The San Francisco 49ers took a tough 41-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. But the team’s longtime fullback Kyle Juszczyk put the loss behind him with a six-figure poker tournament win over the weekend.
The two-time All-Pro took the top spot in an event held in conjunction with Justin Timberlake’s 8AM Invitational Weekend. He hosts the annual golf tournament at Wynn Las Vegas. It raises funds for the American Skin Association, which works to defeat melanoma and skin cancer.
For his efforts, Juszczyk scored $100,000 in an event that brought in about 65 players and a prize pool of around $500,000. His wife Kristin shared a photo of the fullback holding a trophy over his head on Instagram. She posted another photo with Juszczyk clutching the winner’s check.
She added on the trophy photo: “I’m going shopping!!!!”
Charity Poker Champion
Timberlake began hosting the celebrity-packed weekend in 2022. It’s similar to another Las Vegas event hosted by Tiger Woods. According to the event’s website, Timberlake’s invitational weekend features athletes, entertainers, and other notable guests.
While normally leading the way blocking for 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, Juszczyk took the spotlight a bit himself at the poker table this time.
The 34-year-old is one of the better players at his position in the NFL. And apparently, he has quite an analytical mind after graduating from Harvard in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
Juszczyk is no stranger to poker and also appeared on the first season of the “Celebrity Poker Tour” (CPT). Poker pro Maria Ho won that inaugural event, “CPT Game Night,” for $10,000. She later also took down the CPT Championship for $50,000.
Poker has long drawn celebrities to test their luck at the tables and to raise some funds for charity. The Big One for One Drop was one of the earlier events and featured a $1 million buy-in at the World Series of Poker in 2013. A buy-in at that level was unheard of at the time; poker pro Anotnio Esfandiari grabbed the win for $18.3 million.
One Drop high-roller events continued for several years at several tournament series and is returning this year for the first time since 2023. A €100,000 buy-in event is set for May 1-3 as part of the European Poker Tour Monte Carlo festival.
