Damon Affleck Cheadle And More Play Poker For Charity
LAS VEGAS Celebrities turned out Wednesday to donate to Darfur charities _ and to show their fellow stars just who the real card sharks were.
"I'm looking forward to whipping a lot of celebrity rear end," talk show host Montel Williams said before beginning play in a charity Texas Hold 'em tournament at the World Series of Poker. "I tweaked my game, and my game is really solid."
Williams and 87 others, including such Hollywood heavy hitters as Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, George Lopez, Adam Sandler and Ray Romano, played in the no-limit tournament to raise money and have a good time.
Charles Barkley also played after a recent pledge to take a hiatus from gambling. The 45-year-old former NBA star, who was sued in May by the Wynn casino for failing to pay back gambling loans, said he would donate his winnings to charity and didn't plan to spend a lot of extra time in town.
The TNT commentator paid back his markers shortly after the casino filed a civil complaint. Barkley said he wasn't going to gamble for "the next year or two" on the air during the NBA playoffs.
"I can't gamble, so I gotta drink," Barkley joked with Phil Hellmuth after the 11-time bracelet winner invited Barkley for a cocktail after the tournament. "Can you imagine how bad life would be if you couldn't gamble or drink?"
Players donated prize money from the second annual "Ante Up for Africa" event to charities working in the Darfur region of Sudan. Cheadle and poker pro Annie Duke began the event last year to raise money and awareness for the region, where more than 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been displaced since ethnic warfare began in 2003, according to the U.S. presidential envoy to Sudan.
The tournament benefited two charities _ ENOUGH, a project co-founded in 2007 by the International Crisis Group and the Center for American Progress and Not On Our Watch, a group co-founded by Cheadle, Damon, George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
"It's just great to see everybody," Cheadle said as the event began. "Don't expect to win, because it's mine."
Cheadle was eliminated by Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell when his pair of jacks couldn't top Cantrell's queens.
Players in the poker tournament paid $5,000 to enter, and were asked to donate at least half their winnings evenly to the two charities. Nevada law prohibits poker tournaments from designating a certain amount of prize money for charity so players signed voluntary contracts at the tables, pledging at least half their winnings.
"Charity doesn't have to be boring, it doesn't have to be a burden," Duke said. "We want people to have a really good time."
As play began, the prize pool totaled $418,000. Last year the event raised more than $500,000 for the charities and finished with the top two players pooling their $350,000 in winnings and donating it to the cause.
Alexander won the first hand at his table with Damon, eight-time World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel and others when he raised before the flop and everyone else folded.
"All the tournaments I've ever won have been for charity," Alexander said. "When there's no actual money for me, I'm very good."
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Associated Press writer Oskar Garcia contributed to this report.
U.S. dollars range. It is often said of them, the highest prize money won the most exciting battle is a no limit Texas Hold em (Texas Hold em No-limit Texas Hold em). The project s investment in 10,000 U.S. dollars to buy the right entries, if lucky, can win up to several millions of dollars in prize money, attracted a large number of poker experts.
Johnny Chan was in 1987 and 1988 World Cup for the second poker game (no limit Texas Hold em) champion. Cultural Revolution, his parents fled to the persecution of the Cultural Revolution, immigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old.
He later to Las Vegas when the Chinese restaurant chef, the daily classes on into the hotel to play poker, Texas (Texas Hold em Texas Hold em Poker), sometimes not enough time to remove an apron. He later playing poker in Texas has won some money, sufficient to maintain life, he put the work of speech and become professional players, 10 years later, in 1987, he participated in the World Cup poker game (no limit Texas Hold em), a The first a Chinese poker game of the World Cup champion in 1988 and again won the 1989 title.
Phil Helmouth Jr.1989, beat Johnny Chan, then became the youngest World Cup poker (no limit Texas Hold em) championship game.
In 1996 the 27th World Series Poker
Texas Hold em) is the champion of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Huck Seed, he beat 294 players, won the 1 million U.S. dollars of prize money, he was a mechanical engineering professional health , 1989 from the University of drop-outs, started to make money as a professional poker player to make a living, since then, he did not continue his studies. The second is Dr. Bruce Van Horn.
May 24, 2003, the 34th World Cup poker (no limit Texas Hold em) As in previous years the finals in Las Vegas Binion hotels lowered the curtain, the champion is 27-year-old accountant engaged in the work of the Chris Moneymaker, he Before this has never really participated in the poker game Texas, has been only on the Internet.
2003 was little-known Chris Moneymaker in the Poker Star site
http://www.pokerstars.com/?source
On the vote of 40 dollars, to participate in the online game Texas Hold em satellite, after customs clearance at various levels, was finally transported to Las Vegas poker in the World Cup finals. Results beat experts from around the world, gain the first place-yong from 2.5 million U.S. dollars prize money. Chris Moneymaker won the World Poker Championship (no limit Texas Hold em) champion, he resigned from the accountants, officially become a professional poker hand.
2004 beat 2576 champion Greg players around the world, won 5 million U.S. dollars prize money. This is his third consecutive appearance in the world series of poker (no limit Texas Hold em) competition, in 2002 started his progress smoothly, the last to AQ, lost to Tony s 10,4. Ranked 80, 2003 until the first game Three hours, he had out.
2005 World Poker Championship (no limit Texas Hold em) is Australia s champion Joseph Hachem, he won 7.5 million U.S. dollars.
Now 35 the past, the World Poker Championship poker game sector has become a major event. Every year, thousands of amateur and professional poker players pour into Las Vegas to participate in the world s largest poker game. World Championship Poker has become so popular one of the reasons is that it s not like other sports as a Qualification, anyone with 10,000 U.S. dollars of application fee can play. In fact, only a few players to pay full cost of their own, participated in by other people known as satellite of small game to win admission. Poker 2004 World Series champion Greg Raymer, with the runner-up David Williams, there are 2003 World Series poker champion Chris Moneymaker is by participating in poker site http://www.pokerstars.com/?source
The satellite competition, the final Beixuansongdao poker in Las Vegas to participate in the World Cup finals.
With poker on television and the Internet increasingly popular, people play cards with the increase. About a year millions of people watching the World Poker Championship. Watch the world-class poker expert in each Licensing Board to do on the decision of millions of dollars at stake, is a very interesting television programmes.
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