Posted on 09/03/2006 9:27:03 AM PDT by nuconvert
Boats collide during 'poker run'; 5 dead
JUDI BOLAND
Associated Press
WILLIS, Okla. - Steve Dover was vacationing at Lake Texoma when he saw two speedboats boats take off for a poker competition. They never returned.
Dover said he knew something had gone wrong when he saw the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and other emergency vehicles.
The boats collided during the High Roller Poker Run on Saturday. Four people died at the scene and two were flown to the hospital, where one later died, according to the patrol.
"There was just floating debris," Dover said. "We've seen life vests, we've seen life preservers."
Two couples were on one boat, while a third was on the other, trooper Kera Philippi said. One of the boats struck the other on the middle of its side.
The victims were identified as Ann, 59, and Gordon Mineo, age unknown, of Rockwall, Texas; Amy Dawn, 31, and Justin R. Lane, 25, of Little Elm, Texas; and Myra L. Gibson, 51, of Old Hickory, Tenn.
Gibson and her husband, Bruce, 54, were flown to a Dallas hospital, Philippi said. Bruce Gibson's condition was not known.
Philippi said Gordon Mineo was the organizer of the poker run, in which participants get a playing card at each of five different stops along the lake and then compare their cards at the end of the game. The team with the best poker hand wins.
"They were still involved in the poker run when the accident took place," she said.
Only pieces were left of one boat. The rear of a yellow, twin-hull jet boat with purple trim was partially submerged and the left side of the bottom was ripped out. A tugboat towed the damaged boats to shore, Philippi said.
Troopers won't able to determine the cause of the accident until a reconstruction of the boats and the event are done, which could take several days, she said.
Labor Day vacationers remained at the shore of the massive lake, which is Oklahoma's second-largest body of water and straddles the Oklahoma-Texas border. But the mood was somber.
"We just kind of held our heads down and came back in and are just waiting to hear what really did happen," Dover said.
I've never heard of this "poker run" game before
I didn't know Darwin played Texas Hold 'Em
Aces and eights.
I've done poker runs on motorcycles, but this is the first I've heard of a poker run with speedboats.
What is it?
Boats and motorcycle poker runs. It is usualy done at biker bars for motorcycles and marinas for boats.
Done it with aeroplanes.... however it's not a race. Speed is not important.
Oklahoma's 2nd largest body of water? Wonder what lake is bigger than Texhoma, or if they're only including the Oklahoma side of the lake?
It's big. I've seen it.
You should see some of the boats involved down here on the intacoastal close to Galveston. And yes alcohol is usualy involved.
"It is usualy done at biker bars "
I'm getting the picture now.......
Multiple card decks and a lot of fun!
Looks like the boating folks have adopted it as well.
Tragic accident tho'.
Oh, I've been on Texoma many times, I was surprised that it's not OK's largest lake.
It's tough when you pay the ultimate price for stupid decisions and behaviors. Condolences to their family members.
The premise is pretty simple (I used to do poker rikes on horseback): You are given five checkpoints to reach. At each checkpoint you receive an envelope with a playing card in it. When you reach the final checkpoint (usually the point you started from), you open the envelopes and the the highest poker hand wins.
The rules may have evolved over the years but the way I remember it, poker runs were just a way for like-minded hobbyists to have fun because speed didn't matter.
I do poker runs about once a month in my 40 foot cigarette boat on the Sacramento river delta
Poker Runs Ruled Illegal in Texas
Published: Thursday, December 29, 2005
Author: Dan Katz
While not exactly “poker,” the popular “poker run” has become a more and more popular off-shoot of the current poker boom. Unfortunately for participants and the charities the runs usually benefit, the Texas Attorney General has deemed them illegal.
A poker run is a contest in which participants pay an entry fee, like in a poker tournament, and drive around collecting playing cards from different places. The people who finish the run with the best hands win cash prizes. Motorcycles have been the traditional vehicle used for the runs, but any mode of transportation can be used. Most poker runs are used as fundraisers for charity. Motorcycle clubs, as well as police and fire departments, are the most common groups to run the events.
Attorney General, Greg Abbott, said that these poker runs are in violation of Texas gambling law.
Speed shouldn't have been part of this either. Personally, I can't stand speed boats. There's no reason to speed on a public lake where kids are out swimming and riding tubes. It's the same as taking an Indy 500 car through a school zone.
You should try hauling contraband cigarettes down the Hudson to NYC in that boat....a cool 100-150% profit each run.....
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