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.

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.