Celebs and pros pros play poker at top London restaurant to raise money for charity
Poker playing celebrities such as Jamie Oliver, Dexter Fletcher and Teddy Sheringham joined forces with some of the UK’s top players, including WSOPE runner-up John Tabatabai, Women’s World Open Champion Beverley Pace and Irish Open final tablist Tim Blake, to raise over £200,000 for the One to One Children’s Fund, which helps children in the United Kingdom, Middle East, Africa, Kosovo and India and Indonesia.
Returning once again to London’s glamorous Sketch restaurant for a night of poker and backgammon, the annual event raised over £200,000 for children in need. The £365 entry fee (which represents the cost of sponsoring one child for a year at £1 per day) included a champagne reception plus the buy-in to either the PKR.com sponsored poker tournament or the Omar Sharif Backgammon Tournament.
Non-playing spectators were also invited to attend and enjoy the champagne reception and auction. The highest bidders donating to the cause took home such goodies as signed Arsenal and Chelsea team shirts plus front row club seats, gourmet feast for two at Fifteen, signed copies of Harry Potter, walk-on part in the next Terry Pratchett film and a fully-staffed luxury yacht cruising round the Caribbean.
During the auction of the Fifteen dinner, Jamie Oliver took over from the auctioneer inciting a bidding war between two altruistic foodies. Generously maximising funds raised, Jamie promised both bidders the meal for two with paired wines and signed book, with the added bonus that he’d cook the dinner himself, making the £4500 and £4800 bids worth every penny.
Proving he’s not just a whiz in the kitchen, Jamie also kicked off the poker tournament with the early chip lead, swapping tales of hands throughout with fellow celebrity bounties Dexter Fletcher and Jason Flemyng. Others with bounties on their heads were Coronation Street’s Charlie Condou, Norman Pace, Teddy Sheringham, Benedict Wong and American TV Chef Adam Perry Lang. On hand to watch the fun and cheer his friend on was Jamie Oliver’s celebrity sommelier, Matt Skinner.
A highlight of the evening was when John Tabatabai asked Jamie Oliver for some culinary pointers: “I just started cooking at home and a friend got me Jamie Oliver’s book as a birthday present. I cook now in between sessions to calm down, and I love food. I made one of his recipes, Sea Bass with Thai Rice the other day. When I ordered the sea bass fillets online however, I got the whole friggin’ sea bass! I didn’t have a clue what to do with it, so I just asked him what’s best for a beginner like me. He duly informed me, ‘just shove the lot in the oven and fillet it once cooked.’”
Commenting on the annual event, John added, “One to One is a great charity that helps a lot, and I don’t think any of us really realise how lucky we are and to give just a little back is a pleasure.”
After hours of solid play displaying some nifty moves, the tournament was won by Leticia White, daughter of another famous chef – Marco Pierre White. As well as the £4000 first prize, Leticia also won the championship trophy, presented to her by Hardeep Singh Kohli.
