The V Foundation - Reno Hold 'Em & Celeb Ski

Grand Sierra Resort & Casino - Reno, NV
March 23-26, 2010

CHARITY NO-LIMIT RENO
2010

HOLD ‘EM TOURNAMENT
VISUAL EVENT RECAP
In the pages that follow, you’ll see several marketing pieces, media coverage and extensive images
and captions that portray the experience during The V Foundation Charity Poker Tournament.

EVENT ITINERARY
The three-day event boasted a schedule full of activities that made the experience for the
celebrities so intriguing.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010
> Celebrity guest arrivals
> Informal gathering and musical performance from The Jacob Luttrell Trio

Wednesday, March 24, 2010
> Celebrity ski trip to Mount Rose
> Welcome Party & Cocktail Reception
> The V Foundation Charity Poker Tournament

Thursday, March 25, 2010
> Take It Downhill Celebrity Ski Off
> Gemstone Winery - Winemaker Dinner at Briscola

2010


Left: Phil “Unabomber”
Above: Christian Fauria with Laak getting a massage on
Liv Boeree. his legendary mug.
Below: Grand Sierra CEO Top Right: Event Host Alex
Richard Silverman. Outhred rocked the mic.

Above: Fauria chats
with the ailing Matt
Graham.
Below: Dani Stern’s not
happy about losing a
big pot.
Left: Maria Ho poses with
McLean Karr during a break in
between deals.
Below: Jeff Madsen ponders
his next move as the action at
the ﬁnal table heats up.

Above: Antonio Esfandiari
steals the mic from Outhred
to call the action at his table.

Below: The V Found. Bottom Right: Local Derek
mainstay Julie Farrington gets his ESPN
Constantin with ﬁnal moment after taking
tableist Dani Stern. down 3 pros for the title.

Right: Power Poker
couple, Liv Boeree
and Allie Prescott
ponder which items
to bid on at the
enormous silent
auction selection.

2010

Christian Fauria and Trishelle Cannatella
report from the top of Mount Rose just
before Rick Fuller shoots out of the gate for
his ﬁrst run wearing jeans!

McLean Karr brags to Trishelle
after knocking out Eric Aude
from the competition, while
Alex Outhred shows love to
Antonio Esfandiari even though
Liv Boeree ripped her way to the ﬁnals he lost by the tip of his skis.
but in her interview seemed to think
Antonio had an unfair advantage.

Antonio confesses
his Gatorade was
his lucky charm
and it seemed to
have worked with
carves like this.

2010


At the reception even the
spread was all about poker!
Julie with movie star Jennifer
Elise Cox and winemaker
Michael Turner.

The Jacob Luttrell Trio kicks off the The V Foundation’s Julie Constantin
festivities at the Pre Poker Tourney thanks the crowd before introducing
Cocktail Reception. the powerful Jimmy V Speech.
Phil Laak, actress
Jennifer Tilly and
Antonio Esfandiari
pose with Tourney
Winnner Derek
Farrington and his
wife Angel.

Below: Derek &
Angel with Julie and
Gemstone Winery’s
owner Paul Frank

Guests enjoyed an
intimate setting
and a wonderful
four course
meal paired with
extravagant wines
from Gemstone
Vineyards.

2010

Selection Of Pre & Post Print Media Coverage & Testimonials
Full Tilt, Poker From the Rail:
The poker tournament takes place on Wednesday, March 24th at the Grand Sierra Resort Casino in Reno, NV
for a buyin of just $200 with $100 rebuys. Half the prize pool will benefit The V Foundation with the other half
going into a prizepool. There will also be sponsor prizes, pro poker lessons and the winner will have a cancer
grant created in their name. There are many pros scheduled to participate including Antonio Esfandiari, Alex
Outhred, Liv Boeree, Lacey Jones, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Allie Prescott along with Full Tilt pro Jeff Madsen. The
tournament kicks off at 7pm following a cocktail party which will entertain and loosen up bankrolls.
The following day brings an interesting twist to the standard charity tournament.
Many of the pros will move from the poker table to the mountain for a “Celebrity
Heads Up Ski-off” which will pit competitors against each other as they race down
the mountain. It should be a great spectacle as many young guns of poker take to
the slopes in an attempt to raise more money and entertain the masses. They will be
paired up and begin racing at 11am on March, 25th with a BBQ to follow.

Poker News Daily:
On March 24th, the Grand Sierra Resort Casino in Reno will host a $220 buy-in charity poker tournament ben-
efiting the V Foundation. The event will be televised on ESPN2 and kicks off at 7:00pm local time.
A bevy of poker players are slated to appear in the name of charity, including Victory Poker front man
Antonio Esfandiari, UB.com pro Adam “Roothlus” Levy, two-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet
winner Jeff Madsen, poker instructor Alex Outhred, Alec “traheho” Torelli, former “Amazing Race” contestant
Tiffany Michelle, Erick Lindgren’s significant other Erica Schoenberg, 2007 Playboy Playmate of the Year Sara
Underwood, actor Mekhi Pfifer, embattled baseball great Jose Canseco, Absolute Poker’s Trishelle Cannatella,
and Liv Boeree.

Poker Listings:
“UB and Absolute Poker’s Trishelle Cannatella are co-hosting a two-day
charity poker tournament to benefit cancer research in Reno beginning
today. The V Foundation Charity Poker Tournament also features a silent
auction, private dinner and a “Take It Downhill” Poker Pro Ski Challenge.”

Poker Road:
The Grand Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada, will be hosting a special charity poker tournament this
Wednesday, March 24th, to benefit The V Foundation and it’s ongoing efforts to fight against cancer, and quite
a few familiar names are hoping regular folks will join them when they attend.
This special $230 buy-in (w/$100 rebuys) event, currently is expecting numerous top players and celebrities
including Antonio Esfandiari, Liv Boeree, Jose Canseco and Mekhi Phifer, and is just one part of an exciting
overall gathering that also features an impressive private dinner the next day prepared by top chefs, with
complimentary wine from Gemstone Vineyard, as well as a special silent auction with many significant donated
prizes.

Pros Step Up in Reno to Play for Cancer Research - Luck Dog Poker:
“The chance to play against top-level poker pros for just a $230 buy-in (plus $100 rebuys) was a great
opportunity.”

Liv Boeree: blog.UB.com:
“The evening was a fun night of charity tournament rebuy madness (I managed to dump $700 during the rebuy
period by getting two outed every hand)... and fun was had.”

2010

Jimmy V Foundation Charity Event in Reno/Tahoe - Adam “Roothlus” Levy
Last week Katie, Amit, Trishelle, & I went on a 3-day vacation to Reno, Nevada for a charity tournament. The organiza-
tion putting together the charity tournament was the Jimmy V Foundation and if you’ve never heard of them, you should
definitely google the name, Jimmy Valvano. He was a basketball coach who took a Cinderella team, NC State, to a na-
tional championship but unfortunately succumbed to cancer years later. ESPN endorses the foundation and it is cancer
research group....

The next day we took to the slopes. It was Amit & my first time ever. After having to buy $200 worth of ski clothes and fill-
ing out some waivers, we were good to go...Once we did, they told us to take the skis for a ride and somehow I didn’t fall
after going down a small hill. Amit however wasn’t so fortunate. Granted he didn’t hurt himself or anything but it still was
funny to watch. Speaking of watching it, you can check out my Youtube account, Roothlus1, and watch exactly what I just
described plus other cool videos. Amit and I were able to get lessons from a really cool guy who was a great teacher....
I fell a few times initially, not because it was hard, but because I had trouble stopping...Takes a long time to get going but
once I do, look out!...Our instructor was riding a little faster in front of us. He was swerving back and forth when I started
picking up steam and couldn’t get myself to slow down. I screamed “Watch out! I’m coming!”. He didn’t hear me and I
crashed into him. Luckily we weren’t going too fast so we were okay. Amit was behind us both and he was able to maneu-
ver around us. As we’re down on the ground laughing we hear him make some sort of a yelp while trying to dodge hitting
us...We’re down on the ground watching him and he can’t stop himself. There was a fork in the trail approaching and he
decided to go the uphill way but when he angled his skis that way, he turned to fast and went off the trail at a decent
speed. He hit a bump and got airborne and he smacked into a stone wall with his skis first. We had to see if he was okay
and once we saw that he was, we burst out in laughter...Once we finished the trail, the lesson was over and overall our first
day on the slopes was a success...

Later that night we played in the charity tournament. I ended up having both Amit and
Tara at my table and I knocked them out in back-to-back hands. Go figure. I was able
to play with Jan from the Brady Bunch, which I thought was pretty cool. She was really
nice and made our table a lot of fun. I ended up going pretty deep in the tournament
getting 17th. Jeff Madsen busted me and hopefully that footage will show up on ESPN
when they air this...Matt Graham ended up going on to finish 2nd and hopefully got
some tv time as well. A local Reno poker player scooped up first place so that was
cool that a local beat out all the poker pros there.

The charity event was a blast and I would happily go back again if they decided to have another one of these. I’ll also be
way more inclined to go skiing now that I learned a thing or two. Now I’m off to Fort Lauderdale to visit the fam and then
Mohegan Sun on the 6th. It’s always nice to visit home and see old friends. It puts things in perspective a bit and makes
me appreciate everything more. Until next time peace out!

