Oahu, Hawaii (July 25, 2005) Bodog.net sponsored a celebrity "thank you to the troops" charity event this past weekend for the 110,000 men and women of the U.S. military currently in Hawaii, many of whom are awaiting or returning from deployment in the Middle East. The two-day event (July 22-23, 2005), entitled "Bodog Salutes the Troops: A Tribute to American Heroes," was held in Oahu, Hawaii, and included celebrities, musicians, comedians and troops interacting in various activities including a poker tournament and concert and comedy show. The celebrity events brought together the service men and women of the NAVY, AIR FORCE, MARINES and ARMY based at Hickam Airforce Base, Schofield Barracks, Pearl Harbor, and Kaneohe Marine Corp Base.
The weekend kicked off with an inter-service poker tournament overseen by world famous poker tournament director Matt Savage with military finalists playing alongside celebrities, professional poker players and Bodog players at Camp Bodog at the exclusive Kahala Mandarin Oriental resort. The No Limit Texas Hold 'Em tournament was won by actress and first-time tournament player Estella Warren ("The Cooler," "Planet of the Apes"), who blazed a trail through the 90 player tournament, knocking out the two professional poker players along the way and taking home the grand prize trophy and a monetary donation made in her name to the Army's morale welfare department.
"I am in complete shock," said Estella Warren. "I thought I would be one of the first players knocked out, and the next thing you know I'm being handed a trophy. Needless to say, I'm considering making a career change." The final table also featured Shannon Elizabeth ("American Pie"), Jorge Garcia ("Lost"), professional poker player Josh Arieh, four servicemen and Bodog winner Tim Johnson, who won his trip to Hawaii through an online Bodog tournament. Sgt. 1st Class Shane Woods of the Army was the lucky loser, taking home the second place prize.
"This is heaven," said Sgt. 1st Class Shane Woods. "I am so stoked, this was a chance of a lifetime and I don't think it will seem real until tomorrow." Other tournament participants in the field included Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich ("Survivor," "The Amazing Race 7"); Dulè Hill ("The West Wing"); Peter Berg (Director, "Friday Night Lights," "The Rundown"); Joshua Malina ("The West Wing); Kelli Williams ("The Practice"); Colin Quinn ("Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn," "SNL"); Paul Rodriguez ("The Original Latin Kings of Comedy"); Wanda Sykes ("Monster-in-Law," "Wanda Does It"); professional poker players Josh Arieh and David Williams; as well as 14 Bodog.net players and over 60 U.S. Troops. Snoop Dogg headlined the concert and comedy show, held at the world famous Waikiki Shell for 8,000 military members and their families. The concert, which drew an overwhelming response from the overflowing crowd, also included musical performances by BodogMusic artist Bif Naked, as well as the comic relief of Colin Quinn, Paul Rodriguez and Wanda Sykes, and featured an appearance by local Hawaii celebrity, Dog the Bounty Hunter.
"It's a beautiful feeling to be appreciated and come out and give the troops something to smile about and something to dance to," said Snoop Dogg. "I'm down to do it again whenever, however, forever, all the time." Carson Daly ("Last Call with Carson Daly") opened the event, hosted by Bodog Founder and CEO Calvin Ayre, and brought him to the stage just before the weekend came to a close, where Bodog presented the Fisher House Foundation with a charitable donation.
"Just to spend an hour with the men and women that defend this country and to be in Hawaii playing cards, that's what was so special," said Carson Daly. "This weekend exceeded all our expectations," said Calvin Ayre, Founder and CEO of Bodog. "Bodog Salutes the Troops was designed to raise awareness for Fisher House Foundation and provide entertainment for the troops, and judging by smiles on faces and the tremendous support from all involved, the events were a great success." "We are incredibly grateful to Bodog for their compassion and generosity," said James Weiskoff, Vice President of Fisher House Foundation. "We hope that this weekend will bring added attention to the Fisher House Foundation and the military families that we support."
About Bodog Bodog Entertainment Group has sponsored numerous high profile events including "Viva Las Vegas" at the Cannes Film Festival, the LA Lakers Youth Foundation 2nd Annual Casino Night - which included a charitable donation, the Hawaiian Tropic Super Bowl Bikini pageant and party in Jacksonville, the Major League Baseball preview party with Razor Magazine in Phoenix, the 2005 Indy 500eXtreme VIP Pre-Race Party in Indianapolis and the Genesis Awards After-Party supporting the Humane Society in Los Angeles. Bodog.net is a play-for-free educational website that provides novice poker players with strategies and tips on how to play poker. Located at www.bodog.net, the site allows users to practice and fine-tune their poker skills with people from all over the world. In addition Bodog.net will have a direct link to Fisher House Foundation website to help raise additional funding.
About Fisher House Foundation The Fisher House Foundation program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times- during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury
