Palmera Projects
Peoples Poker Post Event
Organised by: Vibeshan Dayalan, Geetha Sanderan, Jenanan Bala, Gajan Yogeswaran and Pradhima Jeyaratnam
Date of event: 7 May 2011
Amount raised : $10,000
Rice Mill Project. Click to learn more.
One-hundred enthusiastic poker players battled it out for the ultimate title of ‘2011 People’s Poker Champion’ on 7 May 2011 at Palmera’s very first poker tournament. The setting of the event was the 1920’s when it was all about gangsters, jazz and poker. With murals on the walls of famous figures and symbols from the era, the players felt like they walked right back in time. The organisers also got in on the action by dressing up with authentic razzle-dazzle to impress the crowds.
At 6pm sharp the players descended through Jade’s Tavern back entrance, trawling through the concrete underground passageway to get to the secluded poker room. With jazz music blasting and a silent Scarface movie on screen, the scene was set for a great night of playing some good old fashioned Texas Hold’em with good old Al Capone and his mates.
The first round kicked off after a short introduction for our professional tournament director from Full Tilt Poker. The other three tournament directors ensured the tournament ran smoothly from start to finish. There was great talent in the crowd with the girls definitely giving the boys a run for their money. If players did get out early, buy-ins were on hand to ensure they could right back into it. Of course those who didn’t want to play poker or who got out early were kept entertained; we had blackjack, Jenga and the super special spinning wheel of prizes on hand to keep everyone happy.
A sausage sizzle was served at dinner time which was quickly guzzled up by the crowd. After 9pm, buy-ins were closed and the tables started to dwindle. From ten tables to nine to eight, all the way down to the final table. So who were the top ten? After a battle down to last person standing...
1st: Manjula K 'The Ultimate 2011 People's Poker Champion' - winner of the Toshiba laptop donated by Harvey Norman Mt Druitt
2nd: Pratheeban N - winner of five bottles of premium liquor
3rd: Monika J - winner of the poker table top and accessories donated by Nova Poker
4th: Janakan R - winner of laser tag vouchers donated by Laser Seige
5th: Martine V - winner of putt putt golf vouchers donated by Dural Putt Putt Golf
6th: Alex N - winner of dinner by Malabar Restaurant Darlinghurst
7th: Kavitha S - winner of a poker set
8th: Kandeepan S
9th: Shivani V
10th: Lakshi J
Congratulations to the all of the top ten poker players for their awesome performances.
We’d like to thank our sponsors for the amazing effort they put in to helping us out. A big thank you to Jade Tavern for being so accommodating throughout the entire process, and to Harvey Norman Mt Druitt for sponsoring the first prize Toshiba laptop. It was a fantastic result to have 100% of funds raised going directly to Palmera’s Rice Mill Project thanks to the extended efforts of organisers who managed to raise $500 before the event to cover all of the costs. Last of all, a big thanks to all those who attended and donated on the night, you made the night a big success!
Images of the tournament can be found .
‘Who would have thought a night of poker could be so much fun! The people, the venue, the alcohol, all made this night feel as if we were back in the 1920's. The energy and atmosphere of the players really bought the night to life, and I think everyone would agree that they had a great time!
Raising $10,000 for Palmera's Rice Mill Project is fantastic and exceeded my expectations. However, we also had the intentions of making people aware of the issues happening around the world and that anyone can make a difference!
I would like to thank my team Geetha, Prad, Jen, Gajan and the wider Palmera team, our sponsors and of course, the players who made this night so successful. I look forward to the next Palmera event and who knows – People’s Poker 2012 just might be the next hand I draw.’