Quick Start: Organizing a Poker Run

A Poker Run is a casual, social flying event where pilots visit various waypoints to collect digital playing cards. The crew with the best poker hand at the end wins. This guide covers everything from initial setup to live scoring.

1. Create the Contest

Before you can add tasks, you need an overall contest container.

1. Log in to app.airsports.no.
2. Go to Management > My Contests.
3. Click Create New Contest.
4. Enter the name (e.g., “Summer Fly-in Poker Run 2026”) and location.
5. Set the visibility to Public if you want it to appear on the global map.
6. Save the contest.

2. Design the Route

The route defines where the pilots will fly and where cards are “dealt.”

1. In your mission dashboard, go to the Routes tab.
2. Click Create New Route.
3. Add Waypoints: Click on the map to add the sequence of airports or landmarks.
4. Configure Collection Zones:
   • For Poker Runs, each waypoint is treated as a circular collection zone.
   • The size of the circle is determined by the Gate Width property of each waypoint.
   • The collection zone is a circle centered on the waypoint with a radius equal to half the width.
   • Example: Setting a gate width of 1.0 NM creates a collection circle with a diameter of 1.0 NM (0.5 NM radius) around the point.
5. Save the Route.

3. Configure the Navigation Task

The task brings the route and poker rules together.

1. In your contest dashboard, go to the Tasks tab.
2. Click Add Navigation Task.
3. Select your newly created Route.
4. Select Scorecard: Choose the Pilot Poker Run scorecard. This automatically sets the calculation engine to Poker mode.
5. Set the Start Time and Finish Time for the window when pilots can fly.
6. Save the task.

4. Participant Setup

Downloading the App

Contestants must use the Air Sports Live Tracking app to record their flight and receive cards.

• iOS: Apple App Store
• Android: Google Play Store

Registration

There are two ways to get pilots into your task:

Option A: Self-Registration (Recommended for social events)

1. Ensure “Allow Self Management” is enabled in your Task settings.
2. Pilots find the contest on the dashboard at app.airsports.no.
3. They click Register to enter their details and then Schedule Flight to join the task.

Option B: Manual Registration

1. As an organizer, go to the Teams tab in your contest.
2. Add the pilot and co-pilot details.
3. In the Contestant Schedule of the Navigation Task, add the team to a slot.

5. Live Tracking and Scores

Once the flight window begins, you can monitor the action in real-time.

1. Find the Map: From the contest page on app.airsports.no, click on the Live Map button next to your Poker Run task.
2. View the Hand: As pilots cross gates, their cards will appear instantly on the map.
3. Leaderboard: The Results tab in your contest will show the current hands and estimated poker rankings as pilots land.

Need more detail? Check out the full Contest Manager Guide.