The Road 2 Recovery and Ante Up for Autism
When it comes to action and excitement, playing in major poker tournaments for millions of dollars is hard to beat. However, playing in charity poker tournaments can be equally as rewarding – the money goes to innumerable amazing causes and you get to meet fantastic, compassionate people at each and every event. Such was the case at the recent Road 2 Recovery Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Presented by Toyota Trucks, with additional sponsorship support from Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki, Yamaha, and Alpinestars, among others, the fourth installment of this annual event raised over $43,000 for the Injured Riders Fund, dedicated to assisting professional AMA-licensed Motocross/Supercross riders who have sustained career-ending injuries.
Kyle Morris directed the spectacular event, Jimmy Button and Jeff Madsen hosted, and Robert Williamson III and I had the supreme pleasure of emceeing. Many fan favorites from the poker world took part, including: Jennifer Harman, Chip & Karina Jett, Hoyt Corkins, Lacey Jones, Marco Traniello, Adam Schoenfeld, Maria Ho, Brandon Cantu, Tiffany Michelle, Jon Friedberg, James Mordue, and Layne Flack. Also in the mix were superstars from the high-octane world of Motocross, including Jason Thomas and Grant Langston, whose presence was truly heroic considering his recent diagnosis and ongoing treatment for melanoma.
“Back to Back” Flack was in an especially giving mood, pumping in a record 23 rebuys, besting the also impressive 19 of “Hot Chips” Michelle. In addition to putting up the venue, the MGM graciously distributed 160 $100 rebuys and add-ons among the 67 competing players.
After a few hours of great camaraderie and wild poker, just two players remained – Jeff Madsen and Tiffany Michelle. And in the fi nal hand of the night, Lady Luck and her pocket rockets held up and Tiffany Michelle reigned supreme. For her victory, Michelle earned an awesome 22-pound crystal trophy designed by Legacy Alliance, Inc., a beautiful watch donated by Curtis & Co. Watches, and a $10,000 entry to next year’s WSOP Main Event. No stranger to cashing in mega-tournaments, Michelle promised to donate 5% of her winnings to the Injured Rider’s Fund. Come next year, she’ll undoubtedly have a few extra thousand people in her cheering section.
The only knock against charity poker tournaments is that there are just so many amazing events these days you can’t possibly attend them all. An event that took place while I was out of town, one I deeply regret missing, was Ante Up For Autism, hosted by superstar actress/model/comedian Jenny McCarthy and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong. McCarthy, whose son Evan suffers from autism, also serves as a spokesperson for the event’s offi cial host Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) and is the author of Louder Than Words – A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism.
The gala cocktail party, formal dinner, and silent auction took place at the beautiful St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California, and the poker tourney was held at the largest, most action-packed card room on the planet, namely the Commerce Casino.
Eighty players duked it out on the felt including celebrities from virtually every realm. In attendance were: skateboarding great Tony Hawk, ex-NFL QB Jim Everett, extreme sports maven Ryan Sheckler, motocross legend Jeremy McGrath, Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice, Olympic Hurdler Lolo Jones, drift king Samuel Hubinette, motocross racer Ernesto Fonseca, mountain bike madman Brian Lopes, actors Clifton Collins Jr. and Johnathon Schaech, and a myriad of poker stars such as Marcel Luske, Michelle Lau, Amir Vahedi, Pamela Brunson, Kristi Dalton, Roy Winston, and Beverly Kruskol.
The poker tournament – won by Thomas Lieb of San Marino, CA – raised more than $300,000 and a silent auction featuring a slew of incredible items kicked in another $80,000. Proceeds will fund educational programs and services for families affected by autism.
