Multiple World Series of Poker bracelet winner Freddy Deeb closed out the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic yesterday by taking down the final event of the series, the star-studded LAPC Celebrity Invitational.

Deeb outlasted over 400 invited players to take down the event, including many big name poker professionals and well known celebrities like Ricki Lake, Brad Garrett, Richard Karn, Mimi Rogers, Don Cheadle, Daniel Baldwin and Lou Diamond Phillips.

The final celebrity of the event to hit the rail was Nick Gonzales of Showtime's Resurrection Blvd., who made it all the way into heads-up play but was unable to beat the crafty veteran Deeb. With the elimination of Gonzales, Freddy earned $100,000, enough to propel his overall lifetime winnings just over the $6 million mark.

The final table finishes for the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic Celebrity Invitational were as follows:

1st. Freddy Deeb - $100,000

2nd. Nick Gonzales - $50,000

3rd. Tom Hall - $20,000

4th. Scott Clements - $15,000

5th. Ottavio Tassone - $10,000

6th. Jose Tavares - $5,000

The other big winner of the event was the non-profit organization The Vine Group, who was given a check worth more than $77,000 thanks to a $200 charity chip add-on that was available to all players at the start of the event.

The Vine Group is a charity whose mission is "to provide educational resources to tertiary institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa in order to alleviate poverty and help in building a workforce necessary for a sustainable economic development," according to their website which can be accessed here.

For more information on the LAPC Celebrity Invitational visit www.worldpokertour.com.


Story by Mark Anderson