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For about 45 days starting on June 1, the paparazzi could have ventured away from their normal hotspots of New York, South Beach, and Hollywood to camp out in front of the RIO in Las Vegas. Celebrity sightings are nothing new at the World Series of Poker, however this year brought in a record number of A-listers … all looking for a gold bracelet rather than an Oscar or a Grammy.
A new tournament added to the World Series of Poker this year was the Ante Up For Africa Charity Tournament sponsored by Annie Duke and Don Cheadle. Darfur is a war-ravaged region in western Sudan that has seen nearly a half million deaths since 2003. When the Oscar-nominated actor and the poker pro saw an opportunity to give back to the people suffering from this tragedy, they quickly contacted Jeffrey Pollack and made it happen. The No Limit Hold’em tournament was a $5,000 buy-in attended by 167 of the biggest names in poker and Hollywood. Though no money was officially taken out of the prize pool, donations exceeded $500,000, and the tournament was an amazing success in raising awareness for Darfur. Celebrity poker veterans Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, Shannon Elizabeth, Mekhi Phifer, Jennifer Tilly, and Matt Damon all packed the Amazon Room, along with most of the biggest names in all of poker. Dan Shak, whose wife Beth finished second in an earlier event at the WSOP, chopped first and second with Brandon Moran. Both men donated all of their winnings — $386,738 in all — to the event’s designated charities: the Enough Project and the International Rescue Committee.
Several celebrities made strong showings in bracelet events at this year’s Series. Jennifer Tilly, who is a principal on the tournament circuit these days, cashed three times this year. Since winning her bracelet in 2005, Jennifer has had five other cashes, including placing 48th in this year’s $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Heads-Up Event. Shannon Elizabeth may have been the unluckiest player in all of the 2007 WSOP. If you reread the hand histories of when she was eliminated, Shannon was in good about 75% of the time. She managed only one cash, but has certainly proven that she can hang with the big boys.
Sully Erna, the lead singer of the rock band Godsmack, finished in 237th place in the Main Event, cashing in $45,422. Sully is an avid poker fan who has one of the most interesting poker stories you will ever hear. While playing in a cash game, Sully lost with quad aces to a runner-runner royal flush. He immediately left the table and went straight to the tattoo parlor. He now has a permanent reminder on his back of that unfortunate beat in the form of four aces going up in flames with the phrase “No Justice in Poker.” This was Sully’s secondstraight year to cash in the Main Event.
When not acting in blockbuster movies, Tobey Maguire has been known to spend some time at the poker table. This is not some casual hobby for the Spiderman star, as Tobey has shown the world that he is a pretty tough player in any circle. Playing very few events, Maguire cashed twice in this year’s WSOP, including a 292nd place finish in the Main Event.
Some celebrities may not possess the skill of the aforementioned but still enjoy the challenge of competing against the top players as well as the quest to capture World Series Gold. Norm MacDonald of Saturday Night Live fame had a deep finish as he placed 20th in Event 28, $3,000 No Limit Hold’em. Talk show host Montel Williams was chip leader of the Main Event for several hours at one point, building his starting stack of 20,000 up to nearly 150,000. Actor Brad Garrett, Boxer Antonio Tarver, former Major Leaguer Jose Canseco, and actor/director Joe Reitman all tested the waters at the World Series of Poker this year.
Although none of the celebrities captured the coveted CORUM WSOP gold bracelet, all those we talked to raved about the thrill they get from being at the table. Jennifer Tilly proclaimed that it was “better than an Oscar” when she hoisted her WSOP Ladies Event bracelet over her head. With the ever-growing number of actors, musicians, and athletes frequenting the poker tables these days, it can only be a matter of time before we see one of these players win an open event at the World Series.
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