Poker News

George Epstein

It was a blast! Sunday, May 15; Gardena, Calif.- The ESPN Radio 710 Mason & Ireland Big Show Poker Tournament was held at the Normandie Casino; and I was privileged to be among the 200 participants in the no-limit hold’em tournament. With a $25,000-guaranteed first prize, the no-limit hold’em event was held to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a large portion of the prize pool being donated to help those living with the crippling disease. Sponsored by Newcastle Brown Ale. the event was organized by VIPPoker. (ESPN Radio 710 is also the “Home of Angels Baseball.”)

Celebrities Galore. Players included both Steve Mason and John Ireland, hosts of the popular ESPN Radio 710 show that offers Southern California sports fans a unique brand of sports entertainment. (Mason served as the lead anchor for the past Summer and Winter Olympics; Ireland is an Emmy award-winning sportscaster. And both are well-respected hold’em players as well.) Other celebrities included Rocky Carroll who stars in CBS’ Welcome to New York and the drama series Chicago Hope, for which he has twice been nominated for a NAACP Image Award. (He also has a number of feature film credits and has appeared in many theatrical productions); the talented Mimi Rogers who is often seen in top movies and TV productions as well as on Celebrity Poker on TV; Christopher Knight who starred as a child star in TV shows such as “Gunsmoke” and “Mannix,” later moving into the high-technology business world while still starring in many of the Brady films and TV series, and serving as a spokesperson for the National Consumer League’s “AD/HD Campaign to Inform the Nation;” TV and film star Bryan Cranston (perhaps best known for his role as HalWilkerson in “Malcolm in the Middle”); actor Robert Torti, star of stage, TV and films - including a Tony nomination for his role as Greaseball in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Starlight Express; Adrianne Curry, considered one of America’s top models — adding still more beauty to the excitement of the event; and Simon Rex, the handsome young star who has played leading roles in some of the top movies made in the past few years.

Sherwin Shumsky, poker room manager at the Normandie Casino, monitored the tournament, keeping the action moving smoothly with no apparent problems. Each player started with $1000 in tournament chips for a buy-in of $200 plus $30 entry fee, with multiple rebuys permitted during the first hour of the tournament. Blinds started at $25 - $25 and no ante, gradually increasing to the 14th level at $10,000 - $20,000 with ante of $2000.

Among the first celebs to be knocked out of the game were Mimi Rogers and Simon Rex. Simon admitted to being a novice at the game. (He was seated next to me, and I must admit he has a lot to learn about starting hands. I referred him to my new Hold’em or Fold’em algorithm booklet.) All of the other celebrities except Rocky Carroll were busted out by mid-way in the tournament. (I made it to the final five tables before going all in with A-J suitedwhen I was short-stacked, and lost to a pair of kings on the flop. Oh well. . .) Rocky finished in 22nd place.

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