Full Tilt Poker Pro Jennifer Harman doesn’t stop when it comes to giving back to those in need. Just weeks after hosting a charity poker benefit for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Harman and the Peppermill Resort Casino will present the second annual Throw Down Poker Championship benefiting the National Kidney Foundation on May 8th in Reno, Nevada.
The 2010 Throw Down Poker competition includes a unique 10-player team format with the buy-in for each team at $2,500. Proceeds will go to the National Kidney Foundation, a cause that hits home for Harman, who took a year away from poker to have a kidney transplant in 2004. After receiving a second kidney through organ donation, Harman founded Creating Organ Donation Awareness (CODA), a non-profit organization to raise money and awareness for the cause. Harman also lost her mother to kidney disease when she was 17.
After walking into the Throw Down Poker event along the red carpet on May 8th, teams will take to the felts and earn points based on each person’s finish. They will be competing for the top three team prize packages, including a trophy, medals, and national branding opportunities. The team entry package includes tournament buy-ins and custom branded commemorative jackets for each person, complimentary tickets to the exclusive VIP party hosted by Peppermill’s Resort Terrace Lounge, official team photos, and complimentary gift bags courtesy of the National Kidney Foundation.
Individual entry to the event is $230 and includes the tournament buy-in and a chance to compete for individual prizes, including a $10,000 entry to the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event awarded to the overall individual winner. The top ten individual finishers will receive entries to the Nevada State Championship Main Event hosted by Peppermill on May 9th along with several other prizes provided by sponsors.
Among those joining Harman at this year’s Throw Down Poker Championship will be poker pros Howard Lederer, Andy Bloch, Marco Traniello, Antonio Esfandiari, Hoyt Corkins, David “The Maven” Chicotsky, Gavin Smith, Cyndy Violette, David Williams, Paul Wasicka, Pam Brunson, Karina Jett, Kristy Gazes, Layne “Back to Back” Flack, Bryan “badbeatninja” Devonshire, and Lee Watkinson. Celebrity captains expected to attend include Robert Iler (“The Sopranos”), Dennis Haskins (“Saved By The Bell”), Craig “CJ” Jackson (VH1 Host), Olympian Ross Powers, Lacey Jones, two-time Olympian Nate Holland, Mindset Guru Sam Chauhan, Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho (“Amazing Race”), and Trishelle Cannatella (“Real World Las Vegas”).
Reno’s own William Roberts was the overall individual winner of the first annual Throw Down Poker Championship in 2009, collecting a Legacy Alliance custom crystal trophy, a $5,000 World Poker Challenge entry, and a Curtis & Co. Watch. The event attracted 300 participants, including 22 ten-player teams, and raised more than $111,000 for the National Kidney Foundation.
For more information, check out the Jennifer Harman Throw Down Poker Championship page.
