A previous Poke Run crew
The new and improved Pirates of Lanier Charity Poker Run September 11-13 is expecting 75-100 high-performance boats at the revitalized event, headquartered at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands.
“By mid-August we already had about 60 boats from across the country registered,” said Zach Martin, organizer of the event. “Our general registration with a dock slip is already sold out, and we’re still offering our Premium and sponsorship levels for registrants, so we’re right on track.”
Martin, who with his family has been active in Performance Poker Runs across the country all year, has worked on the 2025 Lake Lanier event for a bit more than three months.
“When we heard it was going to be canceled for 2025, we knew we couldn’t let that happen,” he said. “That was back in early summer and we’ve been promoting it at every Poker Run we attend.
“We’re getting excellent support, in part because we support other poker runs and also because our event is tied to several charities,” he said.
This year’s beneficiaries are K-9 for Warriors and Foster Care Support Foundation.
Martin calls it two events in two days. Friday evening’s Street Party in the parking lot at Grand Hall at Lanier Islands includes a DJ, street vendors and food trucks. It will be preceded by a photo session at the dam during the day.
The main event on Saturday takes place with the start of the Poker Run near Buford Dam.
Start times will be based on the type of speeds of the boats registered. Card pick-ups must be done in the prescribed order according to the map distributed to all captains at the captain’s safety meeting on Friday night.
Saturday afternoon cards will be turned in at the Casino Party that includes the awards presentation, an auction, a band and DJ.
“This is a high-performance event just like in any other part of the world,” he said. “Right now, about 90 percent of the boats registered are performance boats. It promises to be an exciting event.”
For more information, visit the group’s website at www.LakeLanierpokerruns.com.
Photo: file photo
