This event will benefit The Special Olympics, The Step By Step Foundation, The Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

Event Details:

Tournament ID (Full Tilt): 137491817
Event Password: PokerNations

Full details on this event may be viewed at www.pokernations.com

The problem lies in how to get there and this unfortunately is a problem many players have gone through and are going through now. Poker obviously plays different at all levels. At the lowest levels, the quality of play is, well, terrible. At the higher stakes, it is more realistic. When players start out playing poker, they can’t just jump to mid or high stakes games unless they have money from previous endeavors. Most have to build a bankroll and earn their way up. This is where the problem lies.

Good players play good poker, but good poker does not always work at the low levels. As well, a tournament with a $10 buy in is usually going to have thousands upon thousands of entrants, a field even an experienced professional will have a lot of trouble beating. Good players may simply not be able to get up the stakes where they would be good, if that makes sense. So, how can they get there?

BANKROLL BUILDING

Grinding the low stakes doesn’t always go as planned. A player maybe good enough to play $2-$4 NLH, but only has the money for $.10-$.20. Playing at $.10-$.20 can be brutal. Players calling all in with 32 and winning. Bluffing and catching miracle 2-outters. Not only that, but playing low stakes is not good practice for higher stakes since the games are so different. So players need to do a few things other then grind to get up in stakes.

First, always play with rakeback. This will keep money coming into your account from an outside source. Second, try playing on a new site so a player can also work towards a huge first deposit bonus. All online poker rooms give these bonuses. Third, if you can prove your play, try getting backed. Backing can get players the bankroll they need to play in the big games without the useless grind at low stakes.

And remember, when a player does play at the micro stakes, remember who the opponents are. Do not try crazy bluffs or advanced plays. ABC poker is the way to go.

Join hands with the Twitter Poker Tour and the growing list of Full Tilt Pro’s in the fight against cancer. Here is a list of the Pro’s who have committed to playing:

• Andy Bloch
• Dave Colclough
• Joe Beevers
• Lee Watkinson
• Mandy B
• Marco Liesy
• Michael Craig
• Phil Gordon
• Rafe Furst
• Richard Ashby
• Ross Boatman

Event Details:

Place: Full Tilt Poker
Date: November 15th, 2009
Time: 6:15PM EST
Cost: $10 ($5 entry plus $5 donation to BBoC)
Tourney ID#: 113220604
Tourney PW: TPTFORBBOC

What is Bad Beat on Cancer?

During the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP), poker professionals Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst started a drive to help fund cancer prevention research and education ― by playing poker.

They asked their friends to pledge just one percent of their winnings at the WSOP Championship Event to the Prevent Cancer Foundation as a tax-deductible donation, resulting in enough money to fund a research grant for an entire year.

Since its inception six years ago, Bad Beat on Cancer™ (BBoC) has raised over $2 million for cancer prevention research and has grown to include other major poker tournaments, leagues and home games. The initiative has inspired amateurs and pros alike to pledge one percent of their winnings for life, including stars Phil Hellmuth, Jr., Paul Wasicka, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, and Dennis Phillips, to name just a few.

The concept behind the program is relatively simple. Pros and amateurs alike will sign a pledge saying that they will donate 1% or more of their tournament winnings to the NephCure Foundation. They will also wear patches, hats, shirts, etc. that express support for the foundation. These items usually bear the NephCure Foundation logo or its slogan, “Saving Kidneys, Saving Lives”. Aside from the aim of raising funds for the foundation, the pledge also aims to raise the level of awareness about nephritic diseases and how they affect human lives. Many people suffer from the two diseases that the foundation focuses on, but they are still without a cure. And to make matters worse, their causes are still unknown. Nephcure aims to find the cause in the hopes that it will lead to the cure or, at the very least, a way to prevent the diseases from occurring. And, by donating just a meager amount, poker players can help further this aim. All they’re asking for is a small 1% of your winnings – it doesn’t really how much or how little that is, as NephCure needs all the help they can get.

The “All In For a Cure” Poker Pledge Program is supported by several pros who play for the PPI. One of them is Lee Childs who was able to get to the final table in the WSOP 2007. Jason Young, owner of a 2008 WSOP bracelet, is also part of the team along with Frank Vizza, the Circuit Event Champion in WSOP 2008. Gene Castro, the founder of PPI, and Eric Siegel, the Marketing and Player Development leader of PPI, are also included in the program. They have all signed a pledge saying that they will donate a percentage of their winnings from tournaments to the Nephcure Poker Pledge Program, ensuring that the program will get the funding it needs to reach its goal.

