Stu Jones, leader of the Florida Powerboat Club, says he is 'picking up all the pieces' following his epic Key West Poker Run that took well over 200 teams from Miami to the USA's Southernmost city for six days of fun, sun and Race World Offshore‘s Key West Offshore World Championships. Jones also revealed his group's 2020 schedule, which will closely mirror this year's itinerary. (See below for the complete schedule.)
Jones said the 2019 poker run season outpaced previous years, and credited the strong economy for the growth.
'This year turned out to be really successful, in that we launched a lot of new events and we set records on some of our bigger events, like the Key West Poker Run,' he says. 'I think it reflects the state of the economy being at a very high level. The sport continues to grow, just because it's a great sport and a great way to enjoy performance boating. We're getting more people coming into this sector, and that's why these events have become more successful. Seeing Key West go to record numbers, and going off without a hitch, was a real highlight.'
Distance is 180 miles from North Miami to Key West (360 miles round trip). South Venue: Coconut Grove — The captain's meeting and check-in location will be at the Mayfair Hotel. Times and details may be found in the poker run itinerary that will be provided to all registered participants. Known as Phil Peterson's Poker Run, thousands of riders from all over the country enjoy this classic motorcycle ride. Starting in Miami and winding all the way down US 1 to Key West. During the ride, the motorcycle riders make 5 stops to draw a playing card. At the end of the ride, the person who drew the best hand wins!
Event Fees: Early Registration fee: $800 / Until Dec 23, 2020 (After Dec 23: $850) Includes: Poker Run boat entry for two – Captain & First Mate Extra Crew: $200 pp. Fee Includes: Boat entry, poker run hand, function passes for all registered crew, captains souvenir poker run bag, souvenir event tees for crew members, dockside breakfast, Key Largo poker run lunch, and Friday night welcome.
It's been just about a decade since Jones operated his ubiquitous pace boat, 39′ Nor-Tech King of Clubs, which was a familiar fixture on FPC's numerous runs through the years. This year, Jones could be seen driving his Project 1080 Cigarette (showcased in the May issue of Speedboat Magazine) during nearly every one of his group's events, which was another red-banner moment.
'We put in 150 hours on the boat from January to November,' he reports. 'That was a highlight for sure. The fact that I could start enjoying these poker runs in my own boat put a different slant on it for me and made them more enjoyable. Certainly one of the reasons it made my Key West run more fun is that I was able to drive my own boat all the way there and all the way back, and I haven't been able to do that for a long time.'
The Cigarette project boat celebrates the club's 25th anniversary and perfectly captures the whole spirit of what the poker runs are for Jones. 'It was truly special for me,' he says, 'and I think it was one of the reasons I really enjoyed the 2019 Key West run.'
Jones says that the international participation at his club's events continues to expand, 'not only from Canada, which has always been strong, but European boaters are making transatlantic crossings, putting their boats on freighters and bringing them over here for the season to enjoy,' he says. 'We had about 10 teams this year from European nations—all of them had brought their boats over for this event.'
With more participants than ever, the onus was on FPC to give away a colossal amount of shirts and other goodies. 'It all goes bye-bye at Key West—we finish it off there,' he grins. 'There might've been a few things left over. Smalls and mediums.'
COMMENTS
updated: Key West Offshore Poker Run 2019
One of the biggest Poker Runs of the year is happening this weekend Nov. 6-11, 2019. The Key West Offshore Poker Run is an almost 400-mile roundtrip poker run from Miami to Key West. This year the event has over 200 poker run teams from all around the world that are participating. The Florida Powerboat Club was founded in 1993 as a membership-driven organization, to promote safe, responsible powerboating for boating enthusiasts around the area! This will be the FPC's 27th Annual Key West Offshore Poker Run and a run you will not want to miss! There will be checkpoints in Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, and Bahia Honda. This four-day event will have entertainment every evening and great dining at the Conch Republic Seafood Company. There will also be a captain's meeting at each venue (north and south) the night before the event starts. We are your East Coast Nor-Tech dealer keep an eye out for our team out on the water representing Nor-Tech!
HOW poker runs WORK.
Poker Runs start by each boat participating in navigating (speeding 75+mph) through a watercourse, stopping at five checkpoints along the way to pick up an envelope that has a single playing card enclosed. At the final checkpoint, the envelopes are opened and the boat with the best poker hand is prized the winner! You could say that winning is purely by chance!
Poker runs usually require a fee to participate, however, some of them are funded by sponsors and are completely free to register. Prizes, such as money, trophies, etc. are donated by the sponsors of the event and are given to the crew that has the best poker hand. Poker run coordinators try and make the runs as scenic and appealing as possible between each check points.
Dates:
November 6-11, 2019 Ron howard printing casino hotels.
Departure: Two Venue Departure Program
North Venue: North Miami Beach - Boat ramp, trailer parking, multiple hotels. Check-in location: Duffys. Departure time- 9:30 am
South Venue: Coconut Grove- The captain's meeting and check-in location will be at Grove Harbour Marina. Departure time - 10:30 am
Distance:
- Miami To Key West Poker Run Route Maps
- Miami To Key West Poker Run Route Map
- Miami To Key West Poker Run Route 2019
- Miami To Key West Poker Run Route 2020
Stu Jones, leader of the Florida Powerboat Club, says he is 'picking up all the pieces' following his epic Key West Poker Run that took well over 200 teams from Miami to the USA's Southernmost city for six days of fun, sun and Race World Offshore‘s Key West Offshore World Championships. Jones also revealed his group's 2020 schedule, which will closely mirror this year's itinerary. (See below for the complete schedule.)
