“Seriously,” John Roddick laughed as he looked towards the last table where his younger brother sat wearing a strategically placed borrowed fedora hat. John wasn’t the only one slightly in shock that the same man with the fastest serve in the room also managed to win a poker tournament full of card connoisseurs. “If I see an ace, I’m going for it,” Andy joked. As the clock ticked well over midnight, over four hours had passed since the World Porker Tour Texas Hold ‘Em Charity Tournament had commenced.

The tables began with some big betters and even bigger names, including Serena and Venus Williams, Mandy Moore, and Nicky Hilton. A packed house mingled around the crisp felt tables, as the betting limits increased every hour. It was a family affair as all three Roddick brothers bluffed and checked their way towards a wild card into the World Poker Tour Championships. Behind the scenes, VIP guests gathered in a modern white room reminiscent of a South Beach Club full of gifts and gadgets to entertain all evening long.

Between musical acts by Josh Kelly, Tyler Hilton, and Michael Tolcher, Andy Roddick Foundation guests bet on auction items, mingled with various celebrities and watched the “river”. As the festivities came to an end, Josh Kelly and friends sang an impromptu commentary of the final table’s activities. “And he folded,” Kelly crooned, “he wanted to go all in, you could see it in his eyes,” the crowd applauded the musical narration. Kelly’s support for the tennis ace rolled into the jam session with Michael Tolcher, chanting “don’t give in.”

Wearing a hunter green Lacoste polo, Andy displayed little attempt to hide his own astonishment that he had made it to the final two. One by one, as each player was eliminated, the always gracious host made sure they were on their way to the after party next door. “Just go, go have fun,” Andy instructed on lookers who had stayed five hours deep in to the evening. But the fun to be had was watching the US Open Champion stand on his chair repeatedly as he screamed when each card turned over. Although the sage advice from Jimmy Connors couldn’t help the Austin local this time, Andy aced the final table all on his own, taking the crown at the World Poker Tour Texas Hold ‘Em Charity Tournament.

It was a full house Friday night at the Hard Rock Casino and although Andy may have won a seat at the 2007 WPT Celebrity Invitational in Los Angeles, the real winners are the numerous organizations that will benefit from the funds raised throughout the evening.

Check back to [1] www.andyroddick.com for more on site coverage of the 2006 Andy Roddick Foundation Charity Weekend.