Martin Shapiro, Florida State Director for the Poker Players Alliance, remarked, “It's rewarding when we can bring together the poker community and the law enforcement community for this worthy cause. Everyone has pulled together to ensure this day is a tremendous success." This ‘Meet the Pros’ liveevent is limited to 200 participants. Shapiro expects to fill the event and raise thousands of dollars for this worthy cause. Both Shapiro and Blevins have pledged their tournament winnings to Special Olympics Florida.

 During the 4-hour live Poker Workshop, Poker Mindset Coach Donna Blevins, a Floridian, will help poker players think outside the box. As she often states, “Poker is more than just about the cards." Blevins provides professional-level training to poker players through her Poker Pure & Simple™ Live Coaching Program. She is serious about both poker and about giving back and serves on the Board of Directors for United World Healing and is Florida State Deputy Director of Poker Players Alliance. Blevins is also developing a poker program for the Veterans Administration as therapy for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injuries.

The poker workshop will also give Florida players a chance to learn from two other international poker professionals, Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher. Both are flying in especially for this event. Linda Johnson, known as "The First Lady of Poker," serves on the Board of Directors for Poker Players Alliance as well as the Tournament Directors Association. She is a co-owner of Card Player Cruises. Johnson's contributions to the poker industry earned her a spot in the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in its inaugural year. Jan Fisher is a co-owner of Card Player Cruises, a co-founder of the Tournament Directors Association and hosts tournaments and seminars all over the country. She was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame in 2009.

 This will be the first in a series of 'Meet the Poker Pros' live events to take place at Florida poker rooms hosted by the Florida Chapter of the Poker Players Alliance (theppa.org) in conjunction with PokerDawgs.net charity tournaments. At each event, Donna Blevins (BigGirlPoker.com) will give an intensive poker workshop, followed by an opportunity to meet and learn from various international poker pros.

The tuition for the workshop is $99. This is made possible by the Poker Player Alliance, who subsidizes the travel expenses for the visiting pros. The tournament entry fee is $75, which includes dinner before the start of the tournament. During the tournament, players can purchase additional poker chips in the form of rebuys and add-ons for $10 to $30. All of the proceeds from these purchases will benefit Special Olympics Florida.

Players can register at the Derby Lane Poker Room or via biggirlpoker.com