Maybe it’s that I was raised in a culturally Jewish home, with a pop-culture obsession; but when I think of St. Jude, it’s an image of actor Danny Thomas that appears in my mind’s eye.  And thanks to The Golden Girls, I know definitively that Thomas was Lebanese (and not a lesbian).  But after attending the second annual AGAINST ALL ODDS Celebrity Poker Tournament benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, my curiosity was piqued.  Who was Saint Jude, if not Marlo Thomas’ dad?

After a bit of cyber-sleuthing, I have learned that Saint Jude (aka Judas Thaddaeus) was one of Jesus’ twelve apostles.  The Armenian Apostolic Church considers him (along with Saint Bartholomew) their patron saint; while in the Roman Catholic Church, Jude is looked upon as the patron saint of lost causes, desperate situations, and hospitals.  Ah ha!  And therein the rationale behind naming a hospital dedicated to eradicating the cancers and other catastrophic illnesses of children, after Saint Jude (despite the fact that the hospital is not affiliated with any religious group or organization – as disease knows no religion).

Anyhoo, it was on behalf of St. Jude, and the children it treats (without regard to their families’ ability to pay) – a daily operating cost of $1.8 million, in case you were curious – that brought so many television personalities to the Palms, Saturday night, to ante-up, bluff, and check-raise more than $400,000 for the good works done for those kids.  Not too shabby, right?

Professional poker players, including Daniel Negreanu (the evening’s co-chair), Phil Hellmuth, Jeff Gross, Jay Farber, and Mike Matusow, went all-in, against such Hollywood personalities as Robin Tunney (The Mentalist, The Craft), Dulé Hill (Ballers, Psych, The West Wing), Jennifer Morrison (Once Upon a Time, House M.D.), Geoff Stults (Grace and Frankie, The Odd Couple, Enlisted), Josh Bowman (Revenge), Charlie Webber (How to Get Away with Murder), Bryan Greenberg (October Road, One Tree Hill) and his new bride, Jamie Chung (Once Upon a Time), Jessica Blair Herman (American Crime Story), Shannon Elizabeth (American Reunion), and Edi Gathegi (The Blacklist, Proof).

There was a touching testimonial from “Craig” (the father of a St. Jude patient), that brought tears to the eyes of even the most stone-faced observers, and a performance by Chadwick Johnson; as well as the live auction and “Give to Live” portion of the evening, led by auctioneer Halie Behr (whose accent, I can only describe as a cross between Suzanne Sugarbaker and Howard Cosell).

After the cards were shuffled-up and dealt, it was local Hendersonian, Matt Morrow (VP of Sales, Life Matters) who won First Prize: seven nights on Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands, during a “Celebration Week” (those times when, instead of renting Sir Richard Branson’s private island, in its entirety; one is able to rent one-room in the Great House, as if at a hotel), valued at nearly $31,000.  Bravo, Matt!

Special thanks to the friendly folks at Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) for inviting me to join in their reindeer games!

St. Jude AGAINST ALL ODDS Celebrity Poker Tournament
Palms Casino Resort
Click HERE for info

Get into it!
#StJude