High performance: Poker & powerboats on the mighty Niagara

Article and Photos by Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

The race was not to the swift. The prizes went to boaters with the best poker hands on Saturday in the Buffalo Poker Run.

The event by the Western New York Offshore Powerboat Association made waves and noise on the Niagara River on a bright, sunny day.

The roar of the engines could be heard as the sleek craft skimmed around Grand Island. Mike Paternostro said he heard the boats race by as he golfed at the Beaver Island course.

On the other side of the river, folks jogging, picnicking or just reading in Isleview Park in Tonawanda turned their heads toward the noise as the colorful powerboat regatta moved through the water.

Powerboat Association President Tim Joldos said there were about 35 registered boats for the 2024 run. “We haven’t put this on in a bunch of years, but people wanted it back.”

Organizers put out the word to association members and “kind of blasted Facebook with it.” That drew 160 people to the event, which began with a dinner on Friday night.

The powerboats in the event were catamarans, V-bottoms and V-bottom center consoles.

“Some boats can exceed over 150 mph … some boats are 50, 60, 70, 80 mph. We’ve had a small boat, 18 feet, and we’ve had a boat there – 42 feet,” Joldos said.

An itinerary was planned, and the method is for each boat to pick up a poker card in a sealed envelope at each of five places. They can’t open the cards or they’re disqualified.

The participants with the top three poker hands won prizes of $1,000, $750 and $500. The crew that won in the “best dressed” category received a $250 prize.

The boats took off Saturday morning at 10:30 from Buffalo RiverWorks, where they got their first card, then the boats dipped into Lake Erie for a bit. It was rough out there, with 5- to 7-foot waves on the lake – caused by a strong southwest wind, Joldos said. So, it was on to the next stop, where they picked up card No. 2 at Ray’s Boat House.

Two pace boats with flags on them tooled along at speeds of 70 and up to 110 mph.

The boaters got card No. 3 at the Tonawanda Island Launch Club; card No. 4 at the Tonawanda Canal Pavilion; and received their fifth as they turned in their cards back at RiverWorks. People can buy two extra cards for that hand. They can also purchase a new hand or two more cards. All that wheeling and dealing makes for good camaraderie – “It’s all fun,” Joldos said.

Catamarans and V-bottom powerboats in the Buffalo Poker Run included a circuit around Grand Island on their itinerary Saturday. Boats ranged from 18 feet to 42 feet long. Speeds ranged from 50 mph to more than 150 mph. The event returned to Western New York after a six-year hiatus and was conducted by the Western New York Offshore Powerboat Association. The photos were taken from Isleview Park in Tonawanda.

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The event ended with an awards dinner. In addition to money raised for the club, a donation is made to Excalibur Leisure Skills Center, which provides boating and fishing opportunities for disadvantaged individuals.

Joldos said that safety is a big thing during the Poker Run. There are safety boats and two boats with EMTs aboard.

“It was a good success this year. We plan to do it a little bit bigger” next year, he said.

“The venue at RiverWorks was great. We’re hoping to get down to the lake more next year, if Mother Nature (allows).”

“It was good weather, other than the lake. The sun was out – everybody had a good time. A lot of people were from out-of-town,” Joldos said. There were a lot of local participants, but others came from Rochester, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Ohio, and Erie, Pennsylvania.

The local economy benefited from the Poker Run, Joldos said, with people spending at restaurants and in local hotels, casinos and bars.

“We hibernate all winter long and then we get back at it with these poker runs,” Joldos said.