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Poker tournament with a conscience
By Len Butcher
It comes as no surprise that poker has, over the past few years, regained its luster, and nowhere is this more evident than in Las Vegas, led by the granddaddy of all poker tournaments -- the World Series of Poker, now going on at several casinos in town. This multi-million-dollar event will end July 17, but another tournament will soon be held that is creating a lot of interest.
It's called the Ante Up For Africa tournament and it is the brainchild of Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle and professional poker player Anne Duke. The tournament, to be held July 5, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Rio, will feature more than a dozen Hollywood celebrities and sports legends along with poker's greatest players in the hopes of raising public awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
Among those who've expressed their intent to play, subject to availability, are Hollywood stars Cheadle, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Tilley, Hank Azaria, George Clooney, Matt Damon, George Lopez, Danny Masterson, Mekhi Phifer, Ray Romano, Adam Sandler and James Woods.
Basketball great Charles Barkley and poker notables Duke, Erik Seidel, Howard Lederer, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Gordon, Joe Hachem, Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Robert Williamson III, Phil Laak, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Ted Forrest, Mike Matusow and Clonie Gowan have also expressed plans to compete.
The $5,000 buy-in tournament is open to everyone and all participants are eligible to attend a private party at the Voodoo Lounge at the Rio beginning at 10 p.m. that same day, as the tournament will feature a fast-paced structure designed to complete the competition within five hours. Seating for the tournament is limited and anyone who wants to participate are encouraged to pre-register at www.worldseriesofpoker.com/anteup/
"While a donation is not required to enter, we are respectfully asking players who win prize money to donate half of their winnings to the ENOUGH Project and the International Rescue Committee - organizations whose goals include raising public awareness and providing aid to the survivors of Darfur," Duke said.
"Four years ago, the specter of genocide reared its ugly head in an area of the Sudan called Darfur," said Cheadle, whose role as a hotel manager in the true-life film "Hotel Rwanda" earned him an Academy Award nomination. The movie told the story of the government-sanctioned slaughter of more than a million innocents in Rwanda in 1994.
For more than two years, Cheadle has worked to raise public awareness of the Darfur humanitarian crisis. He recently testified before a U.S. Senate subcommittee about his visits to Darfur and refugee camps in neighboring Chad. Not On Our Watch - a book he co-authorized with human-rights activist John Prendergast - was released into bookstores nationwide this month.
Cheadle, an accomplished poker player, and Duke, who has more than $4 million in tournament winnings, are committed to raising both public awareness about the tragedy in Darfur and funds to aid its victims.
Cheadle and Duke are supporting the work of two non-profit organizations as part of their efforts. The International Rescue Committee (www.theirc.org a leading provider of humanitarian assistance to refugees and those displaced by conflict, offers critical aid to people uprooted by crises in 25 countries, including the more than 700,000 survivors of the ethnic and political violence in Darfur, Sudan. The ENOUGH Project (www.enoughproject.org), a joint project of the Center for American Progress and the International Crisis Group, is dedicated to raising awareness and activism for causes such as Darfur.
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