Athletes, actors, and other celebrities gathered at the Commerce Casino recently for a poker tournament to raise funds for charity. Variety – The Children’s Charity of Southern California hosted the group’s 12th Annual Poker and Casino night.
Jamie Gold, 2006 World Series of Poker main event champion, served as host for the night. In total, the event helped raise $225,000 for the cause.
Variety, which is part of a larger worldwide organization, provides lifesaving support for disabled, abused, physically challenged, and underprivileged children. The poker tournament has become a regular part of fundraising for the Southern California chapter and has raised more than $1 million since launching more than a decade ago.
This year’s event featured numerous celebrities including actor Rob Riggle (Stepbrothers, Fox NFL pregame show), actor Haley Joel Osment (Forrest Gump, The Sixth Sense), rapper and R&B star Ray J, actor Mekhi Phifer (ER, 8 Mile), former UCLA football player and actor Donovan Carter (Ballers, Legacy), actress Bai Ling (The Crow, Nixon, Red Corner), former NFL player Omar Bolden, actor Omar Benson Miller (CSI: Miami, 8 Mile), and others.
Numerous entertainment industry executives regularly play in the event as well. This year, Brandon Jones, CEO of Film Frog, one of Paramount’s movie industry partners, came out as the event’s high-stakes winner. Raffi Varozian bought a ticket for the event independently and came away as the mid-stakes winner.
*_Photos by Marc Moraitis_
