With the support of hundreds of players, Bad Beat on Cancer raised more than $125,000 at this year’s World Series of Poker ™ to help save lives through cancer prevention research, education and community outreach nationwide.

Each year, nearly 1.6 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer, and sadly, over 550,000 will lose their battle. The Prevent Cancer Foundation is working to impact those statistics by funding research that unlocks the mysteries of cancer, and how to reduce your risk, and taking that knowledge to educate the public on how they can reduce their risk.

Research suggests that only five percent of cancers are hereditary. That means the non-inherited causes of cancer — the lifestyle choices we make, the foods we eat, and our physical activity levels — have a direct impact on our overall cancer risk.

This work would not be possible without the members of Team 1% — and we thank you!

The Epic Poker Charity Tournament brought out 77 charitable individuals ranging from League Members to professional poker players of varying levels to people who were simply looking to have some fun for a great cause and the event raised $48,000. The Prevent Cancer Foundation thanks the Epic Poker League and all the players for helping Stop Cancer Before It Starts!

See the pictures from the tournament and remember to visit the Bad Beat on Cancer site for upcoming tournaments.

The $240 buy-in tournament will offer $100 re-buys for the first four levels with an optional $100 add-on opportunity for double chips at the end of the fourth level.

One hundred percent of all prize money will be donated to Prevent Cancer Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to save lives through cancer prevention and early detection. The Prevent Cancer Foundation works to “Stop Cancer Before It Starts!” by advocating and supporting the prevention and early detection of cancer through Research, Education and Community Outreach.

Phil Gordon, well-known poker player, WPT Champion, television personality and philanthropist, will provide commentary throughout the tournament. Gordon founded founded Bad Beat on Cancer with Rafe Furst in 2003 by asking players to pledge just 1% of their poker winnings to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Since then, top poker pros and amateurs have signed onto Team 1% , raising over $3.8 million, and have help fund cancer prevention research, education and community outreach ― by playing poker.

Play poker for a great cause and big prizes with the pros you see on TV!

Where & When:

Palms Casino Resort Las Vegas – Key West Room
Monday, December 12th, 2011
6pm – Cocktails
7pm – Shuffle Up & Deal

Tournament participants will be vying for valuable final table prizes and every player will take home an exclusive gift bag.

Final Table Prizes:

1st: $1,500 Epic Poker Pro/Am Seat* & Custom jewelry by GOOD ART HLYWD
2nd: $1,500 Epic Poker Pro/Am Seat*
3rd: $1,500 Epic Poker Pro/Am Seat*

Other Great Prizes Include: Palms Casino Resort Weekend Getaway, 2 tickets to any Cirque du Soleil (except “O”), Lord Griffon Jewelry Piece, Skull Candy headphones, 4 VIP tickets to Brad Garrett Comedy Club, 2 tickets to The X-Factor season finale, and tickets to a taping of The Ellen Show

*Epic Poker Pro/Am seats are transferrable and can be used for Epic Poker’s final Season One Pro/Am, January 27-30, 2012.

Visit the Epic Poker Charity Tournament Facebook page for updates.

Annie Duke speaking at the "Making Better Decisions" BBoC seminar

I was delighted to find I’d be sitting in on the “Making Better Decisions” seminar given by long time Bad Beat supporter and friend, Annie Duke. After 8 years I thought I understood how to play.  Guess what, I don’t.  Listening to Annie, a very engaging speaker, I realized I know absolutely nothing about poker.  Nothing. Nada.  Guess I won’t give up my day job.

I was a fish out of water in a room full of players who were learning from one of the best. They not only understood what Annie was saying, they were taking notes to use in future games.  They were also thrilled to be able to purchase a personally autographed copy of Annie’s new book, Decide to Make Better Decisions with $5 of every book sale donated to the Foundation.

One of the attendees, Marsha Wolak, had been a student of Annie’s and heard it all before.  One might say she was an “apt” pupil because this week Marsha won the 2011 WSOP Ladies Event, earning $192,300 and donating 1% to Bad Beat.

After the seminar I had the opportunity to thank Marsha for her generous support and learned she had lost both of her parents to cancer, and a sibling had battled the disease as well.  “I’ve always given a little to Bad Beat over the years because it’s a great cause,” said Marcia, “but as soon as I won I went right down and filled out my 1% form. We need to stop cancer.”