Reno Charity Tournament - Matt Graham
Hey guys. Really short blog today because I broke my elbow and tore liga-
ments in my elbow in a ski wipeout. I am out in Reno for a V Foundation charity
tournament. The tournament was last night and I actually got 3rd despite being
zoned out on pain killers the whole time...I got 3 outed vs a local player for like
85% of the chips in play. I was giving it all back to the charity anyways in the
form of half straight to the charity and the other half to be used to buy items in
the charity auction. I was able to get two totally awesome items though...So all
in all it wasnt too bad of a day despite the injury...

2010

Crazy good week! - Michael Binger
I went to Reno for a charity poker tournament benefiting the V Foundation. This was founded by the late great
basketball coach Jimmy Valvano and ESPN to benefit cancer research. After spending a couple days with the
V Foundation people I was totally impressed... this is one of the most worthy charities out there. So I was very
happy to go crazy during the rebuy period: I think I was in for 15-18 buy-ins (at $100 each). I didn’t make it very
far in the tourney but I had a lot of fun anyway. I also bid on and won several items from the silent auction...

The next day we went to Mount Rose ski resort. The conditions were pretty
good, with 6 inches of fresh powder. I also participated in the Poker Pro ski
race. Now this sounds dangerous: taking very competitive (and sometimes
reckless) poker players and having them race down a mountain! Somehow
nobody got injured during the race, probably because it was somewhat short
slalom course. I was the only snowboarder out of the 16 competitors. In
hindsight, I think being on a board was a serious detriment... it was hard to
compete with a competent skier. Anyway, not making excuses (ok I guess I
am), but I lost my first round race to Alex Outhred, a very good skier and great guy. Antonio went on to win the
whole thing.

The rest of the day was blissful boarding. That evening we were treated to an amazing wine dinner...
Seems like I couldn’t get any better...

best of luck,
Michael Binger

My March Madness – Tiffany Michelle
Shortly after that trip I headed to Reno for another cool charity event. I joined several of my poker pro and
celebrity pals for the V Foundation’s charity poker tournament. Of course, after making it deep in the tourney
I knew I had NO SHOT the moment I sat down at Brandon Cantu’s
table – aka THE LUCKIEST PLAYER ON EARTH. I got all in with 10s
verses his 7s and obviously he went four to a flush to knock me
out... which is what we call getting “CANTU-ED”! On this trip we
were all able to get out of the casino for the day and hit the ski
slopes! It was pretty funny to see so many poker players out of
their element, wrapped up in scarves, beanies, winter jackets and
boots, trudging through the snow. ESPN was covering our “poker
and powder” weekend which included a Celebrity Poker Pro ski
race. I was hopeful about my first heat, racing against Liv Boeree
but a last minute change paired me against Antonio Esfandiari. I
grew up skiing and thought I’d had a decent chance against that goofball, especially when the little Hustler
told me he MAYBE skis once a year. Needless to say, Antonio SCHOOLED ME! It wasn’t even close. I was kinda
just happy just to make it down the icy hill without a major wipeout, which the TV cameras would have been
delighted to catch. I also felt like less of a loser when Antonio went on to beat every other racer and win the
entire thing! Nice job Esfandiari.... WE SHALL MEET AGAIN!

2010

Nevada High Points:
“It was a wild and exciting ride last night at the V Foundation’s Celebrity/Charity Poker Tournament held at the
Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.”

Bluff Magazine:
When Derek Farrington’s wife wandered into the Grand Sierra Resort and
Casino poker room this week, the last thing she expected was to end up
seated next to Phil “The Unabomber” Laak playing $1/$2. The serendipitous
moment did in fact occur though and it resulted in her husband taking part
in the charity poker tournament benefitting The Jimmy V Foundation.
Farrington was one of 48 players who took part in the $200 rebuy event at
the Grand Sierra. He was surrounded by a long list of pros including Laak,
Antonio Esfandiari, Tiffany Michelle, Maria Ho, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, Jerry Yang, Jeff Madsen, Dani Stern and
Jennifer Tilly. Emceed by Alex Outhred and Trishelle Cannatella, the tournament and accompanying silent
auction raised in the realm of $50,000 for the organization, which raises money for cancer research.
The charity event raised both money and awareness for the cause and the representa-
tives from the Jimmy V Foundation were more than pleased with the results. Board mem-
ber Julie Constantin told Bluff she thought, “the event went incredibly. “You want to raise
money, but you also want to raise awareness,” she added. “It’s been an incredibly inspir-
ing evening for me.”
There is the potential for the event to inspire others as well, as it was filmed by ESPN2
and will air on the network later this year in tandem with a downhill ski race featuring
poker pros and celebrities held on Mt. Rose. The finals of the tournament style ski-race came down to Liv
Boeree and Esfandiari, with the Magician claiming the honor of poker’s best ski bunny.
Farrington collected the top prize of $4,877, some of which was spent on silent auction items benefitting the
charity. Graham pledged half his winnings to the charity and spent the other half on silent auction items and
several other players followed suit donating a portion of their winnings.

