PokerWorks

The annual World Series of Barbeque hosted by Howard and Suzie Lederer, with special assistance from Steve Zolotow, has become a must-attend event each summer. Though there are perks like the amazing food and drink spread, entertainment, and an extensive fireworks display, the one event that serves the purpose of the entire evening is a charity poker tournament. And the 2009 WSOB raised $179,000 for the Boys and Girls Club.

The Suzie and Howard Lederer Celebrity Charity Poker Tournament began in the late afternoon hours of July 1 with a $330 buy-in and $200 unlimited rebuys. Numerous poker pros came out to the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas for the tournament and raised a substantial amount of money for the Boys and Girls Club. In addition to the money raised, several players went home with final table prizes donated to the cause like computers and other electronic items, but it was Stephen John Bartlett who won the tournament and a coveted seat on a future episode of Poker After Dark, the late-night NBC poker show. Bartlett will be allowed to play a sit-n-go with some of the biggest pros in the industry in a seat worth $20,000 and potential worth $120,000 if he wins the table when it is filmed for television.

When the tournament concluded, players and supporters flocked to the pool/patio area of the Golden Nugget for sun, food, and entertainment throughout the evening. While some chose to dip in the pool that surrounds the massive shark tank, others participated in the karaoke contest or simply enjoyed the company of their poker colleagues. An enjoyable evening was had by all and ended with more than 20 minutes of fireworks above the Golden Nugget, put on a spectacular display for the party’s guests.

And the $179,000 raised by the poker tournament will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Las Vegas, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping children in the community by providing programs that will aid in successful and positive futures. Through character and leadership development, educational assistance, career goals, health and life skills, arts and sports, children are taught to aim high despite a lack of adult supervision or guidance in their daily lives. The eight clubs in the Las Vegas area have been providing such services for 47 years and will continue to do so through the help of such generous donations as those provided by the poker community.