Mardi Gras Party

Last year I hosted a Pokeno party with a Mardi Gras theme–Let the Good Times Roll!  The party  was a Great Gathering event to raise money for our Catholic school. It was both easy and a great success!  I’ve included the details of the party planning along with the menu below.

hosted by Elizabeth Savoie Dronet

Menu

Hot Crawfish Dip with Toasted French Bread
Shrimp Mold with Ritz Crackers (I halved the recipe.)
Cajun Spiced Pecans
Cajun Fire and Ice Pickles
Homemade Hurricanes
Creole Cheese Crackers
King Cake
Steen’s Syrup Cookies 

The Game Plan

Pokeno is an easy game, easier than Bunko if you ask me, that is similar to Bingo.  A deck of cards is used in place of Bingo numbers. The game includes a breakdown of points based on traditional poker hands to be used to settle ties or to add a little pizazz to the game. The game accommodates 12 players, although 13 could play if the dealer sits out.

Guests were asked to bring a wrapped gift ($10-15 value) and $5 cash.  In our case, the guests also donated $20 to the school to attend the event.

I first ordered the Pokeno game from Amazon and located my own deck of cards coincidentally caught in a Mardi Gras parade from one of the casino’s in Lake Charles. When the game arrived, I scanned the poker points breakdown on the back of the box and printed copies for all the game players to have on hand at the table.

The Night of the Party

When the guests arrived, we first ate appetizers and drank homemade Hurricanes.  Then we  moved to the table for the first round of games, which was played for the wrapped gifts. We were twelve, so we played twelve rounds and took turns being the dealer.  The first person to Pokeno (Bingo) chose a gift. If there was a tie, the person with the higher poker hand was the winner of the gift. When all twelve rounds were complete, the gifts were opened and we took a break to eat dessert.

The second round of the game was played for cash.  We played six games this time.  The winner received points this time, which we kept track of by wearing Mardi Gras beads. At the end of six rounds, the first ($20) and second ($10) place winners were those with the highest points or most beads.

Lastly, we played a blackout game for the $30 jackpot.  I had purchased a prize for the loser. We had three who had not yet won a game. We decided to have these three play a game and the person who never Pokenoed was the official loser.