Hard Rock Hosts Mindy Trinidad Memorial Poker Tournament

Mindy Trinidad strolled to the poker table, poker chips in one hand, a martini in the other. She sat down and starting quizzing the other players at the table, wanting to know where everyone was from and what they did.

Jo Ann Bryan remembers being one of those players who was trying to focus on the tournament at hand but couldn’t help but get caught up in the spirit and enthusiasm that Trinidad offered. She soon broke her own personal “no talking policy” and had a conversation with Trinidad at the table, only to become fast friends with her in the process.

This Friday, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will host its inaugural Poker Jingle tournament, with proceeds of the charitable event going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Southern Nevada in honor and memory of Trinidad, who passed away on Oct. 9 at the age of 48 after a six-week battle with acute myelogenous leukemia.

The event features a grand prize that includes a $10,000 seat to the 2009 World Series of Poker main event. Each of the final nine players will receive exquisite prizes.

Many pro poker players have already confirmed they will play in the event, including Phil Hellmuth, Jamie Gold, Erick Lindgren, Tiffany Michelle, Jennifer Harman, Kristy Gazes, Barry Greenstein, and Todd Brunson.

Friday’s event kicks off at 3 p.m. and it is open to the public, although tournament seats are limited. The entry fee is $230. There will be rebuys and one add-on for $100.

Trinidad, who made the final table of the ladies event at the World Series of Poker in 2007, is remembered by her friends as a fierce competitor who knew how to enjoy life.

“She used to say to us that she had a very charmed and privileged life,” said friend and fellow poker player Kelli Griggs. “She’d say, ‘I got it good.’”

After a career as a model that took her around Europe, she settled down and married her husband Dan Trinidad 23 years ago. They had two children, Corey, 19, and Trevor, 17. But a few years ago she got the poker bug and soon she was playing every chance she got.

“She played on Full Tilt and PokerStars just about every free moment she had,” said Bryan.

Full Tilt honored Trinidad with its own charity tournament on Wednesday.

Trinidad's poker career was highlighted by her seventh-place finish at the WSOP ladies event in 2007, and her win at the Summer Pot of Gold tournament in Reno last July.

For more information about the Poker Jingle, check out its event page.

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