Poker is much more than a game that provides entertainment, it’s become more than just a skilled game where savvy minds duel it out, it’s become an avenue to raise money and awareness for many good causes. On 11 December 2011, the Venetian will play host to the third annual All in For Cerebral Palsy charity poker event.
The event will be hosted by actress Cheryl Hines and Joe Cada. The proceeds from the event will benefit the One Step Closer Foundation, which is a non-profit organization with a mandate to ease the lives of those who suffer from cerebral palsy through financial freedom and social acceptance. The No Limit Hold’em charity tournament will be a $540 buy-in with unlimited $200 rebuys for 90 minutes. Half of the pool will go for the tournament’s payouts, with the other half going to the foundation
Jacob Zalewski, serves as President and CEO of the One Step Closer Foundation, and founded the All In For Cerebral Palsy event in 2008. Zalewski himself copes with cerebral palsy, but as an avid player and a huge fan of poker, he has made friends with many of poker’s biggest stars throughout the years. Several of these poker pros will be playing in support of this event, and some big names expected include Scotty Nguyen, Barry Greenstein, Eli Elezra, Freddy Deeb, Darvin Moon, Todd Brunson, Mike Matusow, Mike Sexton, Phil Laak and Antonio Esfandiari among others.
“We hope to see a future where cerebral palsy is a thing of the past,” said Zalewski. And with charitable events like this generating attention and awareness, Zalewski believes we are growing one step closer to that future each day. Let’s hope so, for the millions of people that suffer from this devastating condition.
