Students, staff and alumni will try their hands at the first “Poker with Panthers” online tournament.

Hosted by the EIU (Unofficial) Hall of Fame and co-sponsored by Absolute Poker, a gaming site, the tournament begins at 8 p.m. on June 26.

A portion of the winnings will be presented to the Alumni Association. The tourney winner will decide where and how this 20 percent will be spent.

The top finishers will split the rest and also receive one of three prizes: a pewter alma mater pin, an autographed John Jurkovic photo and a Kevin Duckworth playing card.

For every new member that signs up to play, the tourney prize money is increased by $10, a donation from Absolute Poker.

Currently the total prize pool is $300, but the hosts would like to see the pot reach $500.

The coordinators also hope that 50 people will register.

People who do not wish to participate can donate $2 to Eastern by registering for the tournament and Absolute Poker.

The EIU (Unofficial) Hall of Fame is “a tongue-in-cheek tribute to EIU run by a group of alums,” said The Curator, unofficial Hall of Fame creator. “We’re better than all the other scrub schools in the state, but no one seems to know it. We’re spreading the word.”

The tournament and Hall of Fame are independent of Eastern and the Alumni Association, it is an attempt to have fun with fellow alums, said The Curator.

All of the tournament proceeds will go toward the Alumni Association and the poker players, not the Hall of Fame website, which is fueled by online ads and donations, said The Curator.

To sign up for this free tournament participants must visit:

www.absolutepoker.com/fundraising/pokerwithpanthers.