APL Chairty Poker Night

The APL (Australian Poker League)'s premier venue Cabra Vale Diggers Club played host to the 2nd Annual APL/ Miracle Babies Charity Poker Night on 3 April 2009.

The Miracle Babies team was on hand to witness the excitement the game of poker can bring. The poker room was a visual testament to the awesome work this Charity does and was a graphic reminder of why so many APL players were willing to support this wonderful charity.

Vic Lorusso, Channel 10 traffic reporter and Miracle Babies Ambassador, made a celebrity appearance to open the event and have a shot at winning his first Poker tournament. Traffic to have a chat with him was bumper to bumper! Unfortunately for Vic, a chip set was the prize for taking him out of the tournament and proving too much, he found himself knocked out far too early!

Not so for all the South West Tournament Directors! Wearing their bright green shirts with "It's a Miracle, Baby!" splashed across the front, these connoisseurs of poker, who are as close as they are likely to get to a career in the poker arena. They had a lot to prove and tensions were high as they took their seats around the room with a bounty on their head and their reputation on the line.

The event kicked off with an awesome video cross to some of the Miracle Babies (who were apparently too busy to attend due to their regular Friday home game). With an announcement of "Shuffle up and deal" coming from the kids it was time to kick off.

The APL TD's chose not to practice what they preach and proceeded to participate in an all-in fest that saw many of them re-buy (several times) within the first hour. More than half of the South West TD's saw themselves out of the event by the break, losing their shirt to the player who took them out. Luckily there were a couple of TD's and some special guest APL franchisees make it to the top 16 to ensure they came through the event with their reputation moderately intact! Baz was the last TD standing who stated the night was "awesome, awesome".

With some seriously great prizes up for grabs, the event settled down after the break and we saw some fine poker from all who remained. A Wild Turkey Grand Slam Poker Package, 42" Plasma TV, laptop computer, $1000 Bing Lee voucher, a weekend away to the Barossa Valley and collector APL/Miracle Babies card guards for the final table were just some of the prizes on offer.

The biggest cheer of the night was most certainly reserved for the announcement of the funds raised. Almost $20,000 was donated by APL players and friends, proving that the APL and its players are an extremely generous group of people who are more than willing to support a good cause.

The winner of the event, David Stevenson, was ecstatic to take away his all expenses paid entry into the Wild turkey Grand Slam event, even if it did cost him several re-buys to get it. David stated "I am here to support a great cause and am so glad Miracle Babies raised almost $20,000.00 We would love to hold it here again next year. I am just speechless. The night was so well done, a really fun night."

Poker enthusiasts travelled from afar to attend the night, Justine from Wollongong said "It's been a fantastic night and all for a fantastic cause." Rodney from Bega said "I had the best time, it was worth driving six hours each way for." "It was good to see the players put it all in." Max Harmon from the Southern Highlands said. "I had a great night for a beginner. It was a really good night, I will come again next year. I thoroughly enjoyed it." Trish Drummond from Liverpool said.

Amanda Baker, Fundraising Coordinator for Miracle Babies said "Congratulations to Dave and Frank on another great APL event. Miracle Babies are delighted by their ongoing support and the support from the poker community has been overwhelming. Thank you to everyone involved".