Poker News Daily:
At the tournament itself, the Tweets flew as fast as the cards themselves. WSOP double bracelet holder
Brandon Cantu started by Tweeting, “Jimmy V foundation charity tourney i have matt graham to my right any
time he enters a pot i’m moving in.” Others would follow with their Tweets, with Liv Boeree and Tiffany Michelle
chirping about their defeats at the hands of Cantu. “I swear @BrandonCantu is my poker nemesis,” Michelle
commented. “Got it all in with 10s v his 7s obv he goes four to a flush. That’s what we call getting Cantued!”
Boeree would prove to have no better luck when she went head-to-head with Cantu: “Playing the charity
tournament. just got Cantued for big pot, obv.”
Fellow WSOP double bracelet winner Jeff Madsen had much better luck in going up against Cantu, however.
“Wow beat Cantu in an all in,” Madsen Tweeted as he made his run to the final table of the event. “Final table.
I make every charity final table. All of my proceeds will be donated to the Jeff Madsen Fund,” Madsen jokingly
tweeted after he made it. The winner of the tournament will have a cancer research grant created in their
honor.
The mountains of Reno would prove to be a tempting diversion for several of the participants in the V
Foundation event. Hitting the slopes for some skiing and snowboarding were poker pros Amit “amak316”
Makhija, Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and Boeree, prompting Savage to Tweet, “please don’t break anything!”
Madsen, who was boarding with Trishelle Cannatella and Cantu, looked to get some action on the activity
by Tweeting, “I put the number of broken bones in the group at over 0.5.” Apparently, all made it though the
mountains without issue because Michelle Tweeted to fellow snow surfers Alex Outhred, Boeree, Cantu, and
Madsen this morning, “4-6 new inches of snow on the mountain today... we might not kill ourselves YEAY!”

2010

TiffanyMichelle TiffanyMichelle
Poker Pro Ski Challenge at Mt. Rose next
If you’re in the Reno area come join your week in conjunction with the charity event
favorite poker pros and celebs for a super - my 1st heat is vs @liv_boeree BRING IT
fun charity tourney next week BRITAIN ;-)
AlliePrescott
Arrived at The Grand Sierra. Let
the festivities begin...

TrishelleC
Come join me in Tahoe for a charity trnmnt Gamblindude
benefitting the Jimmy V foundation. March SEA -> RNO for the V foundation
23rd-26th should be great... charity tournament and ski race.

amak316
liv_boeree
Flying to Reno with a huge crew to
Just tried to play some guitar
play a charity tournament for the
with a funk-blues band in Reno.
Jimmy V foundation.
Hmmm.

roothlusuncut
TrishelleC Playing the Jimmy V Foundation charity
At the grand Sierra for the V charity tourney. What a great cause. Have Jan
poker tourny cocktail reception with Gamblindude from the Brady Bunch. She’s really cool.
everyone. Fun Times!
Playing in the Jimmy V foundation charity
poker tournament in Reno. Already got it all
in with 75 against Maria Ho’s KK. Rebuy!

liv_boeree
playing the charity tournament. brandoncantu
just got Cantued for big pot, obv. Jimmy v foundation charity tourney
i have matt graham to my right any
TrishelleC time he enters a pot im moving in
Long day on the slopes filming take
it downhill with poker pros for ESPN.
Christian Fauria was an awesome co host. AlliePrescott
Resting then dinner
Gamblindude Congrats @liv_boeree for your near rise to
greatness and appearance in the final 4...last
Out in 18th place in this charity
girl standing...you will still never beat me
event. I guess I have to try and win
liv_boeree
the ski race tomorrow!
finished second in the ski race to
antonio esfandiari... so close!!!!!
Such a fun day!
MariaHo
@jb_SID V Foundation Event was MariaHo
great thanks to all of you guys and
@SportsIdentity It was great meeting you in
all your hard work!! See y’all soon!
TiffanyMichelle Reno and I had a wonderful time! You guys
put on a great event!!! =)
Excellent time in Reno with these
ladies, raising $ for the V Foundation.
Made some delicious new friends too!

2010


Thank You To All Of Our Partners & Sponsors

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