Pros and Celebrities Ante Up For Africa
There is no better way to celebrate the birth of the United States than playing poker to raise money for Africa.
The $5k Ante Up for Africa tournament has come into being to help support the non-profit organization by the same name in an effort to raise money and public awareness about the problems in Africa. The tournament’s the second to last event at the 2010 WSOP and it has, quite expectedly, drawn a large crowd of professional players and celebrities alike to raise money for this admirable cause. From typical poker celebrities like Don Cheadle to big names like Matt Damon, to consistent charitable givers like Shannon Elizabeth or David Alan Grier, the celebrities are out in full force.
Included in this list of celebrities is Brad Garrett who is best known for his role on Everybody Loves Raymond has been keeping the commentary entertaining with comedic play-by-play coverage and standup mixed in to boot.
Introducing the announcer and poker player Phil Gordon, Brad said, “Phil Gordon, everyone… Only one person clapped for you, Phil, I think it might be your mom,” and never letting an opportunity go to waste said, “Shannon Elizabeth, who looks great in women’s clothing, is playing today.”
A lot of the talk that was going around among the players and spectators alike was the early departure of Phil Ivey. David Alan Grier entertaining stole the credit for knocking out the poker heavyweight saying, “I gave it to him right on the chin! All in and all out, baby!” All of this despite the fact that he wasn’t even in the hand.
Quite unsurprisingly, the room was firmly behind Matt Damon and he even managed to keep himself alive and doubled up more than once. On one such occasion he managed to come from behind by making a full house on the river. Brad, on top of his game as always, commented, “That’s what happens when you’re Matt Damon, ladies and gentlemen. If you’re Brad Garrett, then you’re in a cab by now.”
There is no requirement for how much players are expected to donate to charity but most players donate at least 50% of their winnings. Last year when John Hennigan won the tournament, he donated all of his winnings to charity. In recognition of Hennigan’s generosity last year, Brad told the crowd, “I’m going to kiss Howard Lederer because of your generosity,” promptly followed by him kissing The Professor.
80 different players put down the $5k buy in for the event with Annie Duke, Phil Ivey, and Motel Williams being the first three players to be knocked out. For people interested in learning more about Ante Up for Africa, please check them out at http://anteupforafrica.org
Posted by Joel
on Jul 6 2010. Filed under Poker News.
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