2nd Annual Jennifer Harman SPCA Charity Poker Tournament April 18

The Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) celebrated the opening of two new wings made possible by the tireless fundraising efforts of professional poker player Jennifer Harman, and is also looking forward to the 2nd Annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament which will be held on Friday, April 18 inside The Venetian Poker Room.

Last year, Harmon's Inaugural Charity Poker Tournament raised $130,000 for the Nevada SPCA. The Nevada SPCA no-kill shelter in Las Vegas gives comfort, food, and veterinary care to thousands of animals every year. Many of those animals thrive in environments without cages.

This year's no-limit Texas hold'em poker tournament will begin at 3:00 pm and all proceeds of the tournament and live and silent auctions will benefit the Nevada SPCA no-kill animal shelter.

The recommended donation to participate in the tournament is $300 + $30. There will be optional $200 re-donations for additional tournament chips throughout three 20-minute rounds, and a $200 last chance add-on. The first place prize is a $10,000 seat into the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. The tournament is open to the public. Seating is limited. Please visit www.nevadaspca.org to reserve a seat in the tournament, or call Lisa Wheeler at (702) 327-7250.

"The Venetian Poker Room is honored to host the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament benefitting the Nevada SPCA No-Kill Animal Shelter," said Kathy Raymond, director of poker operations at The Venetian. "We are privileged to be a small part of their ongoing success."

Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Jamie Gold, Hoyt Corkins, Amarillo "Slim" Preston, Freddy Deeb, Evelyn Ng, Antonio Esfandiari, Joe Hachem, Barry Greenstein, Layne "Back to Back" Flack, Chau Giang, Chris Ferguson, David Chesnoff, David Williams, Huckleberry Seed, Jennifer "Jennicide" Leigh, Scotty "The Prince" Nguyen, Dan "Who's Your Daddy" Fleishman, Men "The Master" Nguyen, and defending champion Kirk Morrison are only some of the over 100 professional poker players confirmed. Kim and Tamara of The Twins Dueling Piano Show will be providing entertainment.

"I can't thank The Venetian and my friends enough for the flood of support they've shown the Nevada SPCA," said Harman. "These animals give unconditional love. This is a chance for all of us to give something back."

"It's amazing what a difference even the smallest donation can make, let alone $130,000," said Nevada SPCA Executive Director Doug Duke. "The new section will allow us to rescue and shelter about 1,000 animals."

Also attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new wing and sanctuary were poker legend Doyle Brunson, High Stakes Poker regular Chau Giang, Hoyt Corkins, Mary Jones, Chip and Karina Jett, celebrity tournament director Matt Savage, The Venetian's director of poker operations Kathy Raymond, and Howard "The Professor" Lederer's wife Suzie (who was so moved by the no-kill animal shelter's mission, facilitated an adoption of Pistol, a four year old Chihuahua. She also made an additional $5,000 donation in her husband's name).

Sponsors and supporters of the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament include the Venetian Poker Room, Curtis & Co., Poker Road, Poker Players Social Network (PPSN), Triumph Sports, Who's Your Daddy Energy Drink, Sahara Coins and Extraordinary Collectibles, Howard and Suzie Lederer, Doggy Tug, DragonFly Portrait Design, Poker School Online, PokerNews.com, Cartwright Entertainment, Jackpot Printing, Terpin Communications, Petographique, WPT Boot Camp, Brain Enhancement Technologies, Volshe Design, NettieScrub, CardPlayer, TinyPrints, Poker Cares, Sabre Design, Chrome Bones high end animal collars, Borba, and Life's a Bluff.

For complete tournament details, please call The Venetian Poker Room at (702) 414-7657 or visit www.venetian.com.

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