Road 2 Recovery Charity Tournament Raises Funds for Injured Racers

October 14 2009, Michael Friedman

The Road 2 Recovery charity group recently held a poker tournament at the M Resort and Spa in Las Vegas to raise funds for professional motocross/supercross racers (licensed by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA)) who need financial assistance because of career-ending injuries. Despite being held during one of poker's busiest times (events were being held in Aruba and London), several pros including Team Pokerstars Pro Chad Brown and Full Tilt Poker's Karina Jett and Steve Wong found the time to help raise money for the worthy cause.

According to Brown, it was a no-brainer to lend his support. "Any time I'm available to help out with a good cause I do my best to do so. We're all blessed to be able to do the things we do so when there is a good cause and I can lend a helping hand, it gives me great pleasure to do so."

Road 2 Recovery co-founder and director Jimmy Button was also on hand for the event. A big poker fan, Button was quick to point out that poker is a great way to raise money while having fun. "Poker is cool to me because there are a lot of physical activities I can't do because of my injuries. I still want to compete and beat people and poker lets me do that. Poker is the one sport where you can sit down with a Phil Ivey or somebody like that. You're probably not going to beat Phil, but you can still play with them. You can't really do that in any other sport," he said.

In addition to helping raise money for injured riders, Road 2 Recovery also provides motivational, emotional, and spiritual support to injured racers and their families.

Surprising no one, the poker pros put on a solid performance against their amateur opponents. Brown finished fourth and Jett finished 10th. Sixth-place finisher Gary Allen managed to take home the grand prize, a 2010 WSOP Main Event seat. Despite finishing in sixth place, Allen scored the prize by buying in first-place finisher James Smallwood who agreed that if he won, Allen would be the one to go after the WSOP bracelet.

James Smallwood won the tournament but not the seat.

Gary Allen finished 6th but staked the winner, so claims the WSOP seat.

PokerNews Editor-In-Chief Matthew Parvis

Paralympic Champion Marlon Shirley

For more information on Road 2 Recovery, check out Road2Recover.com also be sure to follow us on Twitter.

_{Photo Credit - Rob Gracie}

Comments

hitking1
10-14-2009 14:38

They were not fighting for our country, they were not putting out fires or putting criminals in jail, they were riding motorcycles like idiots. I will donate money!!! To the real charities to people that help me or my county or have life changing injuries that they had NO CONTROL OVER!!!!!

hitking1
10-14-2009 14:36

Why in gods name would i donate money to these fools who say thay need help from injuries?? I didnt ask them to ride a motorcycle like a complete asstard, they knew what they were doing and chose to do it anyway. Now they want my donation?? LOL OH OK