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Poker Player Charitable Giving Through WSOP and Beyond

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on
Jennifer Newell

One month ago, we took a look at some of the charitable efforts happening at and around the 2021 World Series of Poker. Not only were there three fundraisers as a part of the WSOP schedule in Las Vegas, there were numerous players who gave pieces of their winnings – and one who gave all of it – to various charities. And, as always, the Charity Series of Poker was hard at work, too.

There was more. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but I kept bookmarking pieces of information that showed a continuous focus on giving. Perhaps this is the case during every WSOP, and I simply didn’t focus on it enough. Or, maybe, people who made it through the pandemic with something extra wanted to reach out to those who struggled. Whatever the case, let’s take a look at more of the generosity that happened during the 2021 WSOP and beyond.

WSOP Charity Totals

As mentioned a month ago, there were three WSOP events focused on raising money for causes. The Salute to Warriors event has become a staple in recent years, as has the Little One for One Drop, but the Covid relief tournament at the beginning of the series was a new one.

We reached out to the WSOP to obtain the names of the exact amounts donated and the beneficiaries. They provided these numbers:

Event 3: $1K NLHE Covid-19 Relief raised $24,245

–The donation to Direct Relief benefited frontline workers, PPE and other medical resources, and vaccine distribution around the world. To date, Direct Relief has supported all American states and 111 countries, distributed more than six million vaccines and $3B in medical aid, and disbursed $107.5M in cash.

Event 63: $500 NLHE Salute to Warriors raised $64,827

–The donation to the USO (United Services Organizations) benefits members of the military and their families with everything from entertainment to long-distance connections to frontline care packages.

Event 68: $1,111 NLHE Little One for One Drop raised $393,017

–The donation to One Drop helps to ensure safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, all to improve the living conditions of people around the world through providing access to clean water. One Drop’s projects have helped more than 2.3M people worldwide to date through raising more than $149.9B in funds.

Noting that the WSOP has participated in raising money for One Drop since 2012, All In for One Drop revealed that poker players have contributed $24,453,560 since then. That money came from more than 16,000 players and contributed That appeared to be the number prior to the $393K from the 2021 WSOP tournament.

CSOP November-December Activities

On November 6, the Charity Series of Poker hosted “Chip In for Autism,” a charity-based poker tournament hosted at the Jackpot Bar and Grill in Las Vegas. Poker players entered in force to participate and raise money for FEAT (Families for Effective Autism Treatment) in Nevada. Players could enter the tournament and rebuy or purchase an add-on, buy in to a 50/50 cash drawing, or bid on items in a silent auction.

When all was said and done, CSOP founder and longtime poker pro Matt Stout told us that the event raised $47,661 for FEAT.

And they have already announced the next one, which is happening on Saturday, December 11. It will be at the Jackpot Bar and Grill in Las Vegas as well, and it will benefit Three Square. The organization is a part of Feeding America and the only food bank in Southern Nevada. In 2020, Three Square distributed more than 56 million meals.

There will be a $300 buy-in poker tournament, obviously with $100 rebuys and add-ons. The grand prize in the tournament will be $5K. People can attend the reception only for $100, and everyone in attendance can participate in the silent auction and 50/50 cash drawing. Those who purchase tickets can also partake in the free appetizers and open bar.

Turning a Negative into a Positive

There was a Twitter tiff – when isn’t there a Twitter tiff? – in mid-November. Jonathan Little had taken some photos around Las Vegas to show what life is like there, and he was selling them as NFTs. There were several photos that created some chatter, the most controversial one of an unhoused person sleeping on a sidewalk. Some people, including me, expressed their outrage at Little making a profit off of someone else’s misfortune.

Little did respond to some of the Twitter messages, indicating that he gave $100 to the woman in the photo. However, many of us argued that he was still profiting from her, and his donation to get permission for the photo also took advantage of her need.

To his credit, Little not only listened but admitted wrongful thinking AND issued a public apology with an explanation and a desire to donate to some Las Vegas charities that help the city’s unhoused population.

By the next day, he wrote that he donated $5K each to Poker Gives, Three Square, UMOK (United Movement Organized Kindness), and Housed Working and Healthy. The $20K is more than his profit from the NFT sale of the entire series of photos.

Not only did Little help a lot of people with his donations, he also showed that it is okay to engage with critics. It’s okay to admit to not understanding something, listening and learning, and trying to do better. Further, he showed that people can engage in a heated yet healthy conversation.

Deep Main Event Run to Benefit Animals

It was exciting to see a woman go deep in the WSOP Main Event. It always is. As a member of such a small part of the poker population, I can attest that it’s energizing and fun to see representation. This year, two women made the top 100 of the 6,650 players. Fatima Nanji ultimately exited in 90th place for $68,900, and Dragana Lim made it to 64th place, where her finish ended for a payout of $95,700.

