What better way to combine watching our favorite celebrities and watching an exciting game of Texas Hold Em than to watch a celebrity poker tournament. Some actors, actresses, musicians and sports stars play poker with each other in a match of wits to see who can win the most money for their favorite charity. It a fun way to pass the time and to see how talented a celebrity is with a live hand of cards.
“Celebrity Poker Showdown” was a series which aired on Bravo for five seasons. It had people tuning in to watch their favorite celebrities play cards against each other in a series of tournaments. The winner of each tournament would go on to play in a championship match. The end goal for each of the celebrities was to win a lot of money for his or her favorite charity. It was a way to play their favorite card game and raise money.
The “Celebrity Poker Showdown” started off with five players. First, there were five games played, and the winner of each game was given a silver poker chip to commemorate his or her win. Then the final poker championship was played and it was comprised of each celebrity winner from the previous five games. It was very much like The World Series of Poker, where people are eliminated through a series of rounds to get to the championship game. The card game played was Texas Hold Em and the stakes went as high as a million dollars. That is quite a hefty purse!
If you think that Bravo sought out B list actors and actresses, then you would be greatly mistaken. Such stars as Don Cheadle, Ben Affleck and Jason Alexander took part. The contest of skill was not limited to actors and actresses though. Dave Navarro, Coolio and even sports legend Dennis Rodman all sat at the green poker table and placed their bets to win for their favorite charity.
Sadly, “Celebrity Poker Showdown” is no longer being aired on Bravo. There were eight tournaments held and Bravo elected not to have a ninth tournament. All told the tournaments spanned five seasons, which is not a bad run on today’s television viewing list. The locations for the tournament were two fantastic places for poker players. The first seven tournaments were held at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas and the last tournament was held at Harrah’s in New Orleans, to benefit the Hurricane Katrina victims.