Celebrities:
Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Camryn Manheim host of CII’s “First Annual Celebrity Poker Tournament”, Maria Bello, Dean Cain, Tony Denison, Joely Fisher, Willie Garson, Jennie Garth, Cheryl Hines, Jamie Kennedy, Ricki Lake, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kathy Najimy, Kevin Nealon, Neil Patrick Harris, Mimi Rogers, Alison Sweeney and Susan Yeagley, and friends of Children’s Institute. (Source).

Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009
11:00 a.m. – Registration and lunch
12:30 p.m. – Tournament start time

Location:
Commerce Casino (Click for Map)
6131 Telegraph Rd
Commerce, CA 90040-2501

Can you tell me a little about the Regina Early Learning Centre and your role within it?

Joel: The Regina Early Learning Centre is a child and family development centre working with low income families to provide pre-school programs for disadvantaged children from five years old to pre-natal instructions. I myself have served as Vice President of the Board off Directors for the last 2 years. I’ve also liasoned with a Capital Campaign Committee, which oversaw the implementation of raising $1,500,000 for our pre-school.

How did the idea of a charity poker event as a fundraiser come about?

Joel: Our Board of Directors is made up 100% of Parents of Students, and not all of them are financially blessed. So we were brain storming on how we could financially support the Regina Early Learning Centre and my friend Matt Robertson put me on to Linda Miller-Wenman at Casino Regina’s Charity Poker Department.

How did you come upon Casino Regina as a location for your event?

Joel: Every Thursday Night, Casino Regina hosts a Charity Poker Game for Non-Profit Charities, and it seemed like a great fit. The venue is clean, professional, stylish, and the players last year loved it!

Had you considered the other options like a private function room with hired dealers and rented equipment?

Joel: We had, but the legalities, paperwork, coordination, and man-power seemed to be a bit more than the Board of Directors was able to handle with what we already had on our plate with fundraising.

Were there any restrictions in Canada (or local laws) that you needed to consider as they pertain to hosting a poker tournament for charity?

Joel: Not at all. As long as you are within the guidelines of the Saskatchewan Gaming and Liquour Authority, you’re good to go. Casino Regina takes care of all of the legal issues as long as you have a Non-Profit Status as a Charity.

What is the single biggest issue you faced running a charity poker event?

Joel: Selling tickets would be up there, but I would have to say securing Celebrities for the Tournament. It takes a lot of relationship building, and networking to secure popular people, and to have them commit.

What would you consider the ‘recipe for success’ in hosting a charity poker event?

Joel: Baby Steps. Don’t try to get everything done the 1st week you sell your tickets. Take time to give yourself attainable goals and work towards them a little bit each week, and everything will fall into place.

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions Joel, is there anything you would like to add?

Joel: Keep a positive attitude, and at least once in your life, go All In against the odds, or you’ll regret it!

Please also see: ‘Running a Charity Poker Event’ an Interview with Joel Sopp

Where: Casino Regina
Date: Sunday, November 29th, 2009
Time: 1:30 pm
Buy-in: $60/Ticket = $2,500 Prize Pool *
Charity: Regina Early Learning Center

* Only 100 tickets to be sold

Click Here to Buy Tickets or Sponsor the Event

When: Oct 3, 2009
Where: The home of Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart Simpson, Northridge California
Buy-in: $125 Admission + $125 Tournament Buyin
Charity: LAPD Devonshire – PALS

We encourage you to submit your charity events through our Submit an Event form so we can help you spread the word about your event. Also, feel free to browse through the schedule of upcoming events and help support their respective charities by participating when you can.

Please feel free to spread the word about our website so that the hosts and organizers of these charity events will know there is a place for them to promote their cause! Here are a few ways to help:

• If you own a blog or website, you could link to us like so: Charity Poker
• Use the Social Networking buttons at the bottom of this or any other event announcement post. You can use these to post to Digg, Twitter, StumbleUpon, etc.

Ontop of the $1 per player prize pool, this event boasts a WSOP Academy admission (courtesy of WSOP Academy) and a $500 airfare credit (courtesy of UltimateBet). As is standard for online poker events there will be a bounty on the UltimateBet pro’s (Annie Duke, Mark “P0ker H0” Kroon, etc). If you take out one of the UB pro’s you will receive a one year premium membership for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

For more information about OFC and this event, visit Online Forum Challenge

When: Sep 5, 2009 2:00pm ET
Where: UltimateBet
Buy-in: $1 + $10 ($10 goes to charity)
Charity: Ante Up for Africa

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