By Scott Calzolaio

This ain’t Texas but put on your poker face because the Upton Men’s Club is hosting its first annual Texas Hold’em Tournament on April 5 at the Upton VFW.

The tournament will begin at 5 p.m. (doors open at 4 p.m.)  and is sure to be a fun night of “playing cards, cash bar, barbeque, and raffles,” said event organizer and previous president of the Upton Men’s Club, Nathaniel Hahn. There will also be cash prizes. 

Attendees must be at least 21 to enter and there is a $100 buy-in to play. Participants will have a chance to buy back in for around $150 within the first hour of the tournament.

The top three to five players will receive cash prizes, says Hahn, while the rest of the proceeds will be recirculated into the Men’s Club for future events and public projects.  

There’s room for about 80 players, and Hahn said he hopes to fill the seats and have a good time. 

The goal, Hahn said, is to make this an annual event, and to match the turnout at the Men’s Club Cornhole Tournament, now going into its fourth year.

Hahn said he and the rest of the Upton Men’s Club are always trying to come up with new ideas to engage the community, and raise money doing it.

“We just have a desire to bring new events to town,” he said. “It was really just an idea to bring people together and raise money for the town.”

To register for a spot at the table, visit uptonmensclub.org/event/holdem-poker-tournament/.

The Upton Men’s Club is a local non-profit made up of about 50 residents. Annual events range from the locally famous fireworks show on the Fourth of July to annual scholarships for graduating students.

The Men’s Club meets every third Wednesday of the month at the Rose Garden Restaurant. New members are always welcome.