Lake Allatoona Poker Run

The 2026 Lake Allatoona Poker Run is scheduled for Saturday, August 8, 2026, on Lake Allatoona in Georgia. The event will benefit Folds of Honor, with cash prizes awarded to the top three poker hands.

Prize payouts for the 2026 event are listed at $2,000 for first place, $1,500 for second place, and $1,000 for third place. All prizes must be claimed by August 31, 2026. Any unclaimed prizes will be donated to Folds of Honor.

Registration is $150 per hand and includes one poker hand, a swag bag, T-shirt, and two Saturday meal tickets at JD’s on the Lake. Registration is capped at 125 main hands. The price increases to $200 on August 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. Extra hands, extra cards, additional meal tickets, and shirts may be purchased through AllatoonaPokerRun.com. Additional Saturday meal tickets are listed at $25 each.

All participants must complete a registration packet before the event. Requirements include signing a hold harmless waiver and uploading a valid driver’s license for the hand registrant. Full registration packets will be sent through DocuSign the week of the event. Participants who need a paper packet may request one by email and pick it up at Marietta Marine, 1500 Kellogg Creek Road. All paperwork must be completed by August 7 at noon.

There will be no Friday night event this year. Rules and safety information will be handled through the virtual safety meeting materials sent by DocuSign. Swag bag and T-shirt pickup will be available on Friday, August 7, at Marietta Marine, or on Saturday, August 8, at JD’s on the Lake, with Saturday pickup listed as the preferred option.

Card stops will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants may visit the stops in any order. The listed stops are Glade Marina, Holiday Harbor Marina, Little River Marina, Park Marina, and Victoria Harbour Marina.

Each paid hand will receive one sealed envelope. Envelopes must remain sealed and dry, as wet or opened envelopes are disqualified and may need to be replaced at the discretion of turn-in volunteers. Participants who cannot make every stop may still pick up sealed envelopes at the poker table under the event’s pay-to-play rule.

A bonus card is available through a complimentary boat inspection from the Coast Guard Auxiliary at the Wildlife Action Dock in Kellogg Creek Cove. Participants do not have to pass the inspection to receive the bonus card. All main hands on the vessel are eligible, but extra hands are not.

Hand turn-in will take place from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at JD’s on the Lake. Participants must be in line by 5:30 p.m. to qualify. Winners are scheduled to be announced by 6:15 p.m., with meal service running from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The 2026 rules also include a ghost player provision. If a main or extra hand is not in line by the 5:30 p.m. deadline, the hand will be played by a ghost player on behalf of Folds of Honor. If that hand wins first, second, or third place, the full prize amount will be donated to Folds of Honor and the original participant forfeits the prize.

JD’s on the Lake is listed as a major supporter and donor of the event. Participants are asked to respect the no outside beverages or coolers rule at the venue.

The Lake Allatoona Poker Run notes that rules may be updated, clarified, or refined before participants sign the official DocuSign packet. The version signed through DocuSign will be considered the final governing rules for the 2026 event.