Poker Night 2010
On Sunday 31 October 2010, the 4th Annual ‘Joe Hachem & Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament’ was held in the world famous Crown Poker Room. Over 500 guests were in attendance to show their support for The Shane Warne Foundation (TSWF) and our mission of helping to enrich the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children in Australia.
The event was supported by many celebrities who attended to show their support, including; James and Erica Packer, Glenn Robbins, Fifi Box, Kevin Muscat, Robert DiPierdomenico, Trevor Marmalade, Kris Smith, Aaron Hamill, Tiffany Cherry, Paul O’Brien, Cheryl and Brenton Court, Adrian Leijer, Matthew Foschini, James Mathieson, Mervin Hughes, Luke Hodge, Ryan Maloney, Scott McGregor, Jason Dundas, Grant Smillie, Bernard Curry, Cameron Cloke, John Blackman, Brodie and Heath Meldrum, Jane Kennedy and Rob Sitch, Jason Akermanis, Shura Taft, Tamsyn Lewis, Mahesh Jadu, Gary Ablett and Lauren Phillips, Russell Gilbert coming along and mingling with our guests.
Bill Brownless, who did a sensational job as emcee at the event, kicked off the day by introducing former Taxiride lead vocalist Jason Singh to the stage to perform two songs, which warmed up our guests for what was going to be a big day! Shane Warne and Joe Hachem then joined Ann Peacock on stage to talk about the TSWF, before handing to Joe for the ‘Shuffle up and Deal’.
On the felt the action was frenetic. Each playing guest received a free re-buy, which saw people chasing hands everywhere. When some hit the card they needed on the river, you could hear the calls of “how can you play that” or “you river rat” across the room. It was always with a smile and everyone played in the right spirit.
The first break saw Carlos Sila perform the well known song ‘Hallelujah’ to TSWF’s annual DVD, reminding guests how their support makes a real difference to the lives of seriously ill and underprivileged children. Carlos is a beneficiary of TSWF through the Western Chances scholarship program and kindly gives up his time to perform at most events for our guests.
Following Carlos’ wonderful performance was the live auction, with amazing items up for grabs. TSWF Ambassador James Packer kindly donated a round of golf at his family’s private Ellerston Golf Course, which enticed many golf lovers in the room, although unfortunately there could only be one winner! Also up for grabs was a 2011 F1 Monaco Grand Prix Package which had guests is awe, as it included return business class airfares to/from Monaco, meet and greet with 2009 F1 Grand Prix Champion Jenson Button, accommodation and tickets to the Grand Prix! Dipper managed to secure ‘13th Man for a Day’ on day 2 of the Adelaide Test, which means he will be spending the day with the Australian Cricket Team as they take on the poms!
After the break the tournament re-started. With Re-buys now finished, everyone started to play a lot tighter. There were lots of people folding hand after hand waiting for something good.
With this expected we had scheduled some entertainment and what would a poker tournament be in the Las Vegas bar without ELVIS! The talented Mark Andrew performed four songs as Elvis with his showgirls and blew the crowd away! He had every guest watching his energetic performance! I think some people actually folded hands they had been waiting an hour for so they could keep watching!
For guests who were dealt an unlucky hand and knocked out of the tournament, a special ‘2nd Chance Tournament’ was in place. Guests could buy-in for $150 and enter a turbo tournament, with the prize being a seat on the final table. While almost 100 guests tried their luck for a second time, Marcus Ryder earned his seat on the final table and finished up with 8th place.
Guests were offered the opportunity to purchase a ‘Lucky Card Number’ and be in the running to win poker with Joe Hachem & Shane Warne on board Sam Newman’s boat! Hosts sold the deck of cards for $400, which Joe Hachem then shuffled on stage and announced the lucky winner, who held a King of Spades! Congratulations Xen.
For the music enthusiasts in the room, world renowned DJ Grant Smillie capped off a memorable night of entertainment with a DJ set! Guests who attended to watch the tournament or stressed poker players could also indulge their beauty senses at the Elly Lukas Station; where neck and shoulder massages and manicures were on offer, as well as EyeKandy glitter!
As the clock struck 12.30am, the tournament came to an end, with James Bennett taking home the trophy, a trip to Las Vegas to compete in the World Series of Poker, the title of ‘Winner of the 4th Annual ‘Joe Hachem & Shane Warne Charity Poker Tournament’ AND bragging rights, after successfully beating over 300 people at Texas Hold’em!
The foundation would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our sponsors who assisted in making the night happen through their generous support of TSWF. We would also like to thank everyone who showed their support and commitment to TSWF, by purchasing ticket(s) to the Poker Tournament. A special thank you to our event sponsors; Crown Melbourne, Dig Creative and VB.
Chairman Shane Warne commented; “Thank you to everyone who has shown their support of TSWF. We would not be able to stage such amazing events, if it weren’t for the people and organisations who contribute to the foundation, not only for particular events, but throughout the year”.
Please Click Here to view photo’s of the red carpet arrivals.
Please Click Here to view photo’s of the tournament.
Please Click Here to see a video put together by FOTOFERRIERI of the poker tournament. The video is amazing and we would like to say a big thank you for the time and effort spent.
