Multiple bracelet winner and PokerRoad fan favorite Freddy Deeb, directly after earning $100,000 by taking down the World Poker Tour L.A. Poker Classic Celebrity Invitational, gave away $37,000 of that prize money to the event's featured charity, The Vine Group USA.

Freddy had pledged to donate 50% of his winnings to the charity earlier in the tournament, well before he knew he would make it so deep in the event, and held true to his word despite the substantial amount that the equivalent of 50% came to in the end.

"This is huge," said Mekhi Phifer, Chairman of The Vine Group USA. "The funds raised will allow us to complete the Mekhi Phifer Research Center we are currently building in Nigeria, which will service more than 100,000 students as well as neighboring universities. Our goal is to save millions of lives by providing the tools for education and the ability to build a future full of possibilities."

With Freddy's donation, plus the over $77,000 the charity earned as a result of the tournament itself, The Vine Group raised more than $112,000 in less than three days of poker.

Keep the ball rolling!  For more information or to make a tax deductible donation visit www.tvgusa.org.

Story by Mark Anderson