Jones said the 2019 poker run season outpaced previous years, and credited the strong economy for the growth.
'This year turned out to be really successful, in that we launched a lot of new events and we set records on some of our bigger events, like the Key West Poker Run,' he says. 'I think it reflects the state of the economy being at a very high level. The sport continues to grow, just because it's a great sport and a great way to enjoy performance boating. We're getting more people coming into this sector, and that's why these events have become more successful. Seeing Key West go to record numbers, and going off without a hitch, was a real highlight.'
Distance is 180 miles from North Miami to Key West (360 miles round trip). South Venue: Coconut Grove — The captain's meeting and check-in location will be at the Mayfair Hotel. Times and details may be found in the poker run itinerary that will be provided to all registered participants. Known as Phil Peterson's Poker Run, thousands of riders from all over the country enjoy this classic motorcycle ride. Starting in Miami and winding all the way down US 1 to Key West. During the ride, the motorcycle riders make 5 stops to draw a playing card. At the end of the ride, the person who drew the best hand wins!
Event Fees: Early Registration fee: $800 / Until Dec 23, 2020 (After Dec 23: $850) Includes: Poker Run boat entry for two – Captain & First Mate Extra Crew: $200 pp. Fee Includes: Boat entry, poker run hand, function passes for all registered crew, captains souvenir poker run bag, souvenir event tees for crew members, dockside breakfast, Key Largo poker run lunch, and Friday night welcome.
It's been just about a decade since Jones operated his ubiquitous pace boat, 39′ Nor-Tech King of Clubs, which was a familiar fixture on FPC's numerous runs through the years. This year, Jones could be seen driving his Project 1080 Cigarette (showcased in the May issue of Speedboat Magazine) during nearly every one of his group's events, which was another red-banner moment.
'We put in 150 hours on the boat from January to November,' he reports. 'That was a highlight for sure. The fact that I could start enjoying these poker runs in my own boat put a different slant on it for me and made them more enjoyable. Certainly one of the reasons it made my Key West run more fun is that I was able to drive my own boat all the way there and all the way back, and I haven't been able to do that for a long time.'
The Cigarette project boat celebrates the club's 25th anniversary and perfectly captures the whole spirit of what the poker runs are for Jones. 'It was truly special for me,' he says, 'and I think it was one of the reasons I really enjoyed the 2019 Key West run.'
Jones says that the international participation at his club's events continues to expand, 'not only from Canada, which has always been strong, but European boaters are making transatlantic crossings, putting their boats on freighters and bringing them over here for the season to enjoy,' he says. 'We had about 10 teams this year from European nations—all of them had brought their boats over for this event.'
With more participants than ever, the onus was on FPC to give away a colossal amount of shirts and other goodies. 'It all goes bye-bye at Key West—we finish it off there,' he grins. 'There might've been a few things left over. Smalls and mediums.'
COMMENTS
updated: Key West Offshore Poker Run 2019
One of the biggest Poker Runs of the year is happening this weekend Nov. 6-11, 2019. The Key West Offshore Poker Run is an almost 400-mile roundtrip poker run from Miami to Key West. This year the event has over 200 poker run teams from all around the world that are participating. The Florida Powerboat Club was founded in 1993 as a membership-driven organization, to promote safe, responsible powerboating for boating enthusiasts around the area! This will be the FPC's 27th Annual Key West Offshore Poker Run and a run you will not want to miss! There will be checkpoints in Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, and Bahia Honda. This four-day event will have entertainment every evening and great dining at the Conch Republic Seafood Company. There will also be a captain's meeting at each venue (north and south) the night before the event starts. We are your East Coast Nor-Tech dealer keep an eye out for our team out on the water representing Nor-Tech!
HOW poker runs WORK.
Poker Runs start by each boat participating in navigating (speeding 75+mph) through a watercourse, stopping at five checkpoints along the way to pick up an envelope that has a single playing card enclosed. At the final checkpoint, the envelopes are opened and the boat with the best poker hand is prized the winner! You could say that winning is purely by chance!
Poker runs usually require a fee to participate, however, some of them are funded by sponsors and are completely free to register. Prizes, such as money, trophies, etc. are donated by the sponsors of the event and are given to the crew that has the best poker hand. Poker run coordinators try and make the runs as scenic and appealing as possible between each check points.
Dates:
November 6-11, 2019 Ron howard printing casino hotels.
Departure: Two Venue Departure Program
North Venue: North Miami Beach - Boat ramp, trailer parking, multiple hotels. Check-in location: Duffys. Departure time- 9:30 am
South Venue: Coconut Grove- The captain's meeting and check-in location will be at Grove Harbour Marina. Departure time - 10:30 am
Distance:
From North Venue: 180 miles North Miami to Key West (360 miles roundtrip)
From South Venue: 165 miles one way (330 miles roundtrip)
Miami To Key West Poker Run Route Maps
PHOTOS FROM THE RUN 2019
(Photos from Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats)
key west offshore poker run 2018
Nor-Tech Hi-Performance Boats was the winner of the 'Manufacturer's Cup Award' last year which is a great success for the boat dealer. Here are some of the highlighted boats from last year's Poker Run!
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Miami To Key West Poker Run Route Map
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Miami To Key West Poker Run Route 2019
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