Poker champ Jamie Gold and actor Rob Riggle teamed up at Paramount Photos in Los Angeles Wednesday evening for a charity poker occasion to assist elevate cash for particular wants youngsters.
The twelfth annual Selection Poker and On line casino Night time sponsored by Commerce On line casino was an enormous success. Lots of of celebrities and poker gamers confirmed up for a charity poker match, silent public sale, meals, drinks, and most significantly, to boost cash for Selection – The Youngsters’s Charity of Southern California, a nonprofit that helps present funding, healthcare, and mobility for particular wants youngsters.
Crimson Carpet, Auctioned Artwork & Film Stars
Earlier than the tournaments obtained underway, friends in shiny sport coats and tailor-made attire made their method to the Paramount Photos lot stuffed with blackjack, roulette and poker tables and handled themselves to cocktails and a feast of hen wraps, falafels and baklava catered by Zankou Hen.
In typical Hollywood trend, friends additionally had an opportunity to stroll the pink carpet in entrance of logos of sponsors that included Dolby, Fandango and Common. Those that strutted below the southern California sundown included 8 Mile actors Mekhi Phifer and Omar Benson Miller, R&B star Ray J and former NFL participant Omar Bolden.
Subsequent on the pink carpet had been a number of youngsters sporting helmets and keen smiles as they peddled particular wants bikes to the Paramount gates, waving and laughing as they had been greeted with applause and cheer.
After that, a stay public sale happened that noticed the gross sales of a blown-up Andy Warhol Marilyn Diptych silkscreen portray and a signed print of Muhammad Ali’s famed knockout of Sonny Liston.
Enjoying Poker for a Good Trigger
Lastly, it was time to shuffle up and deal. Two charity tournaments happened on the outside lot: one a mid-stakes ($250) recreation and the opposite a high-stakes ($500) match.
The high-stakes subject was stacked with some acquainted faces to the poker group, together with Hustler On line casino Dwell co-owner Ryan Feldman, latest Life Exterior Poker podcast friends Dan “Jungleman” Cates and Princess Love, and longtime PokerStars personalities Joe Stapleton and James Hartigan, co-hosts of the Poker within the Ears Podcast and The Large Recreation on Tour.
Stapleton constructed up an early stack earlier than shedding a race in an enormous pot to bust. Hartigan, nonetheless, completed in second place within the high-stakes match. PokerNews had three gamers competing within the marquee occasion — Jon Sofen, Liam Black, and Connor Richards—however all of them busted lengthy earlier than the ultimate desk.
Sofen had the earliest departure as he moved in blind in the course of the first orbit. Richards survived a desk change to battle in opposition to poker content material creators Tiffany Michelle and Hesham “Kiero” Elkhouly, who completed in fifth place, however solely obtained to play a number of fingers on the poker-media-heavy desk earlier than busting.
Black lasted the longest of the PokerNews crew battling at a desk that included Silicon Valley star Haley Joel Osment however quickly realized how rapidly the blinds go up in charity tournaments. All the way down to a giant blind, Black shipped it with ace-ten to be concerned in three-way all-in in opposition to sevens and one other hand. An ace-high flop left Black far in entrance, however a seven on the river made for a tricky exit for the video and social govt.
Brandon Jones was the winner of the high-stakes recreation, whereas Raffi Varozian took down the mid-stakes match. Each gamers acquired large present luggage from Paramount and World Sequence of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) entries at Commerce On line casino in November.
“It is Turned Into One thing Fairly Massive”
The occasion was an enormous success, and Gold advised PokerNews on the charity occasion that he was honored simply to be a part of it. And he is happy with how a lot the occasion has grown over time.
“It began out as a really small factor, and it is changed into one thing fairly massive,” Gold stated. “It will get larger and larger yearly. It is offered out yearly. It is such an incredible charity.”
Gold sung praises of the Selection charity for its transparency. He stated that 85 cents on each greenback raised at occasions akin to this go on to the kids in want.
Riggle, the 2006 World Sequence of Poker (WSOP) Primary Occasion champion’s co-host on the charity match, stated he would not play a ton of poker, however does benefit from the recreation. He usually seems at charity poker occasions akin to this one and competed within the Leigh Steinberg Tremendous Bowl Get together match that benefited the Particular Olympics in February.
“Jamie can play lots of poker, I can play somewhat poker,” Riggle defined. “However I did make it to the ultimate 4 tables, so I take into account {that a} main win for me.”
Riggle, a comic who has co-starred in movies akin to The Different Guys and Step Brothers, stated he had “extra enjoyable at this match than I’ve had in lots of, a few years,” concerning the Selection charity occasion.
Editor & Dwell Reporter U.S.
