OK, maybe I’m stretching his definition a bit, but still … gotta like the message Factor viewers are getting when Bill O gives a big American thumbs-up to Eva Longoria for hosting her big charity poker tournament in San Antonio this evening:
This tournament, btw, part of the Second Annual Tony and Eva Parker Celebrity Casino Night, is now, I’m almost certain, the biggest charity event in Texas — one of a few, if not the only one, that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars at a pop.
Awesome, and good for the beneficiary, Eva’s Heroes.
The guy instrumental in making this event happen, btw: Phil Hellmuth
Dallas (and Houston) people will note that first prize for this $500 buy-in event is a $10k WSOP main event seat. That sort of real-money-value prize is exactly what caused problems for La Riata — Dallas’ highest society charity poker event (also hosted by Phil Hellmuth), which had raised more than a million dollars before a few yahoos from the TABC successfully convinced charity organizers that prizes had to be awarded by raffle, as opposed to tournament outcome. (We told them they were bluffing!) As you can imagine, that can really kill incentive to rebuy. And sure enough it killed La Riata, which is no longer part of the Texas Stampede.
Poker people might find interesting the brands willing to tie their names together for this event — a major national grocery chain, the maker of industrial tractor equipment, and NBA franchise, and Ultimate Bet.
