One day you wake up to find that there will be a Texas Holdem tournament in your neighborhood. The top prize: entry into the World Series of Poker. You can't believe your eyes!! You love the game, but you live in the middle of nowhere and the nearest casino is 1000 miles away. The closest you thought you would ever get to the granddaddy of Texas Holdem tournaments was watching Moneymaker's win with a full house for the 87th time in reruns. But you soon realize it is indeed true. Texas Holdem tournaments run by charitable organizations are popping up everywhere. This could make for a great weekend of entertainment, but be careful. Here are a list of questions to ask and things to watch out for, before you plop down your hard earned money and go looking for a new pair of sunglasses:

1. How much does the tournament cost?
   
   Let's start with the simple. The cost will vary greatly from tournament to tournament and is highly dependant on the prize pool. If you are entering a tournament with a World Series of Poker entry as the top prize, you can expect to pay $200 or more.



2. How many people are playing?
   
   This goes hand-in-hand with the cost. If you are spending $200 for a Texas Holdem tournament, it would be nice to know the approximate number of people you will need to beat to win the big prize. This leads me to question 3...



3. How many places will be paid?
   
   If there will be 300 people in the tournament and they are only paying the top 3 places, you may want to find a better way to spend your money. However, if they are paying the top 10 or 20, it's a different story. I know you are playing to win, but it's nice to walk away with something.



4. What percentage of the entrance fees will be redistributed?
   
   If you were playing in a casino, you could expect them to payout around 90% of the money taken in for the tournament. When playing in a charity tournament, you need to keep in mind that the charity is hosting the tournament as a benefit and they plan to bring in money for their worthwhile cause. So for a charity tournament, expect the payouts to be in the neighborhood of 50%.



5. Re-buys or add-ons?
   
   This is a critical question. If this is not specifically mentioned, you need to ask. Nothing turns a Texas Holdem crowd hostile quicker than the surprise that the tournament is allowing re-buys or add-ons. For those that don't know what these are, a re-buy allows a player that has been knocked out of the tournament to go and repay the entry fee to restock his chips. An add-on allows a player to purchase additional chips on top of the typical starting allotment. Think how it would feel to sit at a table at the beginning of the tournament with $10,000 in chips. You look around and see that everyone else at the table did an add-on and has $20,000 in chips. I don't think you will like your chances. If you have the money to burn, this style may be for you. If you want to play some true no-limit Texas Holdem, then pass on this type of tournament.



6. Who is running the show?
   
   Talk to the person in charge of the operation. If it is a person from the charity, ask him questions that you think he should know. Questions like "What is the blinds structure?" or "How will the tables be combined as people are eliminated?" If he can't answer these, then it may be just the tip of the iceberg. Also, ask for the complete rules of the tournament and make sure you are comfortable with the charity's ability to run the tournament correctly before you sign up.

Charity Texas Holdem tournaments can be a great way to support local organizations and a great way to have fun for a weekend. The better the charity tournament is run, the better chance you will see another one in your area in the future. Chris Moneymaker's road to the 2003 World Series of Poker began with a $40 online entry. Who knows. This year it may be won by someone who gained entry while helping a worthy cause.