The Bad Beat on Cancer Booth at the 2011 World Series of Poker

So I learned I know nothing about poker, but was reminded that all of us, in one way or another, have been touched by cancer.  And while Annie said; “Whether you have the best hand is rarely part of playing poker,” it’s clear playing poker is helping to put a Bad Beat on Cancer.

Naturally my first answer was that by playing poker, they are helping to prevent cancer.  Isn’t that obvious?  Hundreds of players over the last 8 years have helped to raise over $3.4 million to support the Foundation’s research, education and community grants programs.

I really believe that’s the number one reason. Here are nine other reasons why players attend year after year and why you should too:

2. Plenty of great food and drinks.

3. A totally relaxed Washington event where most ties are left at the door and jackets hang on the backs of chairs. So relaxed, that one year two guys showed up in Bermuda shorts, polo shirts and caps, straight off the golf course.

4. No long, boring speeches.

5. Male players are not pressured by a girlfriend or spouse to dance. However, we have made a player dangle a banana from his waist and try to knock an orange in a hula hoop. Female players usually leave their boyfriend or spouse at home. Wonder why?

6. An opportunity to not only rub shoulders with politicians and news makers, but bust them at the tables, giving them bragging rights for as long as anyone will listen to the story.

7. They get to talk to others who understand what they mean by; “I was ‘on the River’,” and know they’re not talking about the Potomac.

8. Poker lessons and pictures with some of the top poker pros in the country.

9. For thrill junkies, it’s the last few moments of the re-buy period when they realize they’re not going to win their money back in the next hand, so they frantically start waving their credit cards to get more chips and stay in the game!

10. The BIG ONE – if they’re really lucky, they get to go home with the grand prize – a $10,000 seat in the World Series of Poker main event.

Of course, if I wanted to be self-serving, I would say it’s to see me – alternately known as the “Big Cheese, “Le Grande Fromage,” or the “Poker Whisperer.”   But that would be a lie.

That year, the BBoC initiative hit the jackpot when a little known player by the name of Chris Moneymaker (appropriate name for a poker player), won the series and donated 1% of his winnings to Bad Beat on Cancer.

Fast forward to 2011— Bad Beat on Cancer has raised $3.4 million to fund cutting-edge cancer prevention research, free community-based cancer screening programs nationwide and lifesaving educational information and programming. All made possible by generous players pledging and donating 1% of their winnings.

Over the years, hundreds of players signed on – amateurs and pros alike – including such poker stars  as Phil Hellmuth, Jr., Paul Wasicka, Andy Bloch, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Howard Lederer and many more.

This year, Bad Beat on Cancer expands by becoming the official charity of the World Series of Poker!

As part of our new partnership, we are launching the Bad Beat Seminar Series at the 2011 World Series of Poker®. This unprecedented series of free seminars features personal stories, insight, and poker instruction from a diverse group of the world’s top poker professionals. The inaugural lineup features the two leading WSOP ® bracelet winners in history, a pair of prolific high stakes cash game players, two of the most successful women in the game, and several other unique poker personalities. Presentations featuring Andy Bloch, Doyle Brunson, Daniel Cates, Annie Duke, Phil Galfond, Phil Gordon, Annette Obrestad, Vanessa Selbst, and acclaimed mindset coach Sam Chauhan will all be a part of the Bad Beat Seminar Series.

Beginning on June 4, the seminar series kicks off with “Beating the Odds” presented by popular pro Chad Brown. With career earnings exceeding $3 million, Chad has amassed 10 final tables, 30 cashes, and over $1 million in WSOP winnings. Chad is also fighting a personal battle with cancer and will share insight into life and strategies to remain focused on the felt.

The June 17 seminar, “A Poker Life,” features a live interview with poker legend Doyle Brunson, aka “Texas Dolly”,conducted by Bad Beat on Cancer Founder, Prevent Cancer Foundation board member, professional poker player, commentator and author Phil Gordon, followed by an audience question and answer period. The series wraps up on July 10 with WSOP all-time leading bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

No beat is easy – and we’re prepared to put a bad beat on cancer with the help of our friends in the poker community. They all proudly wear the 1% patch in honor of friends and family who have battled cancer.

Join them by taking the 1% pledge today! Visit www.badbeatoncancer.org to learn more.

What initially started in 2004 as a cocktail party to benefit the Prevent Cancer Foundation is now an annual Bad Beat on Cancer™ poker tournament hosted by Michele and Drew. A terrific event, with a lot of what I would call the “usual suspects” – family, friends (new and old), colleagues, and a couple of poker pros thrown in for good measure.

