BY TOM SOMACH

A celebrity poker tournament held by professional poker player Jennifer Harman April 20 in Las Vegas, to raise money for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), raised approximately $125,000, according to event organizers.

The event–which organizers hope to make an annual affair–featured celebrities from the worlds of poker and entertainment.

It was also open to anyone willing to pony up the $300 entrance fee, in order to try to win the tourney’s top prize of a seat in the next World Series of Poker (WSOP), which is valued at $10,000.

That top prize was won by Kirk Morrison, a professional poker player from Wichita, Kan., who has won over a half-million dollars in his career, as well as a 1998 WSOP bracelet in seven-card stud.

Professional poker players who participated in the charity tourney included WSOP bracelet winners Doyle “Texas Dolly”=9D Brunson, T.J. Cloutier, Jeff Madsen, Ted Forrest, Howard Lederer, Robert Williamson III, Jamie Gold, Annie Duke, Joe Hachem, Chris Moneymaker, David Williams, Phil “Poker Brat”=9D Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Jennifer Harman, Men “The Master”=9D Nguyen, Daniel Negreanu and David “Devilfish” Ulliott.

Other professional poker players that played in the event were J.C. Tran, Nam Le, Rene “Mr. Celine Dion”=9D Angelil, Jean-Robert Belland, David Benjamine, Brad Booth, Alan Boston, Todd “Son of Doyl”=9D Brunson, Brandon Cantu, Hoyt Corkins, Paul Darden, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Sam Farha, Chau Giang, Clonie Gowan, Barry Greenstein, Brandy Rose Hawbaker, Chip Jett, Karina Jett, Connie Kim, Jennifer Leigh, Liz Lieu, Erik Lindgren, Marcel Luske, Minh Ly, Mike Matusow, Carlos Mortensen, Chris McCormack, Evelyn Ng, Ralph Perry, Carmel Petresco, Josh Arieh, David “Chip”=9D Reese, Joe Reitman, Erica Schoenberg and Marco Traniello.

Non-poker celebs who played were actress Jennifer Tilly, comedian Carrot Top, musician Vince Neil of Motley Crue, talk show hosts Kerri Kasem and Alan Stock, comic artist Frank Frisina and Olympic snowboard medalist Ross Powers.

The tournament was held in the Caesars Palace poker room.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)