Poker Run Newbie
 

Having never done one, and having a Formula that only does 55-60mph.23'. I think I am intimidated by all the video's I've seen. The boats are all big in both size and speed. Are there ever small/slower boats involved? I would love to be a part of some of these runs. Maybe if I hit the lottery. Thanks!!

Slow little 22 foot boat doing boyne thunder, one of the big dog poker runs. I have done it the last 2 years in my little boat and have been treated GREAT by everyone and had a blast. Do NOT be afraid to go have fun!! Hell I even had the winning hand 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PoeXjbdn9I

And do not be afraid to call your mom if things get too uncomfortable.

You know I'm ****n with you Rob. You got big balls brother.

I do the Lake Cumberland Thunder run every year In my 24 Outlaw, it is a great run and i hsve a blast every year and im treated no different than the guys with the biggest and fastest boats. their are more boats in my class than in any other.but most pics and video you see are the big boys running. ( that's what everyone wants to see) get out and try one, you will enjoy it if it's anything like the Cumberland Thunder run!!

Awesome run

You don't have to be big or fast to have fun in some Poker Runs. I've run my 22' Progression in the Rochester Offshore Battleship Run (http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/p...himrod-ny.html) on nearby Seneca Lake since 1996 and my 20' Checkmate for a number of years before that. Never had a problem and always had a blast. Sure there are bigger and faster boats in the run, but since a well run Poker Run is not a race, speed shouldn't matter. If you stay away from the "big buck / big boat" runs to start with, you should gain the confidence you need to eventually attend even the biggest runs.

BTW, you will find that there's a forum here specifically for Poker Runs.

So here is the deal, my mom and dad got divorced when I was like 2 and my step dad (who I call dad) has been there since I can remember. As for my sense of adventure and "balls" My Dad avoided vietnam by joining the peace corp and going to Africa, upon returning he was a high school art teacher (though he eventually went to work for GM) My Mom on the other hand owned a couple corvettes, raced cars and taught me to man up when I skined my knees wiping out trying to be evel knievel jumping trash cans on my bike.

Buffalo poker run in August or check out elite poker runs on Facebook as they have two runs this year in the area as well. As stated above the Rochester guys also put on a great run.

Dude, like I said, I was jackin with you over taking the jet express deal. Sorry if I pissed you off. Won't happen again sir.

There is nothing like the start of your first poker run, it's very exciting and a bit overwhelming. Here is my advice for your first one. Find another boat or a few boats that plan on running your speed and run with them in a group. That way you're not running by yourself which you could do any day. If you know your speed is going to be slower than most ,start towards the rear of the pack or towards the outside. There is no doubt it can be a bit intimidating if you start up front and have 40 plus boats passing you at high speeds. Whenever you're boating in a crowd make sure you hold your line and make sure your moves are predictable by others. Run your own pace, it's easy to get caught up in the race environment and run the boat harder than you normally would.

No harm no foul! I have been laughing ever since Dave started that thread.... Someday, there will be a post about Dave,,,, but your good man, no worries....

You can't do any better for a first Poker Run. A wide range of boats and speeds plus a great bunch of people.

Padraig

Just pick the right runs. There are plenty of runs that are about the comraderie more so than showing off.

My boat is slow and all the runs I've done I've run abou 50mph 99% of the time......

You will have a good time and meet some good people I'd bet no matter what run you do.

I second all these guys. Just do it, and you'll have a blast!

The only runs I've wondered about are the FPC ones. I've never been to one so I'm not knocking them, but when I watch the videos, all I see are 350k+ boats! I wonder how the little guys (100k and less) are treated there.

This might be a good starter run for you. Could be nearly 100 boats this year - mostly smaller and medium boats with some big dogs in the mix. http://mkgpowerboat.weebly.com Just a small an informal poker run - intentionally not like Boyne or some of the other big ones.

We got started in our old 26 Scarab...Yes, it was intimidating but we made a ton of new friends and everyone was there to help us through it. The first one we did the water was extremely rough and big and we had nothing but accolades for our nerve to run our boat in those water conditions...slow as it was we stuck with it. Go for it...you will have a blast. With our new to us Fastech, yes its faster and 9' longer giving for a way better ride but we don't run WOT...we are planning on coming up to NY this coming summer. Stay in touch and we will run with you all day if you want some support.

Chris

There is a 18' classic Donzi that runs almost every poker run at LOTO. Looks like a wild ride but he knows how to handle the slop in that little boat!

Some runs have speed classes, which will help you to not run so fast. At our first run, we partied a little too late the night before - woke up late, missed our class, and was forced to run in the slowest class (cruisers) and passing the pace boat will get you disqualified. It was too slow for me, but my wife loved it.
We typically run half throttle speed and join that particular class usually. It's about enjoying your day, your company, and your boat - there will always be a faster boat out there.

