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Playing poker for fun, not for money
Published: 2005-04-22
 Last Updated: 10:41 pm, Friday, April 22nd, 2005
Playing poker for fun, not for money
By John Brokopp - The Thrifty Gambler
Poker and playing for money are as inseparable as coffee and a donut to a majority of people. But for Shawn Riley, president, CEO and CFO of the Amateur Poker League (APL) with headquarters in Wichita, Kan., poker and playing for fun is the jackpot combination.
“We’re not about gambling,” Riley insists. “Poker in itself is fun. We emphasize the social aspect of the game. Go to any one of our events and there may be a 21-year-old college kid, a 40-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man sitting there having fun playing, talking and laughing. Poker is a great social activity. Your physical attributes don’t matter. Some bad mouth us by saying ‘It’s not poker if there’s no money’. Well, we disagree.”
The APL sanctions free Texas Hold’em Tournaments at locations around the country. Participants earn points which can qualify them for special tournaments as well as regional and national events. In Iowa, the APL is active with regularly scheduled events at locations in Council Bluffs.
Riley and his boyhood pal Kurt McPhail, who serves as vice president and COO, were longtime poker fans who envisioned organizing a national amateur league in which people could just play for fun. Their dream came true in January 2004 when they launched the APL.
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“We started with about nine locations in the Wichita area,” Riley explained. “Part of our plan was to launch a Web site with information and rankings. Once we completed that, interest soared. Very soon we wanted to expand into a major metropolitan city, so we took our idea to Kansas City. Within 60 days we had some 30 venues up and running. We quickly realized that we were on the right track. The rest is history.”
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APL events are held at restaurants, lounges, fraternal organizations, bowling alleys and similar venues where people gather to have fun. Earlier this year the APL had tournaments running in nine states. By the end of this month they hope to be in 18.
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“We use 48-inch fold-out Texas Hold’em layouts with room for eight players which fit on an average table,” Riley said. “The equipment, including chips, is leased for a one time fee. We ship out directly to the site.”
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Regional directors representing the APL are responsible for overseeing the conduct of the events and for setting up new locations.
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Riley has encountered numerous regulatory obstacles is his efforts to expand his concept mainly because of the gambling stigma that’s connected with poker.
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“Every state has a little bit of a different twist to it,” he said. “We have even found some counties within states that have very strict rules, including Illinois, and some of the Southern states where it’s actually illegal to have a deck of cards on a bar.
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“In 90 percent of the states, three components comprise gambling: Consideration, which is some form of a buy-in, a game of chance and a prize. If you take one of those three out, then it’s legal. And that’s what we’ve done. We’ve taken away consideration. At any and all APL events there can be no door charge, no entry fee, no minimum drink and no mandatory food purchase. It has to be possible for a person to walk in, spend no money and participate in the event.”
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The APL was in the Chicago market late last year. According to Riley they had a couple of locations up and running which were doing quite well, but they have since had to cease operations.
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“The appropriate regulatory commissions in Chicago signed off on APL events, then several weeks later all of our venues in Illinois got letters saying that they were doing illegal activities and needed to cease operations,” Riley said. “We did so immediately, because we try to be very proactive. But we continue to talk with the authorities to clarify our position and intent.”
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You can access a lot of information about the APL at www.amateurpokerleague.com There are links to maps of the states where regional tournaments are being held and the locations of venues. There is also a data base with information about participating players and their rankings, as well as news of special events.
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John G. Brokopp can be contacted
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at jgbjet@sbcglobal.net.
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Pampered, polished poker players Professional planner throws unique 'P'-themed party
Published: 2005-04-16
 Pampered, polished poker players
Professional planner throws unique 'P'-themed party
By LAURIE MANSFIELD
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
April 16, 2005
The invitation arrived at her guests' houses, wrapped in a keepsake pillowcase that had been decorated with pink lettering - "Pampered Poker P.J. Party."
Ladies, this is a home game.
Pomerantz's party combined the masculine poker game with a feminine tradition resurrected from the middle school era - the slumber party.
One Friday night, Pomerantz decorated the outside of her Clive home with some simple pink accessories. For exterior lighting, she turned over frosted trash cans from Target that she decorated with pink puffy stickers like those used in scrapbooking. The trash cans-turned-lanterns glowed when battery-operated lights were placed underneath them.
An oversized mongrammed pink "P" that could stand for Pomerantz or poker embellished the front door.
As instructed, a dozen guests arrived dressed in pajamas to find that Pomerantz had created a mini-day spa in her living and dining rooms.
Their host had hired stylists from Tivoli Salon in Windsor Heights to pamper the aspiring poker players. Women in the dining room could get a chair massage from Robert Porter, who operates A Soul Touch Massage out of Tivoli. Those in the living room sank into chairs and soaked their feet in trays while waiting for pedicures from Tivoli staff, who of course had brought pink polish.
In keeping with the evening's "P" theme, the invitation also asked each guest to bring a food that began with the letter P, like pancakes or pizza.
The women chomped on pink bubble-gum cigars and sipped on drinks that began with the letter P, like pinot grigio or mysterious punches.
Despite all this fun, poker games were actually played at the party. Pomerantz hired guest Janice Rosenberg's high school-aged son, Reid Rosenberg, to give poker lessons. He brought in a case of real clay casino poker chips and taught the basics of the popular Texas Hold 'Em, a complicated game that ensured a long night of partying.
A small but thoughtful touch was wrapped around the paper dinner plates stacked on the counter. Pomerantz bought cushioned eye masks for all her guests, certain to be appreciated whenever the women got around to the "slumbering" part of the party.
Anyone who has ever played in a poker home game knows the rules:
1. Most of the players are men - serious men who play serious poker.
2. There's money involved.
3. Most players don't drink alcohol because of rule No. 2.
So when planning a poker party for not-so-serious women who had no clue how to play serious poker, party planner Melodee Pomerantz made up her own rules that she laid out in the invitation:
• "Please wear pretty PJ's in pink, purple or polka dot."
• "Bring a drink that starts with a P for all your pals."
• "Bring your pillow, plus we will have pedicures and some pretty passionate poker."
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