"Poker is Fun Tour" Aims to Make a Difference and Be Different

(Photo: Mnpokermag.com)

If you happen to be among the poker players who feel that some of the fun of poker has been missing of late, then you may be ready for the new Poker is Fun Tour that kicks off in September.

PIFT is the brainchild of Mike "Schneids" Schneider, an online Limit Hold'em specialist who also produced instructional poker videos for Cardrunners for a number of years before that training site folded its cards. Schneider spends much of his time now playing mixed games at Canterbury Park, that is, until his "passion project" of PIFT began to gather steam.

Poker Players Just Wanna Have Fun

So what will make the PIFT different than other tours and how will some of the missing fun be restored to poker? According to Schneids, by creating an atmosphere that is perhaps more akin to your home game than to a $1K WSOP event that drags on for days.

"I needed to try to make the game feel a bit more like playing at a kitchen table and be a bit more fresh and exciting," Schneider explains at the PIFT blog.

Of course, logistics and the law won't allow Schneider to invite us all into his basement or kitchen to play a poker tournament. But Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minnesota was keen on the idea of the PIFT so the inaugural event will go down there on September 9 at 10:30 a.m. and feature a $450 buy-in. The next day, players can enter event #2 at 1:00 p.m. for $185.

Both tournaments are one-day affairs, at least 15% of the field will get paid, two re-entries are permitted within roughly three hours of the tournament start, and the final table will see the current blind level kicked back a notch to allow for more play when the most money is on the line.

Also, another rule has been established to give the tournament a home game feel. Winners of each pot must show their cards in order to collect. Bluffers will be exposed and players will never have to wonder if not making that call on the river was the right or wrong decision.

Schneider refers to it as the “sleep well at night” tournament and said that the Winners Show rule "will drastically change the dynamic of the game" and create more action and fun as players try to "predict if your opponent has it in him or her to try bluffing" again.

Giving Back

One more thing, 1% of the prize pool will go to charity in order to give a little something back to society. For this event, the beneficiary will be Second Harvest Heartland, a Twin Cities food bank.

Like many poker players who have found considerable success at the tables, Schneids apparently feels a bit guilty that poker has allowed him to take money from other players, all the while lacking in contributing to the betterment of his fellow man.

"Society on the whole gains zero out of how I spend my time folding, calling, betting and raising," Schneider said. "We believe 1% is enough to make a difference, without robbing you of your hard earned prize pool."

Should the PIFT find footing and become popular, Schneids has some other surprises in store besides Winners Show that will remind players of home games with their buddies. It's all in the name of providing players with a unique and fun experience that will also benefit society to some degree.

Check out the Piftpoker.com website for more information.