Big Deal Poker Run raised $12,000

The 2016 Big Deal Poker Run raised $12,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sudbury, thanks in part to a new partnership with the Northeastern Ontario Construction Association.

On Feb. 20 more than 50 snowmobilers gathered at the Pioneer Inn Motel, off of Highway 69 South, where they embarked on a day-long trek to Manitoulin Island.

The next day the group travelled to Killarney, and finally, returned to Sudbury.

In a poker run snowmobilers stop at a number of checkpoints along a set route, where they randomly draw a couple of playing cards at each stop. When they arrive at their final destination, the participant with the best poker hand wins.

For the 2016 event participants played for a $1,000 cash prize, and two tickets to the Boots and Hearts country music festival in Oro-Medonte, 15 minutes north of Barrie.