Luck be a Lady at the Women's Poker Classic

It's sad that everyone knows somebody who has had cancer, myself included, but there are a number of charitable and fundraising events that both raise money for research and raise awareness in general.

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation's 3rd Annual Women's Poker Classic is getting set to kick off at the Cascades Casino in Langley, B.C.

Scheduled to take place from February 21-24 the tournament will not only give women an opportunity to play some cards but proceeds will be donated (Cascades is donating $50 per player) to the regional Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation for research.

The tournament will offer $285,000 in winnings and will donate approximately $46,000 for breast cancer research.

Among the events are:

- A Limit Texas Hold'em Event on the 22nd with an estimated $70,000 up for grabs.

- No Limit Hold'em Shootout Event with an approximate prize pool of $39,000 on the 23rd.

- And for the finale, a NL Texas Hold'em Main Event to close things off on the 24th with an estimated pool of $175,000 and a seat to a World Series of Poker event up for grabs.

On top of being a charitable event, the tournament has become a hot draw.

"The Women's Poker Classic continues to be an extremely popular event," said BCLC VP of Casino Gaming, Darryl Schiewe.

"It's been sold-out two years in a row, so we've added a third event this year."

All events will start at noon.