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Raw deal for tourney host Wahlberg

By Bernard Lee - The Boston Herald

I was the "celebrity dealer" at the final table of a Texas Hold'em Tournament at Focaccia restaurant in Wilmington last Monday night to benefit the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation.
I was still wrapping my mind around the phrase "celebrity dealer," as more than 100 players gathered to help a worthy cause, eat delicious Italian food and, of course, play some poker.
Mark Wahlberg was unable to attend, so brother Donnie substituted as host of the event. To his credit, Donnie played well and eventually made it to the final table. But his night came to an abrupt end when yours truly dealt the host some heartbreaking cards.
With blinds at 8,000 and 16,000, Donnie had about 55,000 chips. Unfortunately, he lost a cruel hand when his opponent's Ad-2d beat his 8h-8c after one of the final three aces (Ac) fell on the river. The loss crippled Donnie, leaving him with only 16,000 chips, just enough to call the big blind.
In the spirit of the season, check out www.markwahlbergyouthfoundation.com, a group that helps service and enrichment programs for inner-city kids.

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Billionaire Warren Buffett plays charity poker, goes broke quick

OMAHA, Nebraska: Warren Buffett, billionaire investor and avid bridge player, took less than 45 minutes to go broke in a charity poker tournament.

"It's different than bridge," said Buffett, 76, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. "I was confused. I thought the low score won."

He was among 50 amateur, celebrity and professional players who competed in a Texas Hold'em poker tournament Thursday night.

The tournament celebrated a recent $5 million renovation of retailer Borsheims, which is owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

Donations from the event benefited the Nebraska Make-a-Wish program.

Players included Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and professional poker players David Williams, Evelyn Ng and Michael Mizrachi. They competed for a $3,500 watch featured in the new James Bond movie, "Casino Royale."

An amateur player from Omaha won the watch.

-associated press-