Ben Affleck and Friends Go All In for Veterans
March 2nd, 2010
Former California State Poker Champion Ben Affleck supports U.S. veterans
One of the best things about the poker boom is that it’s opened the door for a lot of good causes to benefit from poker’s popularity through charity poker tournaments. Tomorrow’s good cause at the Go All In For Veterans tournament in Washington, DC, is the Paralyzed Veterans of America, which works to raise awareness and money for veterans of the American armed services who have been disabled in the line of duty.
That might sound pretty standard so far as charity tournaments go, but this one is special for a number of reasons. Hosting the event is the most recent addition to the Poker Hall of Fame, WPT announcer Mike Sexton. The star power continues with the event’s co-chairs and honorary committee, which include Oscar-winning actor and former California State Poker Championship winner Ben Affleck, poker pros Andy Bloch, Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, Kenna James and Lee Childs, and six members of the United States House of Representatives. The winner of the tournament will earn a seat in the most star-studded poker tournament in the world, the 2010 WSOP Main Event.
Oh, and then there’s the matter of the tournament’s sponsor list. Besides the standard poker groups there are also major corporate sponsors like Walmart and Reynolds American on board, something that even mainstream poker tournaments like the World Series of Poker have struggled to achieve over the years. The Go All In for Veterans tournament looks to be a unique event among charity poker tournaments for a number of reasons.
If you’re going to be in the Washington area and you want to play, you’ll want to be at the Grand Hyatt hotel on Wednesday, March 3rd. Registration for the $250 buy-in event begins at 6 p.m. and the poker begins at 7 p.m.
