Playing Poker for Charity

For those people who know me, they'd probably be shocked to realize that this is my first blog post about poker. I love the game and have been playing it consistently since 2003, so they probably figured I'd find a way to sneak the topic in whenever possible. But I'm a professional, meaning I waited very patiently until the opportunity presented itself.

Today, CNN.com covered actor Don Cheadle's involvement with Ante Up for Africa (an organization we've covered here at Tonic). It's a group he founded in 2006 with poker pro Annie Duke and their friend Norman Epstein, "hoping to raise money and awareness of issues in Sudan and bringing peace to the region." A talented poker player in his own right, Cheadle visited the Darfur region of Sudan in 2005 and realized how many people needed help, then came back inspired to do something about it.

According to the article, when the charity put on their first celebrity poker tournament, they thought they'd raise upwards of $30,000, but ended up with $700,000. As far as raising money goes, a poker tournament has its appeal, according to Duke, as quoted in the article:

"I think there's a variety of ways to do that that are effective, but I'm not sure anything is more effective than a poker tournament, because people come and they can genuinely hang out with celebrities and some of the famous poker players, and just have a really fantastic time while they're giving."

So far, Ante Up for Africa has raised around $2.5 million, and this Thursday, October 29, the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino (in Southern California) is hosting a tournament for the charity. In addition to the money generated from the tournament itself, the casino will actually pony up half a million dollars to give to Ante Up for Africa.

The tournament, which will likely draw celebrities and professional poker players alike, is not only a great draw for the general public, but also a great way to raise money for an important cause.

Photo courtesy of Jam Adams, via Flickr