Nicky Monteiro has fond memories of playing poker with his younger brother Scotty. 

“We always had a lot of games at my grandpa’s house,” Nicky said, adding that his grandfather was the best poker player in the family. 

In 2009, Scotty was murdered while trying to break up a fight at a house party. 

Since then, his aunt Wendy Monteiro has worked to keep her nephew’s legacy alive through the Scotty Monteiro Jr. Memorial Foundation. 

On Sunday, Feb. 5, the Foundation held its 13th annual Texas Hold’em Poker Tournament in memory of Scotty at Salerno’s Function Hall in Onset. 

All proceeds from the event went to the Foundation. 

“We wanted to do something that Scotty liked to do,” Nicky said. 

Wendy was glad to see such high turnout in support of her nephew, especially after the tournament skipped a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“He really had this huge impact on a lot of people,” she said. “Whether it was a little kid or a 90-year-old guy, he just had that personality that he would talk to you. It didn’t matter who you were.”

Going into the tournament, Nicky had a game plan.

“You have to play aggressive early,” he said. 

In addition to the poker tournament, the Foundation hosts an annual golf tournament and fishing tournament in Scotty’s memory. 

Wendy hopes that the golf tournament will return this summer, but she is on the lookout for more volunteers. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.scottymonteirojrfoundation.org or contact Wendy Monterio at wendymonteiro@verizon.net.