Maketū Gentleman’s Club – Poker Run 2017 – ‘Every which way but lost’

January 28, 2018

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MGC 2017 Poker Run — Cartoon promotional sketch of the 2017 Poker Run “Every Which Way But Lost”, drawn by local Maketū artist Alby Mascheretti.

Every two years in November the Maketū Gentleman’s Club’s (MGC) Poker Run is held. The first thing you hear is the roar, when nearly 500 motorbikes kick into life, it’s a sound you cannot mistake. For the door-slammers, the last thing you see is the taillights.

This past November, the roar from the Maketū Gentleman’s Club could be heard for miles. It signaled the beginning of the club’s biennial poker run. This time a rider gave the light-hearted title – “Every which way but lost”.

Best poker hand wins

For the uninitiated, a poker run goes like this – the aim is to get the highest poker hand, so at the beginning, each rider draws a single playing card, they then ride on to different locations where they draw another card each time, ending up back at the clubhouse where the final card is drawn.

This year a friendly neighbouring farmer was the winner – triple aces – and he came away with $1,000 in prize money!

A weekend of local hospitality

Bikers assemble at the clubhouse after a very successful MGC Poker Run on 25 November 2017.

It cost $50 per head for riders and their passengers to enjoy the entire weekend which included among other things a hangi, five live bands and prizes.

Riders came from all around the country and overseas – one from America – all attracted by the club’s reputation for fun and hospitality. Men and women, young and old, and in between. More than 500 bikers altogether – something that would have given a Queensland policeman a coronary – but there was not even a whiff of trouble. The strongest smell was burnt tyres, after the burn-out display.

Mutual reciprocal support

Bike clubs around the country host similar poker runs with the same purpose of fundraising and MGC join-in to support them as well. So, it’s a chance to reconnect, to meet new people and quietly check out each other’s bikes.