The charity event was sold out with more than 250 players who paid $260 to compete for the $10,000 cash prize. Those who registered after the maximum number of players was reached, took their place in the alternate pool and watched from the rail until players were knocked out of the tournament. Besides the cash up for grabs, there were professional poker players in the crowd with a $1,000 bounty on their heads. WPT champion Nick Schulman was one of those players who rotated among the various tables.
Sponsors of the event included the Doubletree Hotel, the Vermont Tent Co., Finnigan's Pub, Junior's Italian Restaurant, and Lippa's Jewelers. John Crabbe Jr., owner of the Vermont Tent Co., said, "I've been putting on poker tournaments for 20 years." He donated his own chips, tables, and other equipment to set up for this year's event.
Frank Salese Jr., owner of Junior's Italian Restaurant, noted, "We've once again chosen this event because we wanted to combine charity with a trend that many Vermonters are excited about. Hopefully, our efforts will once again raise a generous amount of money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation."
Established in 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has been granting wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions for more than a quarter of a century. More than 144,000 children have been granted their wishes thanks to individual and corporate donors, as well as in-kind contributions from the organizations helping fulfill the wishes. Since it requires an average of $10,000 to grant one wish, the organization depends on volunteers and charitable donations for the wishes it is able to grant.
The second annual Vermont Poker Classic hopes to be able to donate at least $10,000 from this year's tournament. While it was a fun event with a sizable prize pool, the main objective was to raise money for a good cause, and everyone in attendance was happy to be a part of it.