TEXAS HOLDEM ONLINE POKER

There's no ESPN, no million-dollar final prize and no publicity tours for the winner.

But local charities aren't complaining. They're raking in tens of thousands of dollars by setting up No Limit Texas HoldEm tournaments, one of the hottest fund-raisers since "instant bingo" tickets were introduced.

Inspired by the popularity of ESPN's World Series of Poker telecasts and the rise in Internet gaming, players are flocking to weekend tournaments here. A typical tournament that costs $100 to enter can yield a top prize or $5,000 or more, with just 200 people competing. There is at least one big-money tournament each weekend in the region, organizers say.

"You have to ride this Texas HoldEm wave while you can," said Marty Grogan, who organized a $100 buy-in tournament on a recent Saturday to benefit Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School in Butler County. "People just love this game, and we have the opportunity to use that to help our school. The Texas HoldEm fad won't be around forever."

Even as Ohio's governor speaks out against legalizing casino gambling and an Indian tribe lobbies to change state law so they can build a casino in Monroe, religious and public service organizations throughout the region say Texas HoldEm tournaments are good bets to raise funds. Charities in Ohio and Kentucky may use casino games for fund raising, as long as they follow rules set out by the state.

The irony of running poker tournaments in states where casino gambling is forbidden is not lost on some.

"I'm surprised it's legal," said Tom Smith, public policy director for the Ohio Council of Churches, a group historically against gambling. "It's a dangerous thing, and I would think the state would want to regulate it."

Casino gambling opponents are as surprised at the big money exchanged as they are at the skyrocketing popularity of these tournaments. As Grogan and countless other non-profit organizations can testify, there's good reason so many are saying Texas HoldEm tournaments are the "pocket rockets" - that's poker slang for two aces in the hole - of charitable fund-raising.

For a poker tournament that lasted one evening, Grogan - father of a second-grader at the new Liberty Township Catholic school - helped raise $14,000 for the school's building fund.

"It's just an easy moneymaker," said Debby Martin, who organized a September tournament at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Reading that raised about $4,000.

"You just have to do it," Martin said. "You can set beforehand how much money you're going to make on this. And the best part is, Texas HoldEm tournaments still go on, rain or shine."

Den of giving

Only charitable organizations with tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service are allowed to hold these tournaments, and in Ohio they are limited to four or five consecutive days, and may be held only twice a year.

In Kentucky, organizers must apply for a license for charitable gambling - but the license is only good for six hours, making weekend-long tournaments impossible.

As long as all proceeds go to the charity after prizes have been paid, the games go on.

Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, said poker tournaments aren't the same as casino gambling.

"We are certainly opposed to organized gambling," Burress said. "But I can definitely see a difference between organized gambling and a tournament that benefits charity... There's always a gray area, when you're talking about bingo and stuff like that."

On a recent Saturday, the parking lot outside the Milford Firefighters Community Hall was full. Inside, participants in the three-day Texas HoldEm tournament crowded around two dozen poker tables.

Off-duty police officers walked about the room to quell disputes and to protect the mounds of cash.

It's not chump change; first place was guaranteed $12,500.

Texas HoldEm still isn't their most popular fund-raiser. Bingo nights every Thursday regularly attract 150 people.

But even with all the set-up costs and security, one Texas HoldEm tournament can be a fund-raising jackpot.

In October, the Bean Bash - an annual fund-raiser at Turfway Park for Northern Kentucky Special Olympics, Redwood Rehabilitation Center and the Boone Adult Work Activity Center - added a Texas HoldEm tournament to its lineup for the first time.

Poker and blackjack games typically take in about $1,000 during the fund-raiser, said J.J. Miller, who organized the tournament.

This year, their first Texas HoldEm did so well - earning $7,000 for charity in a four-hour tournament - that board members are considering holding another benefit tournament this spring.

Filling a niche

Non-profit organizations figure that if they're not making money off these tournaments, others will.

"It's another place to go where there's not as many people (as a casino) but more than a game with friends in your basement," said Milford Fire Chief John Cooper. "It's like another niche we can fill. And all our funds go back into the department."

Charities noticed the niche within the past couple years as Texas HoldEm exploded with the popularity of Internet poker and the World Poker Tour tournaments televised on ESPN.

Most Texas HoldEm players start small. Brian Horton of Liberty Township organized $10 buy-in Texas HoldEm tournaments among friends once every couple months with many of 40 of his colleagues.

"For the cost of a movie ticket and popcorn, you can have an evening of fun," Horton said. "It's a great game, kind of a mental game, where you can play with all the stats in your mind. It's kind of like group chess, but you can't see all the pieces."

From games over beers in a friend's basement, the better players might look for ways to make more money - and that's where non-profit organizations realized their opening.

"A lot of these people go all around the state to tournaments every weekend," said Mark Flanigan, assistant fire chief in Milford. "It's a great deal for us. Our department is funded with tax money, but there's a lot of things tax money can't go toward - picnics, sponsoring teams, scholarships."

Depending on the rules of individual tournaments, potential purses can hit $50,000.

"This sure beats bake sales," said Mike Pitocco, business manager at Our Mother of Sorrows Church in Roselawn, which had a tournament this weekend..The money - Pitocco hopes to raise $9,000 in a 250-person tournament - goes toward tuition at the church's school for underprivileged neighborhood kids.

"It's not like we're a mini-casino," Pitocco said. "It's the same stuff people do in their basement on a Friday night, only the money goes to a good cause."