A new invitation-only event wants to put poker professionals, industry executives, and golfers on the same team sheet. The Cards & Clubs Invitational will take place January 11-13, 2027, at PGA National Resort in Palm Beach, Florida, combining an 18-hole golf scramble with an indoor tag team poker tournament. It was created by Tom Wheaton, a longtime poker industry figure and the founder of The Faded Spade and Above the Felt. The combined results decide the overall champion and the winner of the Cards & Clubs Cup.
How the Event Works
According to PokerNews, teams of four compete in a golf scramble, a format in which every player hits a shot and the team plays the best result. After the golf, the same teams move indoors for a tag team poker tournament, where teammates share a seat and swap in and out. The scores from both disciplines are combined to determine the winners.
The guest list is deliberately narrow. The organizers describe the target group as "a deliberately curated group of executives, important clients, strategic partners, golf talent, poker personalities, creators and other invited guests." The buy-in and prize details were not specified in the announcement, so it is not yet possible to say whether there will be a cash prize pool or how teams will be assembled. Information is available at cardsandclubs.com.
Why Poker and Golf Keep Finding Each Other
Poker and golf have long shared a cultural overlap. Both are individual games played in a social setting, both reward patience and temperament, and both have a deep tradition of side action and friendly competition. Poker tournaments and golf outings have been paired at charity events for years, so the concept is not new. What stands out here is the emphasis on business relationships.
The organizers say the event exists to bring together the right people while "giving them a great experience and creating the kind of time where relationships and organic content can develop." That language is telling. This is less a tournament in the traditional sense and more a networking product built around two games that busy executives already enjoy.
What It Says About the Poker Industry
The poker industry has grown into a mix of operators, media companies, tour organizers, content creators, and sponsors. Many of these groups interact mainly through trade conferences or at the final tables of big events. An invitation-only, multi-day event offers something different: unstructured time.
Three trends make this format understandable:
1. Content is now a currency. The announcement explicitly mentions "organic content." Creators and streamers are central to modern poker marketing, and an event that brings them together with operators and partners can generate footage, clips, and stories without the cost of a traditional broadcast production.
2. Relationship-driven sponsorship. Poker brands often rely on personal relationships between sponsors and personalities. A private event gives them a controlled setting to build those ties.
3. Format experimentation. Poker has already embraced variants such as mystery bounties, tag team events, and hybrid tournaments. Combining poker with another sport is a natural next step, and tag team poker in particular works well as a social format because it lets players who are not tournament regulars take part without taking on the full pressure of a solo entry.
The Tag Team Format Explained
Tag team poker lets a group share one seat. Teammates can swap in at agreed times, discuss decisions, and share the outcome. It lowers the intimidation factor for amateurs and adds a layer of strategy: who plays which hands, when to swap, and how to coordinate.
For a mixed group of golfers, executives, and poker professionals, the format makes sense. A golf-first executive can contribute as a partner without needing to compete alone against professionals, and the team can lean on a poker specialist for tricky spots. If you want to understand the math behind late-stage decisions, our explainers on pot odds and equity are a good starting point, and our poker strategy hub covers wider fundamentals.
Will Events Like This Matter to Regular Players?
On the surface, an invitation-only event has little direct impact on the average player. You cannot buy in, and the results will not affect the tournament calendar in the way a WSOP bracelet or a WPT title does. Its significance lies elsewhere.
First, it signals where industry energy is going. The best-known poker events chase larger guarantees and bigger fields, but there is also a market for smaller, curated experiences. If the model succeeds, we may see more events that blend poker with other activities, aimed at specific audiences rather than the mass market.
Second, it shows how important content creation has become. The mention of "creators" and "organic content" in the announcement suggests that the event is designed to produce material that spreads through social channels. For fans, that could mean more behind-the-scenes coverage of poker personalities outside the tournament setting.
Third, it hints at how poker wants to be perceived. Pairing the game with golf places it alongside another sport associated with business networking. That is a positioning choice, and it may help attract new sponsors who see poker as part of a broader lifestyle and entertainment market.
What We Don't Know Yet
It is worth being clear about the gaps. The announcement does not give the buy-in, prize structure, or the list of invited guests. We do not know whether poker results will be broadcast or streamed, nor how the points from the two disciplines will be weighted. Until the organizers publish these details, any prediction about the event's scale is speculation. We will update readers if more information emerges.
If You Want to Play More Poker With Friends
You may not be on the guest list, but you can get a similar social flavor from home games and low-stakes online play. Our beginner poker sites page lists platforms that are friendly to new players, and our real money poker guide explains how to choose a site. If you prefer to build skills before joining a live event, review how to bluff and poker tells. And if you want to compare live and online play, see online poker vs live poker.
The Bottom Line
The Cards & Clubs Invitational is a small event with a clear purpose: bring together poker and business figures for a few days of golf, tag team poker, and relationship-building in Palm Beach. Its details remain limited, but the idea reflects the direction of a poker industry that increasingly values networking, content, and creative formats. Whether or not it grows beyond an invitation-only gathering, it is a useful signal of how the game's professionals are thinking about the next stage of poker's growth.
Source: PokerNews report on the Cards & Clubs Invitational.