In a recent poker tournament held at the Fort McDowell Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona, the TASER Foundation held its fourth annual Hold’em for Heroes charity poker tournament. The event raised over $500,000 for “federal law enforcement officers in the United States and Canada lost in the line of duty,” according to the organization’s website.

Including its most recent installment, the Hold’em for Heroes charity poker tournament had been held twice at the Fort McDowell Casino and twice in Las Vegas. Kathy Hanrahan, CEO of the TASER Foundation, told Poker News Daily, “We had a lot of conversations with the Poker Players Alliance. They helped us find Phil Hellmuth, who has served as our host.” Hellmuth is a spokesperson for online poker room Ultimate Bet, which merged with sister site Absolute Poker this week to form the CEREUS poker network. Both sites are owned by Tokwiro Enterprises.

Three tournaments comprised the Hold’em for Heroes event. The first two, which were held on Friday, November 21st, boasted $100 buy-ins. In each, unlimited $50 rebuys were allowed, as was one $50 add-on. The third event, dubbed a “High Roller” tournament, had a $1,000 buy-in and was held the next day. Fifty dollar rebuys and add-ons were also allowed in this tournament. The top three players from each of the three events competed in a Tournament of Champions, with the winner taking home a $10,000 seat to the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event, to be held at the Rio in Sin City.

During a break in the High Roller tournament, poker pro Clonie Gowen was one of several personalities who spoke. Gowen referred to the poker celebrities in attendance saying, “We’re not heroes. The men and women who we are here to support are the heroes.” Hanrahan indicated that a fourth tournament would be added to the schedule in 2009. She has been planning the 2008 event since April and was hitting the ski slopes in Colorado for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The tournament was emceed by Hellmuth, who is an 11 time WSOP bracelet holder. Hanrahan told Poker News Daily, “He was spectacular. When he was co-hosting the event, he spent time with all of the players at all of the tables. Hellmuth worked the room and helped others understand our mission. He’s very excited about coming back next year and genuinely enjoys our charity.”

Country music artist Mark Willis also played a prominent role. Willis’ memorable country music hits have included “Jacob’s Ladder,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Don’t Laugh At Me.”  In 2003, he made waves by releasing “19 Something,” which spent seven weeks at number one.

The poker world was represented by a bevy of well-known players including Jim Bechtel, Todd Brunson, Layne Flack, Kevin O’Donnell, Pat Poels, Tom Schneider, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, and Erica Schoenberg. Other famous faces in attendance in Scottsdale included Harlem Globetrotters player Buckets Blakes, “World’s Wildest Police Videos” host John Bunnell, “Cold Mountain” actor Charlie Hunnam, World Wrestling Entertainment performer Val Venis, and two of the athletes on the old version of “American Gladiators:” Valerie “Siren” Waugaman and Don “Yates” Wolf.

Several notable former Dallas Cowboys (NFL) players also made the trek west, including Steve Cole, Hollywood Henderson, and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. Blue Cross Blue Shield sponsored a dinner during the tournament. Other marquee tournament sponsors included R and R Images, Avai, Fry’s Electronics, and Mesa radio station KDKB.

According to the TASER Foundation’s website, 190 officers in the United States and Canada lost their lives while on duty in 2007. The average age of a fallen officer is only 38 years-old. The TASER Foundation for Fallen Officers was established in 2004 with an initial $1 million in seed money from TASER International.

One Comment

  1. Jeanine says:

    Is there a way to get the names of who made the final tables at this event?

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