Giving Something Back

December 9, 2008 (InfoPowa News) — Players in the recently completed PokerStars Asia Pacific Poker Tour (see previous reports) reconvened for some charity action this week in the APPT Tournament of Champions.
 
The invitation-only, single-table, ten-player tournament featured winners from the APPT like Martin Rowe, complemented by internationally recognized and respected poker pros, including Vanessa Rousso; 2007 APPT Macau High Rollers champion Eric Assadourian; 2005 WSOP Main Event champion and Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem; 2008 APPT Manila champ Van Marcus; Lee Nelson; 2008 APPT Auckland winner Daniel Craker; Grant "Grunter" Levy; 2008 APPT Macau champ Eddy Sabat; and Team PokerStars ace Chad Brown.
 
The format for the tourney saw the ten champs representing their chosen charities with a AU $50,000 prize pool divvied AU $45,000 to the winner's charity and AU $5,000 for the second placed winner's favorite, with the accent on good gamesmanship and entertaining poker.
 
The climax of the game saw current APPT Sydney champ Martin Rowe facing respected pro Vanessa Rousso in the heads up, with a 2-to-1 chip lead. But the game — and the major donation — went to the fairer sex after an entertaining back-and-forth. Rousso had chosen the No Limit No Profit Initiative, which received the winner's check. Rowe's Save The Children charity nevertheless benefitted by the second-place AU $5,000 award.