The popular online poker room Ultimate Bet has stepped up to the plate to sponsor the first annual Tony and Eva Parker Celebrity Casino Night benefiting Eva’s Heroes. According to a press statement released by Ultimate Bet late Wednesday night, the beneficiary organization is focused on “enriching the lives of those with developmental challenges and helping children and young adults with special needs to integrate and flourish in society.” The tournament takes place on Saturday night, August 9th and comes with a $300 price tag.
Eleven-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth will be the Casino Night’s master of ceremonies. He commented, “I’m incredibly excited that the popularity of poker is able to help such an important cause and I’m unbelievably honored to be associated with this charity.” Hellmuth also emceed the Ante Up for Africa tournament that was held just before the start of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio in Las Vegas. That tournament featured such celebrity guests as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Charles Barkley and Don Cheadle. Cheadle and Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke were the main faces behind Ante Up for Africa.
Ultimate Bet donated a seat to the 2009 WSOP Main Event to Longoria’s charity tournament, which will be handed over to its winner. A live auction will also occur at Pedrotti’s North Wind Ranch in San Antonio, Texas, the site of the Tony and Eva Parker Celebrity Casino Night. Among the items to be auctioned off is a seat to the 2008 Ultimate Bet Aruba Poker Classic, which starts at the end of September from the Radisson Aruba Casino and Resort. That prize also comes with private tutoring in Aruba by Hellmuth in his private suite.
As if the media circus surrounding the celebrities in attendance on Saturday night wasn’t enough, television programs Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight and Extra will all be on hand. Stars you can expect to see when the report on the tournament include Eva Longoria, her husband San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker, “Desperate Housewives” star Ricardo Antonio Chavira, actress Katie Chonacas, San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan, long-time Spurs forward Sean Elliott, “Sex and the City” star Willie Garson, “House” actress Jennifer Morrison, model Leeann Tweeden and “OZ” actor David Zayas.
If you haven’t already purchased tickets to Casino Night, don’t bother trying because it’s sold out. Those who are fortunate enough to be in attendance will also receive play money to test their skills at blackjack, roulette, craps, slot machines and the ever-popular money wheel. Besides the UB Aruba prize package, other items to be auctioned off include prizes donated by the Cheesecake Factory, Gucci, Microsoft, Nike, the San Antonio Opera and the San Antonio Spurs.
The news that UB was sponsoring Casino Night came just a few days after the online poker room announced the signing of actress and poker player Tiffany Michelle. She finished 17th in the 2008 WSOP Main Event, cashing for $334,534 as the last woman standing. UB found itself in the middle of a maelstrom of controversy in the process: Michelle was backed in the Main Event by Poker News owner Tony G as well as Jeffrey Lisandro and each of the three parties agreed to split any winnings evenly, but just before the start of Day 5, Michelle signed a sponsorship agreement with Ultimate Bet; the two sides pleaded their case on major online poker forums until the storm finally calmed down several weeks ago.
