

With $400 earmarked for the tournament winner and purse payouts awarded down to the 20^th place finisher, the question becomes: how can such a scenario possibly be legal in New York, which is just now starting the long and complicated process of modifying the state constitution to allow poker and other cash card games in racinos and casinos as a legalized form of gambling? The answer lies in what is the player-friendly aspect of the Parting Glass contest: it is absolutely, 100% free to enter.

Using the standard risk /reward dynamic as a means of defining 'gambling' has long raised the issue of whether a Free-To-Play But Real Cash Prizes event is legitimate; a question that has remained unanswered as New York gave conflicting opinions on the matter. But that all changed in November, when the State Liquor Authority issued a Declaratory Ruling that, in essence, authorized such events in licensed premises under its supervision. Take away the risk (entry fees, cover charges, table cash), it stated, then all is legit – even if one is offering prize money.

Although several SLA-licensed venues around the state have since convened tournaments that offer soft prizes (point accumulations leading to a casino trip, etc), the July 15^th Saratoga event appears to be the first (in the Capital Region at least) to offer a substantial amount of cold hard cash.

“We've been running smaller poker sessions on Wednesday nights for a few months now,” said Linda DiBlasio of The Parting Glass. “But about a month ago, the people that bring music shows in here walked us through the complicated SLA rules and taught us how we could offer cash prizes.”

From there, all that was needed was a tournament sponsor who would help to fund the prize pool in return for the promotional publicity that would come with such a move. Enter the DILLIGAF lifestyle clothing line of Lake George, NY and Miami, FL.

“The poker demographic is perfect for our brand of in-your-face t-shirts, hoodies and caps,” related DILLIGAF principal Bill Massry, a Saratoga native. “This Parting Glass gig will help us launch our new poker-themed line of clothing.”

Making all these connections come together was the local music & events company 398Productions, which has since formed a spinoff called the Free 4 All Poker Tour to take this sponsored-tourney concept on the road to venues throughout the state.

A new entertainment option for the city's residents and visitors, a new clothing line introduced and a new company being formed --- all taking place right here in Saratoga Springs.

For full tournament info, rules, purses and entry, visit www.Free4AllPokerTour.com