There aren’t many things poker and football have in common, but they do work together when it comes to one thing: giving poker players a chance to win lots of free money while watching games each weekend.
Many poker rooms in Southern Arizona have promotions planned throughout the NFL and college football seasons. Whether its drawings, splash pots or whatever, these promos will reward cash players who choose to play rather than stay home to catch the game.
Here’s a look at some of the promotions:
CASINO DEL SOL (TUCSON): This 13-table poker room will again be a place where watching the big game each weekend will be as important as the cards that hit the board.
Players seated in live games will receive game tickets before the start of select college and pro games, with each ticket listing a series of numbers that are meant to correspond with the final digit of each football team’s score. If your numbers match those of both teams at the end of a quarter, you win money based on how long you’ve been seated in a game.
Prizes range from $100 to $500 per winning ticket, depending on length of live play. And for players with tickets where the numbers correspond to the opposite team’s score, that player gets a “reverse winner” prize of between $50 and $250 per win.
All non-winning tickets from each game will be eligible for special drawings throughout the season, with prizes ranging from $50 to $200 depending on live play.
DESERT DIAMOND (TUCSON): The eight-table room will have a Pigskin Poker Party that features splash pots and cash giveaways.
Similar to Casino del Sol’s promotion, tickets will be given to seated cash players before select college and NFL games. Tickets with matching numbers to team scores at the end of a given quarter will win a cash prize, with a bonus given to any winner who logged 25 or more hours of live play in the past six days.
If no seated player holds a winning ticket, splash pots of $50 to $75 will be awarded to up to three tables as a consolation.
VEE QUIVA AND WILD HORSE PASS (PHOENIX): Gila River Casino’s two poker rooms are running their Football Splash Bash promo throughout the fall and winter. During selected college and NFL games, $100 splash pots will be given out at various times during the game, with several tables getting a chance to score free money.
The September schedule features chances to win on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays, with Sundays’ slate featuring three games each week. College games are likely to be added to the promotion in October, after baseball season has ended.
— Email Brian at anteupsouthernaz@gmail.com.
