The Venetian to Host Second Annual Jennifer Harman No-Limit Hold'em Charity Poker Tournament

LAS VEGAS, NV--(Marketwire - March 28, 2008) - The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, the world's largest five-diamond resort, will host the Second Annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament on Friday, April 18. The no-limit Texas hold'em poker tournament will take place inside The Venetian Poker Room beginning at 3pm. All proceeds of the tournament and live and silent auctions will benefit the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (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 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.

"Last year we raised $130,000, allowing the Nevada SPCA to expand their facility," said Harman. "The Venetian Poker Room is a perfect venue, and their professional staff has been very gracious. This year's event promises to be bigger and better and many of my friends will be there to support this great cause."

Preceding the tournament, a red carpet reception will be held inside The Venetian Poker Room from 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Confirmed celebrity poker players include Daniel Negreanu, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Jerry Yang, Marco Traniello, Jamie Gold, Hoyt Corkins, Amarillo "Slim" Preston, TJ Cloutier, Todd Brunson, Barry and Allyn Shulman, Erick Lindgren, Gavin Smith, Quin Do, Russ Hamilton, Lacey Jones, Roy "The Oracle" Winston, Freddy Deeb, Kristy Gazes, Antonio Esfandiari, Joe Hachem, Carmel Petresco, Daniel Alaei, Brad "Yukon" Booth, Barry Greenstein, Joanne "JJ" Liu, Layne Flack, Chau Giang, Cyndy Violette, Chris Ferguson, David Chesnoff, David Williams, Chad Brown, Vanessa Rousso, Lynette Chan, Huckleberry Seed, Jennifer "Jenocide" Leigh, Joe Sebok, Eric Mizrachi, John Phan, Jeff Madsen, Scotty Nguyen, Dan "Who's Your Daddy" Fleishman, Men "The Master" Nguyen, Steve Zolotow, defending champion Kirk Morrison, and many more.

The tournament is open to the public. Seating is limited and going fast. Please visit www.nevadaspca.org to reserve your poker tournament seat today, or call Lisa Wheeler at (702) 327-7250.

Other confirmed sports celebrities include ESPN commentator Lon McCarron, NFL quarterback Shaun King, Burton Snowboards David Driscoll, World Champion snowboarder Jeff Brushie, professional snowboarder Keir Dillon, Olympic snowboard medalist Ross Powers, and professional motocross rider Jimmy Button. Confirmed celebrities and entertainers include "Whale Hunt in the Desert" author Steve Cyr, local comedian Carrot Top, KVBC meteorologist John Fredericks, KXNT talk show host Alan Stock, KDWN's Heidi Harris, and Life's A Bluff comic creator Frank Frisina.

Celebrity tournament director and Tournament Directors Association (TDA) founder Matt Savage will host the tournament. TV Poker and FoxSportsNet hosts Robert Justin Huxley and Kyle Morris will emcee the event. Robert Williamson III will host a live auction during the breaks between tournament rounds, including official Burton Snowboards autographed by attending athletes, "The Simpsons Movie" memorabilia donated by Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson), and personal items signed by poker professionals Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, TJ Cloutier, and Doyle Brunson.

A silent auction sponsored by Triumph sports includes a "Pete Rose & Jennifer Harman" dinner package with all proceeds going to the Nevada SPCA, a Joe Montana "Stephen Holland" limited edition framed giclee print, a Muhammad Ali & Joe Frasier limited edition framed photo, an "I'm sorry I bet on baseball" official baseball autographed by Pete Rose, as well as official helmets and memorabilia signed by Dan Marino, Dick Butkus, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Emmit Smith, Bill Parcels, Phil Simms, LT Adams, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, John Elway, Ladainian Tomlinson, Fred Biletnikoff and Jim Plunkett.

Sponsors and supporters of the Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament include The Venetian, PocketFives.com, Poker Players Social Network (PPSN), Triumph Sports, Who's Your Daddy Energy Drink, Howard and Suzie Lederer, PokerNews.com, The Cartwright Foundation, Poker Road, WPT Boot Camp, NettieScrub, CardPlayer, TinyPrints, Poker School Online, Fundraisers.com, Sabre Design, and Life's a Bluff Frank Frisina.

Event sponsorship, silent auction, and live auction donations are now being accepted. Contact Lisa Wheeler at lisa@greasiewheels.com for more information on sponsorship packages and benefits or click here to view our promotional deck.

The Jennifer Harman Charity Poker tournament benefiting the Nevada SPCA is a GreasieWheels production. Press, editorial, and promotional images are available now, free-of-charge at http://www.gwphotostore.com.

If you are unable to attend this red carpet affair but would like to make a donation to the SPCA, go to http://nevadaspca.org/donate.htm. For information on other ways you can directly support the Nevada SPCA no-kill animal shelter contact Doug Duke at (702) 873-7722 or email the NevadaSPCA@aol.com.

About The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino

The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, a repeated recipient of the AAA's Five Diamond Award and Mobil Four-Star, is one of the world's most luxurious resort and convention destinations. Re-creating Venice's legendary landmarks, the resort offers unmatched service and quality for leisure and corporate guests. Located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, The Venetian features The Grand Canal Shoppes, an indoor streetscape complete with gondolas and singing gondoliers, the Canyon Ranch SpaClub®, world-class gaming, exquisite restaurants, the Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum, and a wide variety of entertainment such as Phantom-The Las Vegas Spectacular, Blue Man Group, and Wayne Brady on its premises, as well as extensive convention and corporate services. For additional information, visit The Venetian website at www.venetian.com.

About the NSPCA

The Nevada SPCA, a nonprofit organization, operates a no-kill animal sanctuary, promotes humane education, makes referrals for lower-cost spay/neuter and vaccination services and challenges people to be the best possible guardians for the companion animals in their care.

About GreasieWheels

Founded in 2007, GreasieWheels, LLC is dedicated to answering production, talent, and coordination needs in the poker industry. With more than 40 years of combined sales, public relations, photographic, editorial, and special event coordination experience, our goal is to elevate poker, build its brand, and encourage mainstream media coverage of news, players, and events. People in the poker industry know, trust and depend on our services. Our team of professionals has been providing optimal products and services for nearly a decade.

Contact Information: Contacts: Lisa Wheeler President GreasieWheels, LLC 702-327-7250 LeAnn Tinch The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino 702.414.2423 Lara Miller Talent Publicist GreasieWheels (702) 379-1825 All other Press: Terpin Communications Elina Heng 310-821-6100 x108