Charity Event

Written by Tim Fiorvanti

At a final table where competition was pretty high for a Charity Event, EpicPoker.com’s Editor-in-Chief Michael Craig came out victorious, defeating Phil Hellmuth heads-up for the Champion’s bracelet. Fallen Heroes USA was the biggest winner of all, though, as $25,000 was raised for the charity, which will go to assist the families of law enforcement officers who have given their lives in service to communities.

Before the festivities began, Fallen Heroes USA founder Scott Diamond gave an impassioned speech to the gathered crowd, detailing some of the charity’s recent work for the families of slain law enforcement officers. From there it was passed on to Epic Poker League Commissioner Annie Duke for a few words before the emcee for the night, actor and comedian Kevin Pollack took the microphone for the shuffle-up and deal. Pollack also provided hilarious commentary about the action, which was heavy with many of the pros in the field rebuying practically every hand.

By the close of registration, there were 45 players in the field Sunday, who rebought 138 times and 30 of whom added on. Randy Dorfman, who was one of the most frequent rebuyers threw in a final $200 to bring the total to a nice even $25,000. In addition, Michael Craig pledged to donate the $1,500 Pro/Am seat he won to Fallen Heroes USA.

Quite a few league members participated in the second Charity Event of the season. That group included inaugural Epic Poker League Charity Event Champion Andy Frankenberger, Phil Hellmuth (who also took over the microphone as commentator), Erik Seidel, Jon Little, Huck Seed, Chris Moore, Scott Clements, Nick Binger,  Nam Le, Greg Mueller, Bryan Devonshire, Rep Porter, David Chiu, Matt Marafioti, Fabrice Soulier, James Van Alstyne, Mike Matusow, Christian Harder, Chris Klodnicki, Randy Dorfman, and Andy Bloch. Sean Getzwiller, who has now won two Main Event seats via Pro/Ams, came back just an hour after locking up his seat in Event 2 to participate in this Charity Event. Rounding out the group were a couple of familiar faces in the poker world, including our very own Michael Craig.

When they got down to a final table around 10:45 PM, it was, like Epic’s first Charity Event last month, an impressive group, including League members Phil Hellmuth, Nam Le, and Rep Porter. One player would go home with only the knowledge that they’d made a charitable donation to a good cause and not much else to show for it, and that unfortunate player was Mike DeVita.

After a hard fought battle, it was Craig, Hellmuth, and Brian Castillo winning $1,500 Pro/Am seats, which they can use in either December or January. Craig got the additional prize of a Champion’s bracelet designed by GOOD ART HLYWD, who also makes the Commissioner’s Coins and Champion’s Ring for each event. It was a doubly good day for Hellmuth, who won a $20,000 seat in the Pro/Am earlier in the day and locked up a $1,500 for the next Pro/Am. (In addition to playing, contributing to the charity, and serving as commentator for the second half of the tournament, Phil finished 3rd in the Pro/Am tournament earlier in the day.)

Here’s how the final table broke down, and the prizes each player won.

1st - Michael Craig - $1,500 Pro/Am seat & Champion's bracelet by GOOD ART HLYWD
2nd - Phil Hellmuth - $1,500 Pro/Am seat
3rd - Brian Castillo - $1,500 Pro/Am seat
4th - Rep Porter - Palms Casino Resort Weekend Getaway
5th - Stacey Nutini - 2 tickets to any Cirque du Soleil show (except "O")
6th - Jeff Blenkarn - Lord Griffon Jewelry Piece
7th - Nam Le - Skull Candy headphones
8th - Jim Agale - 4 VIP tickets to Brad Garrett Comedy Club
9th - James Key - An Airbedz mattress and car detailing at Executive Auto Grooming

Founded in 2010 by Deputy Scott Diamond and other active duty law enforcement officers serving the Southern California area, FallenHeroesUSA.org was established to assist the families of law enforcement officers who have given their lives serving their communities in the United States and to honor the ultimate sacrifice these fallen heroes have made.

FallenHeroesUSA.org delivers financial assistance to the surviving family members of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty and memorializes fallen heroes by recording their service and sacrifice on our Heroes page, so no one ever forgets them. A 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation, FallenHeroesUSA.org delivers financial assistance through monetary donations and from fund raising events, such as golf tournaments and charity poker tournaments, in support of its mission.

FallenHeroesUSA.org does not receive taxpayer dollars for its day-to-day operations, but relies on the generous contributions of the public. The FallenHeroesUSA.org Board of Directors includes Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Scott Diamond, Founder and CEO; Los Angeles Police Department Officer Paul Valencia, Director and Vice President; Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Ray Mades, Director; Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff Brian Castillo, Director; and Professional Poker Kelly Kim, Director. Members of the Board do not receive any compensation for their time and effort.