All In for CP

The third-annual All In for CP [Cerebral Palsy] tournament was held on Dec. 11 in the cardroom at The Venetian. Celebrities in attendance included Jennifer Tilly, Shannon Elizabeth, Joe Reitman, Montel Williams, Mekhi Phifer, Miguel Nunez Jr. (Meet Dave), Alicia Webb (WWE), Dennis McCoy (X Games), Dan Fleyshman (Who’s Your Daddy energy drink), Lance Funston (TelAmerica), and Sam Simon (co-creator of The Simpsons).
Celeb poker players in attendance were World Poker Tour Champion Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, Andy Bloch, Karina and Chip Jett, David “Chino” Rheem, Justin “Boosted J” Smith, Robert Williamson XXXI (actually, III; just kidding, Robert), Tony (Kid Strangler) Korfman, and, of course, my lovely wife, Anjela, and me.
I’m not sure if the tournament sold out or not, but if any more players were going to play, I think they were going to have to set tables up in the parking lot. There was a terrific buffet, as well, including a prime-rib carving station. The only thing missing was the bar that they sometimes set up in the poker room for special events, but there were plenty of cocktail waitresses around, so that was OK.
This entire event was set up by my friend Jacob Zalewski, who is himself living with cerebral palsy. You may have seen Jacob at the World Series of Poker. He is a little guy in a wheelchair who looks like an angel but has to wear a hat to hide his horns; just ask any girls who happen to get too close to his chair!
This tournament had a very interesting angle to it. You could rebuy anytime during the first hour, as usual, but there was no specified amount of chips that you had to have in order to make a rebuy. In other words, you didn’t have to be at or below your starting-stack size. You could rebuy as many times as you wanted, whenever you wanted. It was like, “Hey, floorman; here’s $20,000. Give me 200,000 in tournament chips!”
That aspect made me say no to last-longer bets, as I didn’t want to get into spending $10,000 to win a $1,000 bet. However, I did get into the middle of just such a bet. Chino Rheem and Justin Smith, both at my table, made a bet, and the chips were flyin’. I managed to make six times my starting stack with only one rebuy.
One hand that came down with Justin in it was particularly interesting. Justin raised with the 10♦ 2♦ and was called by the 7♦ 6♦. The flop came Q-5-4 with two diamonds. Now, if the queen was one of the diamonds, Justin was about a 63 percent favorite. If the 5 and 4 were the diamonds (giving his opponent a straight-flush draw instead of a stratight draw and a flush draw), he’d drop down to about a 54 percent favorite. Those two kill cards make quite a difference.
The tournament paid 17 spots, and I got down to 25 before being eliminated. Some guy was raising every pot and then calling when shoved on. Inasmuch as the blinds were becoming huge, this strategy was working well for him. I finally shoved on his raise with A-5, and was called by 10-8 offsuit. I managed to flop a 5, but the turn was an 8, and I was out. That’s OK, as I did manage to make the final table the year before.
There was an after-party at TAO, the nightclub in The Venetian. They refused my admission because I had on steel-tipped boots. I guess the 9 mm pistol that I had in my pocket was OK (I have a CCW permit), but the boots were too dangerous. A buddy of mine who works at The Venetian talked to the manager, and we resolved the boot issue, but then my shirt wasn’t good enough.
So, I had to go buy a $40 collared shirt to replace my $150 collarless Affliction shirt. Hmm, these guys are real geniuses. I finally got in, and had a good time. But, crowded, loud nightclubs aren’t exactly my scene anymore. I guess I’m getting old. I called it a night fairly early, and was in bed before 2 a.m.
I can’t wait for next year’s event. ♠

Todd Brunson has been a professional poker player for more than 20 years. While primarily a cash-game player, he still has managed to win 18 major tournaments, for more than $3.5 million. He has won one bracelet and cashed 25 times at the World Series of Poker. You can play with Todd online at DoylesRoom.com or live at his tournament, The Todd Brunson Montana Poker Challenge, in Bigfork, Montana. Check his website, ToddBrunson.com, for details.