NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Caleb Jacobbe was remembered Saturday by the people he loved with the game he loved.

 

"He loved cards," John Jacobbe said as the 10th annual Caleb Jacobbe Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament progressed at the Elks Club. "He started playing cribbage when he was 5. We played backgammon and cribbage and poker in his hospital room.

 

"The family held a hold 'em tournament with him two days before he passed."

 

Caleb, 8, died in May 2006 after a long battle with cancer.

 

"We told him we would do this for him in his memory when it looked like the time was coming," his father said.

 

John and Tammy, Caleb's parents, kept their promise a couple of years later and have brought the tournament back each year since.

 

On Saturday, a record 61 players participated in the event, which also features a raffle and 50/50 to help raise money for the Caleb Jacobbe Foundation.

 

John said the tournament, the foundation's only fund-raiser, generally brings in a couple of thousand dollars, which the family has used for donations to the Jimmy Fund, Boston Children's Hospital, where Caleb received treatment, and local families in need.

 

"A lot of people stepped up and helped us when we were in need," he said. "When we hear of a story, we write a check.

 

"Our lives will never be the same [without Caleb], and we try to give to families who are in the same kind of situation."

 

The family first ran the tournament in early February to roughly coincide with Caleb's Feb. 4 birthday. The first couple of years, it was timed to coincide with the off week between the NFL conference championship games and Super Bowl.

 

These days, in a nod to John's role as head girls basketball coach at Mount Greylock, the tournament is held on "seeding day" for the Western Massachusetts basketball sectionals when there's a lull in the local sports scene.

 

One thing that hasn't changed since the tournament's early days: the way others have rallied to Caleb's cause.

 

"The Elks have been great hosting us, and local businesses have been outstanding in donating prizes," John said, adding that volunteer Dennis Dunn has been key in helping to organize the tournament and attract more players.

 

"This is a great community when you're in a crisis."