MLB Athlete Hosts Poker Celebrity Bowl, Raises $40K

Major League Baseball shortstop Royce Clayton hit it out of the park over Super Bowl weekend with the first ever Poker Celebrity Bowl, as it raised $40,000 for charity at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.

The benefiting charity was the Royce Clayton Family Foundation, an organization aimed at improving the lives of people afflicted with sickle cell anemia, providing aid for battered women, helping homeless children, and developing athletic opportunities for minority youth.

With such deserving causes at hand, a number of celebrity athletes, professional poker players, and Hollywood actors came in support. The athletes included MLB pitcher Kyle Lohse, Jose Canseco, NBA Hall of Famer Bob Lanier, and former NFL wide receiver MarTay Jenkins. Michael Binger, Jamie Gold, Erik Seidel, and Robert Williamson III also played in support, as well as Clonie Gowen and Chris Ferguson who both made the final table. More than 70 players put up the $1,000 buy-in to compete.

The top 10 places were paid, but only one received the $10,000 seat into the World Series of Poker main event and $5,000 in cash. The winner was Jeromy McMahon of Maricopa, Arizona. Second place was Larry Schohn of Lincolnwood, Illinois. He snagged a cash prize and a seat into a Heartland Poker Tour main event.

“Poker is a fantastic way for fans and celebrities to unite.  I am fortunate to have accomplished many of my goals,” Clayton said in a press release. “The Royce Clayton Family Foundation was started to help others achieve their dreams, and today we were able to raise money to make a difference.”

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