Prior to her elimination, PokerNews spoke with Lim about her plans for the money. She indicated that she and her husband retired last year, and she was going to use all of her winnings – no matter the amount – to start an animal rescue foundation. The Croatian-born recreational poker player and retired pharmacist has been a US resident for 17 years and moved to Las Vegas within the past year.

Thanksgiving Dinners

Scott Ball was in poker news a lot during the WSOP for winning two bracelets and taking down the No Limits Velo Leaderboard competition. When he returned home after the Series, he decided to find people who were going to be alone on Thanksgiving. He tweeted to request stories from people who were alone, and he selected five of them to receive $200 each for the meal.

In fact, he didn’t reveal an exact number but did say that he “picked quite a bit more than 5 of you.” His replies and tweet conversations with various people indicate that he did, indeed, PayPal quite a few more than five people.

ACR Pros Work for Unhoused

Earlier in the WSOP, two Americas Cardroom Pros thought up a creative way to raise money. Drew Gonzalez and Jon Pardy decided to take two days off from poker and work for All American Dave, a popular Las Vegas food truck that caters healthy meals to poker players during the WSOP. They planned to work running meals on November 4-5 and donate all of their salaries and tips to Caridad.

A grassroots organization now based in Las Vegas, Caridad – which means charity in Spanish and Portuguese – is on a mission to humanize the homeless through telling their stories and helping them find food and shelter, taking care of their immediate needs.

In just two days, they earned quite a bit in tips, and All American Dave upped their pay to $30 per hour. The aforementioned Scott Ball tweeted that he wanted to match their donations up to $2,500.

As it turned out, they raised $480 in hourly pay, which the two men matched. They raised $500 in tips and added $540 in personal donations. Ball then put in $1,520, and two of his Twitter followers donated $100 each. All in all, it turned out to be nearly $4K.

PokerStars Partners with Missing People

This month, PokerStars UK announced a partnership with Missing People, a charity dedicated to reuniting missing children and adults with their families. The UK-based organization works to reduce the approximately 170,000 people who go missing each year in the UK.

The campaign together launched at the Hippodrome Casino in London on November 17. PokerStars donated £100 to Missing People for every player in the PokerStars Mega Series that day. And PokerStars parent company Flutter donated £150K to the organization.

Missing People CEO Jo Youle noted that the partnership will help reach more of the highest demographic of people to go missing in the UK, which is men aged 18-39. Considering that is poker’s core demographic as well, the partnership made sense. “We know opportunities like this to get the message out means to much for families of missing people that the charity supports.”

Annual Double Up Drive

As we headed into the holiday season, Dan Smith launched his eighth annual Double Up Drive. The high-stakes poker pro has long been a supporter of effective charities, and the drive is an opportunity to encourage others to support the causes by guaranteeing that his foundation will double those donations.

This year, Double Up Drive partnered with The Life You Can Save (TLYCS), an organization started by Peter Singer. The book by the same name promotes “high impact, cost-effective nonprofits that fight extreme poverty in the developing world.” The group has been helping Double Up Drive with guidance to keep the charity’s costs down.

Smith also noted that a friend put him in touch with a crypto trader going by the name “Light.” That person pledged $1M. Not a bad way to start this year’s drive!

There is a total of $2.6M in the fund to match donations this year. Already, in just a few days, people have donated $300K.

Double Up Drive is focusing on specific charities this year, all included in the matching donation promise. Those organizations are:

-80,000 Hours (research to help people maximize their careers, connect talented people with mentors)

-Against Malaria Foundation (prevent the spread of malaria via insecticide-treated mosquito nets)

-Animal Charity Evaluators (research, evaluate, and fundraise for animal advocacy organizations)

-Centre for Effective Altruism (grow and support effective altruism community)

-Clean Air Task Force (address worst impacts of climate change, partner with clean air experts)

-Evidence Action (provide safe water dispensers, offer deworming programs, test new interventions)

-Founders Pledge (entrepreneurs and philanthropists commit some wealth to charity

-International Refugee Assistance Project (legal advocacy for refugees)

-New Incentives (educate caregivers about vaccinations)

-StrongMinds (provide cost-effective solution to depression epidemic in Africa)

-Good Food Institute (build a sustainable, healthy, and just food system)

-The Life You Can Save (curate nonprofits to save or improve the most lives per dollar)

This page of the Double Up Drive website goes into more detail about each organization and links to their respective websites.

Did I Miss Anything?

If I missed any recent efforts or if you’d like to let me know about future charitable efforts or endeavors, please reach out to me via Twitter at @writerjen.

 

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