Thursday, December 22, 2011

Play Poker, Give to Charity, Meet a Former Local Star Baseball Player

Posted By on Thu, Dec 22, 2011 at 9:24 AM

There are many levels of celebrity status for athletes, ranging from the 'even your mother knows who they are' names such as Barry Bonds and Derek Jeter, all the way down to those that are only considered big-time to the community they hail from.

Where Shelley Duncan falls is a matter of debate. But regardless, the former Canyon del Oro High School and University of Arizona baseball star is back in town and looking to raise money for local charities.

The avenue for this effort is through a poker tournament, the Duncan's Celebrity Poker Classic, scheduled for the evening of Jan. 7 at Casino del Sol. Cards are in the air at 7 p.m.

The buy-in is $299, of which $150 goes to the prize pool. That's a pretty huge piece taken out of the entry, but that's because $50 goes to the Tucson Youth Baseball Association and another $69 gets you a "promotional package" that includes vouchers for a room at Del Sol's new hotel — which is pretty dang nice, just for the record — and a trip to the casino's Festa buffet.

Another $30 goes to the house.

The tournament is open to the first 130 people, with 10 to 20 entrants getting a piece of the prize pool. Some rebuys and add-ons are available, though it's not clear if that money will go to the prize pool or not.

It is expected other local "celebrities" will participate in the tournament, but at this point Del Sol's poker management couldn't confirm anyone beyond Duncan, who has had a semi-productive pro baseball career with stints on the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.

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