On December 1, they all crowded into the Astra Restaurant, on the 14th floor of the D&D Building on Third Avenue, to play a little poker with poker pro and Foundation board member Phil Gordon, who acted as the tournament MC.

While it’s clearly a New York event – the view of the New York skyline from the room is amazing – I loved the excitement in the room; at times during the night, you felt as if you were in Vegas by the way the play ebbed and flowed at the tables.  Players going “all in,” some trying to hold on to their chips, while others lamenting they couldn’t believe they were out already.

(L. to R.) Michele Figdor, Jordan Figdor, tournament winner Jon Mittelhauser, Phil Gordon and Drew Figdor.

All 80 players opened their hearts (and wallets), raising $117,000 to fund a two-year grant in ovarian cancer prevention and/or early detection research. Adding to the player’s generosity and the excitement of the night was Phil and Drew’s spur of the moment decision to match every dollar raised during a double re-buy period that raised $15,000. Phil and Drew split the amount with each donating another $7,500.

Previous tournaments have funded research grants in colorectal cancer in memory of Michele’s grandmother who died of colon cancer—in her house—when Michele was 9 years old.  Since then, Michele has witnessed her aunt’s battle against ovarian cancer and her mother’s fight against, and triumph over, uterine cancer. It’s always wonderful to see Michele’s mother Leslie each year – what a lovely lady.

Seven years ago when Phil and Rafe Furst (another poker pro and Foundation board member) suggested raising money by playing poker, some were skeptical. What kind of people would it bring to the Foundation?

Well, we’ve seen what kind of people; individuals from just about every walk of life – most touched by cancer in some way. Like Michele and Drew, they play with a commitment to fund cancer prevention research so individuals and families never experience the devastation of the disease.

Thank you Michele and Drew – you are certainly two of a kind.

Phil Gordon, Rafe Furst, Joe Sebok, Perry Friedman, Ace Bailey and I were decked out in our stylish ladies track suits to raise awareness, and pledges, for Bad Beat on Cancer. Joining us was Michael Karnjanaprakom, who started the World Series of Good, pledging 100 percent of his winnings to several charities, including the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

There were lots of pictures, autographs, questions, a few interviews, and of course the guy who said: “I thought you were a Swedish gay poker league.”  But most importantly, players were taking the pledge to donate one percent of their winnings to the Foundation, including celebrities Ray Romano and David Alan Grier. Nice.

ESPN came by to interview us, and we got to go up on the stage to talk about the Bad Beat initiative before the official “Shuffle Up and Deal.”  We were rock stars!

So, how did we do?  Well, Rafe was out after the first break, followed a little later by Ace, and then Joe.  Perry and I have moved onto day 2 but that ended our run. Phil followed us out on Sunday.  As of this writing, Michael is still in and we’ll keep you posted as the series progresses.

I can’t end this post without congratulating Phil Gordon on winning the Ante Up for Africa tournament on July 3rd.  Being the great guy that he is, Phil donated all the prize money back to AUFA.  I have to say, it takes a real man to dress in drag on his 40th birthday.

The Bet
Seriously, why are we doing this?  Rafe lost a game of Roshambo (rock-paper-scissors) with poker pro Joe Sebok while on Poker2Night.   Wearing his green 1% Bad Beat on Cancer patch, signifying his pledge to donate 1% of potential WSOP earnings to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, Rafe promptly challenged Sebok to a best-of-five Roshambo match. Sebok won the first three throws and, as a result, Rafe has to dress in drag Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event in July.

Not one to suffer alone, Rafe enlisted a handful of friends to dress and play for the Foundation with him.  Including Joe!

The Drag
Yours truly, Rafe Furst, Phil Gordon (two of the original Tiltboys,) Joe Sebok, and  Ace Bailey are all playing in lovely ladies track suits emblazoned with the Bad Beat on Cancer 1% logo, and of course the Prevent Cancer logo across our derrières  in an effort to promote and raise money for cancer prevention research, education and community outreach.

The Cause
Rafe and Phil began Bad Beat on Cancer at the 2003 World Series of Poker and since that time have raised over $3.2million through the generosity of poker players, pros and amateurs alike, who have donated 1% of their winnings to Bad Beat on Cancer.

We are set to raise even more money – and dazzle not only the WSOP, but the world of fashion.