Celebrities Face Off in New Poker Event

LAS VEGAS (December 6, 2016) — Poker Central®, your ultimate source for exciting 24/7 Poker® content, today announced its new celebrity poker event. The “Poker Central Charity Shootout” features Hollywood celebrities battling it out on the felt for their favorite charities, and later against poker professionals. Jackie Cruz, Tony Hawk, Jennie Garth, Chuck Liddell and Tyler Posey play for a chance to win money for their favorite charity, with the chance to win as much as $40,000.

Where to Watch

CBS Sports Network will air two two-hour specials featuring highlights from the event on December 13th (10:00 PM, ET/7:00 PM, PT) and December 14th (10:00 PM, ET/7:00 PM PT)

“Poker Central is excited to offer this new televised poker event,” said Joe Kakaty, president of Poker Central. “Tune in to see your favorite celebrities as they battle it out at the poker table!” The event is hosted by famed poker player Maria Ho and TV personality Ali Nejad, and is filmed live in Las Vegas.

Structure and Payout

The “Poker Central Charity Shootout” has two parts.

Part One: Hollywood celebrities and our contest winner compete. The payout structure for this table is:

• $30,000 – 1st
• $15,000 – 2nd
• $10,000 – 3rd
• $5,000 each – 4th through 6th

Part Two: The top three finishers from Part One will move to the “Championship Rounds” where each will face off against one of the poker pros with an additional $10,000 per round up for grabs. The three professional poker players are Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, and Maria Ho, some of the most popular poker players in the world.

“With all the fun and excitement of high stakes poker, famous celebrities and famous poker players, and a contest winner thrown into the mix, the Poker Central Charity Shootout will be Can’t-Miss TV!” added Kakaty.

Celebrity Players

Jackie Cruz
Jackie Cruz is an actress and singer best known for her role in “Orange Is the New Black” as Flaca. She has also appeared in “Blue Bloods,” “13 Steps,” “Unforgettable,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” and “The Shield.” In November 2013, Cruz was named one of the “Top Latino Powerhouses in Hollywood Under 40” by The Hollywood Reporter. In 2014, Cruz was a Fashion Correspondent during New York Fashion Week for OK! Magazine, and was named by Latina Magazine as their “Celebrity Style Crush” and “Best Dress Latina.”

Tony Hawk
Tony “The Birdman” Hawk is an American professional skateboarder, actor and owner of skateboard company Birdhouse. He was one of the top skateboarders in the world by the time he was 16. During his 17-year career, Hawk transformed skateboarding from a kids’ pastime into a respected sport on his way to win more than 70 skateboarding contests, including 10 X Games gold medals.

Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth is an actress, director and producer best known for her roles in “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and the sitcom “What I Like About You.” Garth’s role as Kelly Taylor in “Beverly Hills 90210” evolved through 10 seasons, turning Garth into a household name. In addition to TV shows, Garth has a string of movies to her credit, including “Star,” “An Unfinished Affair,” “Power 98,” and “My Brother’s War,” “Watching the Detectives,” “Secret Santa,” “The Last Cowboy,” “Accidentally in Love,” “A Christmas Wedding Tail,” “Village People,” “The Eleventh Victim,” and “Holidaze,”as well as her own TV series on HGTV.

Chuck Liddell
Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell burst onto the MMA scene in 1998 during his UFC debut fight win against Noe Hernandez in UFC 17. His rise to UFC champion includes most notable TKO wins against Randy Couture (UFC 52 & 57), Tito Ortiz (UFC 47 & 66), Wanderlei Silva (UFC 79) and the KO win that catapulted him into UFC stardom at UFC 31 against Kevin Randleman. Chuck reigned as UFC World Light Heavyweight Champion for two years, defending his title five times.

Tyler Posey
Tyler Posey stars on “Teen Wolf,” now in its sixth and final season on MTV. Host of Teen Choice 2014 and winner of the Teen Choice 2013 award for “Choice Male Summer TV Star,” Posey has also won an ALMA Award for “Favorite TV Actor” and was one of Variety’s “Power of Youth” honorees for his work with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In September, Posey starred in Kevin Smith’s feature comedy “Yoga Hosers.” In 2013, he appeared on the big screen in “Scary Movie 5” and in the indie film “White Frog.”

About Poker Central®

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