There will always be someone in a bigger faster boat.... run what you have & enjoy the show!

Check into the charity runs. They tend to draw a wider range of boats. Lake Lanier and Tickfaw are huge runs with a wide variety of boats and stops.

^^^^^^^ what Cash Bar said. Can't go wrong with the Lake Lanier run. Great group of people always shows up and lots of boats of all kinds.

good thread. I want to run in my 22 pachanga. most likely will be one of them at lake Cumberland.

Run it. There are lots of smaller boats on these runs including the FBC ones. They just don't get the tv time that the big boys get. We are planning on doing some runs in a twin engine pontoon instead of the big boat just because we have not seen anyone on one in a pontoon.

I would love to do FPC Destin run with my 21' scout. Just gotta wait til the kiddies get bigger.

Here’s a few other random thoughts that might help make your first Poker Run a more enjoyable experience. In no particular order of importance:

- Pick a run on a body of water that’s not famous for getting rougher than what you’re capable running. For instance, runs on smaller lakes tend not to dish out as much of a possible beating as say the Atlantic Ocean. Be aware that boat wakes from fellow Poker Runners will be an issue no matter where you go though.

- Pick a run where you have a choice of how fast you want to cruise. Most well organized runs offer various “fleets” with Pace Boats running at pre-designated speeds. (And passing the Pace Boat is a big no-no.) Believe it or not, running flat out for a whole run gets pretty tiring, so pick a fleet with a “reasonable” speed for you.

- No matter which fleet / cruising speed you select, always pick either the spot on either side of the Pace Boat, or all the way out on the wing on either side. The advantage of being adjacent to the Pace Boat is that you’ll rarely be “eating wake” or “getting squeezed.” The advantage of running either “wing” position is that you only have to worry about other folks on one side – and you rarely have to eat wake.

- Pick a run with a distance that you’re comfortable / capable of doing in your boat – on one tank of fuel. Sure, you can usually fill up someplace along most runs, but it just adds stress. And for your first run, I’d suggest not picking a run that covers 120 miles of open ocean – for obvious reasons.

- Don’t just pick a run for the prizes or the parties. Prizes are nice, but winning isn’t everything. And parties are nice – unless you party too much the night before and then have to run in close quarters with 100 other hung over boats going faster than you’re comfortable running for 120 miles in the open ocean.

- No matter what run you select, prepare your boat well before you leave. Go through everything and make sure all systems are fully up to snuff. Even then, things can go wrong at the very last minute and ruin your day. (Ask me how I know that.) But going through everything before the run will maximize your chances of having a good run.

- A vital part of your pre-run preparation should be making sure your boat has the proper safety equipment. At a minimum, you should have everything required by local authorities. (My boat always passes a USGC Courtesy Marine Exam before it even hits the water.) And consider a Lifeline or similar high performance PFD if you’re running over 65 MPH.

- Finally, remember that a Poker Run is not a race. Anybody who wants to race or see how fast their boat will go should find another place to do it so as not to endanger fellow poker runners or other folks trying to enjoy the same body of water. There are plenty of videos on YouTube showing folks in various Poker Runs doing things that flat out scare the hell out of me. Don’t be one of those folks.

I'm sure I missed something, but I hope that helps!

Tom

I'm soo impressed at the speed and quantity of responses on this forum as opposed to other forums I sometimes post on. I have a better understanding of "Poker Runs" Thanks!!!

A lot of good suggestions already listed so I wont repeat them. I will second the suggestion of doing the Buffalo Poker Run in August. Or either of the Elite ones this year. Our first run was the Buffalo Run two years ago and we were hooked. Good people and a good time. They also have numerous speed groups to include a 50 and under group which is the last to leave so that they are not getting passed/swamped by the bigger faster boats.

props to phragle..... you were giving that boat hell!!! hahaha

[QUOTE=chris21hope;4393529]I second all these guys. Just do it, and you'll have a blast!

The only runs I've wondered about are the FPC ones. I've never been to one so I'm not knocking them, but when I watch the videos, all I see are 350k+ boats! I wonder how the little guys (100k and less) are treated there.

This might be a good starter run for you. Could be nearly 100 boats this year


that looks fun! we might make the trip from CNY with the old man for some fathers day weekend fun

Depends the run but usually very well.

Tampa has got to be a pain for the "small" guy though. I couldn't even dock up last year cause stew rented out the entire lunch dock and only FPC boats could dock. I get the idea but it is also kind of f*cked up to the average guy in the local area that just wants to see some great hardware and not pay over $1k to run in his local waters.