The National Kidney Foundation will be the beneficiaries of the 2009 Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament, which is sponsored by Curtis and Co. Watches and Dream Team Poker and takes place at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. Pre-tournament festivities begin on Tuesday, March 10th and the poker tournament will issue the “Shuffle Up and Deal” comment on Wednesday at Noon.
The tournament and its side events strike a personal note for Harman, who is the recipient of two kidney transplants. The event boasts a $230 buy-in with $50 rebuys and a one-time $50 add-on. First place takes home a $5,000 World Poker Challenge (WPC) buy-in; second and third places will receive a $3,000 WPC entry as a consolation prize. The top three will also receive luxurious watches provided by Curtis and Co. The event will be conducted by veteran tournament director Matt Savage, who along with Poker News Daily columnist Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, David Lamb, and Douglas Alexander, founded the Tournament Directors’ Association (TDA).
A bevy of poker stars are already scheduled to compete. Among them is Harman’s husband, Marco Traniello, who made three final tables during the 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) for a combined payday of nearly $200,000. Joining Traniello will be Full Tilt Poker pros Howard Lederer and Andy Bloch. Lederer is a proud owner of two WSOP bracelets, which came in 2000 and 2001. Bloch is a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team and made the final tables of the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Limit Hold’em and World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em during last year’s WSOP.
Also slated to appear is 2006 WSOP Main Event champion Jamie Gold, who recently signed on to be a sponsored pro of Merge Gaming Network site ACED. Gold is fresh off hosting a charity poker tournament of his own. After the Academy Awards concluded in Los Angeles on February 22nd, Gold helped raise money for Children Uniting Nations. Also in the tournament field in Reno will be Tiffany Michelle, the last woman standing in the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Michelle is now a member of the Star Players Team on online poker room Ultimate Bet.
Doyle’s Room personality Todd Brunson will be on hand to raise money for charity. The son of poker legend Doyle Brunson, Todd captured his lone bracelet in 2005 by virtue of taking down a $2,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low Eight or Better tournament and defeating fellow pro Allen Kessler heads-up. Physician turned poker pro Roy Winston will also partake in the festivities in Reno benefiting the National Kidney Foundation. Winston won the 2007 Borgata Poker Open, a World Poker Tour (WPT) event, for $1.5 million. Maria Ho, who took 38th in the 2007 WSOP Main Event, will participate alongside Johnson, Fisher, Lee Watkinson, and Marsha Waggoner.
A variety of celebrities will also descend on the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. They include WSOP on ESPN commentator Lon McEachern, who can be found calling the action of the tournament series in Las Vegas and London alongside Norman Chad. He’ll be flanked by former baseball stars Vida Blue and Tido Fuentes, snowboarder Jeff Brushie, and Chicago Bulls Assistant Coach and former player Mike Brown. Joining the pack will be another basketball personality, former Sacramento Kings standout Doug Lee.
On March 10th, a Masters Forum Poker Academy gets underway at 3:00pm. That night, a Throwdown Party takes place at the Pearl Nightclub starting at 8:00pm. On March 11th, the LIPS Vendor Faire and special red carpet walk kick off at 11:00am, with the tournament starting at High Noon in Reno. Harman is already looking forward to the fundraiser, commenting in a press release distributed by its organizer, GreasieWheels, “I can’t thank everyone enough for their generous sponsorship, participation, and support. The two-day fundraiser promises to be a great event.”
Other sponsors of the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament include Silver State Liquor and Wines, Full Tilt Poker, Card Player, WSOP Academy, Card Player Cruises, and Life’s a Bluff.
