Before the fastest boats on the water hit the lake, Friday will be the chance for everyone else to make waves at the 4th-annual Shootout Poker Run.
The event helps supplement fundraising for this year's Shootout charities and is a chance for old friends to re-aquaint or new friendships to be made.
Six restaurants are on the list for boaters to navigate to, drawing a card from each. The goal is to get the best five-card stud poker hand and earn a top prize.
This year’s stops are Big Dicks Halfway Inn, Captain Ron's Bar and Grill, Captain's Galley, Frankie & Louie's, Dog Days and the Horny Toad. The party heads back to Coconuts on the Gravois Arm for the dinner and awards banquet afterwards.
The cost is $125 per couple and covers goodie bags, event t-shirts, both poker hands, access into the kick-off parties Thursday and Friday nights, plus an aerial photo of the contestant's boat. A helicopter will be following the boaters from restaurant to restaurant capturing all the best moments from the air.
Pre-registration starts Thursday night, Aug. 21, at Coconuts Caribbean Beach Bar and Grill.
On Friday registration continues before the three-staged start.
Last year, more than 100 boats and almost 300 people participated in the poker run.
In addition to the Poker Run, Greg Surdyke of Surdyke Yamaha, is putting together the third annual Dam Run. The PWC run is going to be held on Thursday, Aug. 21. The run will take riders from Surdyke's Marina off State Route KK in Osage Beach at the 26-mile marker to Truman Dam and back to the race village at Captain Ron's at the 34.5-mile marker, a distance of about 135 miles.
For a $100 donation that will go to the groups the Shootout is supporting, breakfast and lunch will be provided. The run gets underway at 10 a.m. and ends when the party reaches Captain Ron's.