Pechanga Casino to Hold Celebrity Poker Challenge

CALIFORNIA -- Athletes, actors, and other celebrities join together in a celebrity poker tournament to compete against one another for the ability to take home the title of celebrity poker champion
Pechanga Resort and Casino  with a few little twists.

At the Pechanga Resort and Casino's Celebrity Poker Challenge, three groups of five celebrity players play a game of no limit Texas hold'em poker for a $50,000 purse.

One not so subtle difference is each of the celebrities is competing for their own winnings rather than just for charity. While they ultimately have the option to donate their winnings to their own personal charity they are; in fact, playing for real prize money. It's real poker and the true test of nerves. With $20,000 on the line for first prize the tension is clearly apparent to all.

Though celebrity poker has gained popularity in recent years, the Pechanga Celebrity Poker Challenge was not like the typical celebrity poker challenge. Much like the game of poker, there was an element of chance to get to the final table. The winners of each table automatically received a seat at the final table, which left three seats up for grabs. To gain a seat at the final table, the second and third place celebrities at each table played in a competitive game of RoShamBo, more commonly known as rock, paper, scissors.

The Celebrity Poker Challenge's competitors included tennis champion Ivan Lendl, NFL Super Bowl champion Mark Rypien, NHL stars Luc Robitaille and Jeremey Roenick, current San Diego Charger Nate Kaeding, MLB players Rollie Fingers and Kurt Bevacqua, 3-time NFL Pro-bowler Seth Joyner.

Not only did these professional athletes attend, but there were also many entertainers on hand. Stars included soap opera veteran Jack Wagner; Alfonso Ribeiro, most commonly known as Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air; Grant Show, whose acting credits include a starring role on Melrose Place; Richard Karn, most commonly known for his role as Al Borland on Home Improvement; host of Fit TV's The Gym Nancy Sexton; and seasoned actor C. Thomas Howell.

See how it all plays out and who wins the Pechanga Celebrity Poker Challenge purse in the four-part television series beginning on June 3rd at 9 p.m. on Fox Sports Net West and Sunday, June 18 @ 10:30 p.m. on Channel 4 San Diego.