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There is a general perception that poker players are a selfish bunch, out for themselves and their own equity. Ask a poker player for a favor and people think the answer will be, “What’s in it for me? What is my upside?” July 5th, at the World Series of Poker, our community did a lot to dispel that apocalyptic perception. The poker community stood up and demonstrated how much they are willing to give back when it comes to important issues that require our attention. The issue at hand was the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
For those of you who are unaware of what is going on in Sudan, the people of Darfur are experiencing what is really the first genocide of the 21st century. Over 500,000 are dead and over 2 million have been displaced into refugee camps. The refugees lack food, clean later, and medical attention. Wells have been poisoned by dead bodies that have been thrown into them as the government has embarked on a campaign against its people. The amazing thing, given the magnitude of the crisis, is how little attention this issue has received. While we see practically 24-hour coverage of Paris Hilton’s brief stint in jail, learning the details of her despair over having to take out her hair extensions during her stay, we rarely see the news networks cover Darfur. And really, in the scope of things, which is more important? Which crisis, Paris Hilton’s breakdown in a jail cell or the displacement of over two million people, deserves our attention more?
So back in September, Don Cheadle and I, along with our good friend Norman Epstein, had an idea. Poker sure gets a lot of attention. What if we funneled some of the attention that poker gets in the media over to an issue that deserves — no needs — the attention so much more? Thus Ante Up for Africa (www.anteupforafrica.org) was born. We had the idea to run a poker tournament to raise money to benefit the International Rescue Committee and the Enough! Campaign. The IRC is one of the only Non-Government Organization’s getting help on the ground in Sudan and Enough! raises awareness about the issue.
So we teamed up with folks at The World Series of Poker and they offered us their press day, the day before the Main Event starts. Jeffrey Pollack kindly offered to include us in the press conference that takes place that day and the whole team went to work to put on a great event. Jeffrey, Gary Thompson, Ty Stewart, Craig Abrahams, and the rest of the WSOP team stepped up to the plate in a way that can only be described as spectacular. A big thanks also goes to Karen Williamson who worked as the event organizer for AUFA.
So on July 5th we had nearly 170 poker players pony up $5k each to raise money and awareness for Darfur. The celebrities included Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Hank Azaria, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler, Brad Garrett, Kevin James, Charles Barkley, Jason Alexander, Martin Sheen, Shannon Elizabeth, and Cheryl Hines. That list of names will sure shine a lot of light on the issue. We also had a powerhouse list of poker pros including Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Jennifer Harman, Daniel Negreanu, Robert Williamson III, Clonie Gowen, Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, Phil Gordon, Andy Bloch, Rafe Furst, and Antonio Esfandiari. Phil Hellmuth not only played but also acted as emcee. Give that man a mic and I think he is in heaven.
Because of gaming commission rules, we could not take a portion of the entry for the charities. Instead we requested that entrants donate a portion of their winnings to the cause. That took a lot of faith in the generosity of the poker community. We had to believe the winners would donate a significant portion of the winnings and not take the money for themselves and slip away. And in that matter we hit a home run. When the tournament got heads up, the two men left — Dan Shak and Brandon Moran — agreed to share the title of Champion and give 100% of their winnings back to the charity. Their unbelievably generous gift totaled over $300k and was an overwhelming gesture of kindness. Don, Norman, and I were blown away that Dan and Brandon did that. We couldn’t have asked for two classier winners.
All told, the charity raised over $700k. Don, Norman, and I were hoping for a quarter of a million. We could never have imagined that we would do over three times that amount. The good that money will do is immeasurable and I can’t imagine any better proof that poker players are some of the best people on earth. Our community shouted that out loud and I am so proud to be part of this wonderful poker world.
Ante up for Africa is going to be an annual event, so please look for it on the WSOP schedule in ’08. Our goal next year is to raise over a million. That doesn’t seem so crazy when you consider that the prize pool of the Main Event alone this year was over $60 million. What is 1/60th of that for people who need that money so much more than we do?
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