Make Small Money Sound Big

May 20, 2008 2:09 AM

I need a really great, somewhat poker related prize (or a couple of prizes) that will cost less than $1200. I'm giving it away in early August (somewhat flexible on the date).

Right now the best I can think of is a trip to Vegas for 2 and a $500 gift card. . . but I'd like something even better/cooler/more expensive sounding than that. I'm also considering a trip to Commerce Casino in LA with Disneyland tickets and stuff, so anything is possible. Travel anywhere is definitely an option, local events are an option. . . it just really needs to sound good.

posted by my homunculus is drowning to sports, hobbies, & recreation (8 comments total)

You could cover the entrance fee to some big poker tourney.
posted by magikker at 2:21 AM on May 20

I gave away several tournament buy ins the last few times but all the winners bombed out early in their tournaments which made the prizes ultimately less than spectacular/memorable.

If the tournament was really prestigious that would be something else altogether. . . but the really prestigious tournaments are way more expensive than that, especially if I have to fly them there too.

So far this year I've been giving away WSOP satellite seats, but the prize winners keep busting out of the tournaments ridiculously early and I want to find a prize that's a little more. . .donkey-proof than that.
posted by my homunculus is drowning at 2:32 AM on May 20

What about a nice poker set- the good, clay chips (none of the el cheapo plastic stuff) to go along with the "main" prize. That way, they have a physical winning.
posted by jmd82 at 5:48 AM on May 20

A nice poker table or the equivalent in cash, since not everyone has the space.
posted by Gungho at 6:55 AM on May 20

An in-home poker party, in which they provide friends and you provide a table and professional dealers for the night, and maybe give them the chip set that was played with all night.
posted by Project F at 7:24 AM on May 20

A humidor and a box of fine cigars.
posted by yeti at 7:45 AM on May 20

Those are nice ideas. . . I especially like the idea for the chips-- I would customize them myself-- put their face on em with the "Series XX Champ" or whatever. The thing is-- while I think that that is really really cool-- it isn't the sort of prize that stands out on a flyer. My prize needs to actually appeal to all sorts of people interested in poker-- not just the dedicated player-- and it needs to sound enticing enough to get more players interested, and make non-poker players interested in learning. Sorry that wasn't clear.

But yeah. . . I definitely see supplementing the trip and buy-in type prizes with actual tangible objects.

Any more ideas? Thank you!
posted by my homunculus is drowning at 11:02 AM on May 20

Johnny Walker Blue Label
Cards as Weapons by Ricky Jay (very rare)
iPod Touch with video poker?
posted by mattbucher at 1:19 PM on May 20