Pork Scratching Poker

I seem to have a habit of saying things after a couple of drinks at CAMRA beer festivals. Silly things. Like 'I can organise a beer festival that does more to promote Welsh Ale' or 'Christ, those pork scratchings are big enough to play poker with'. Sadly, due mainly to my upbringing, I feel a need to stick to my word. Hence the first Welsh Ale & Literature Festival. Which reminds me - the second one is going ahead. Still in the garden at Kilvert's, but this time at the more warming and seasonal weekend of the August Bank Holiday. Further details will be coming shortly, but at the minute that's all I know. O, and all the ales will be Welsh again, with the possible exception of a new bar featuring 'speciality beers'. That's right, not just ales, but beers. This is still in the 'just thought it would be nice, could it actually happen' stage of my planning though.

Anyway, Pork Scratching Poker. Texas Hold 'em, with chips* and pork scratchings. At the moment the idea is that a Pork Scratching(tm) will be worth the most - leading to a valuable question players will have to ask themselves. Is it worth more as a token in the game, or as an accompaniment to this beer I'm drinking (more on those later)?

The date has been set - January 23rd, start time around 8pm. We'll have a bit of dinner first, a chance for my #2 chef to come up with a menu with beer matches (no pressure). Rooms are available at special prices as well. If you'd like an invite to this prestigious event, which will be followed on the Monday by a brewery tour (either Wye Valley or Breconshire) and 9 holes of golf (I've never played before, so the rules may be slightly altered on the course), just ask. If anyone has any ideas how we can improve the game, or suggestions on a better lay-out of the day, feel free. It seems most people will be arriving around 4pm on the Sunday, so I may find some mild entertainment to keep us going until dinner.


EDIT: Exciting news pork scratching poker fans! The event is being sponsored! Midland Snacks have agreed to sponsor us some of their different pork scratchings - so we will now actually be playing with scratchings as chips! But that's not all - there's more: The winner of the poker game doesn't just win a load of pork scratchings, they get a prize money can't buy! A tour of Midland Snacks! I'm going to have to learn to keep my mouth shut at beer festivals!

So a huge thank you to Midland Snacks for this - I'm looking forward to trying different flavour pork scratchings - I've only had the plain ones before!

Cheers!