The Easter weekend was certainly an odd one this year as everyone stayed at home. In the United States, people are used to traveling to see family and friends, enjoying big dinners and hunting eggs with the kiddos. However, with the coronavirus still a threat and social distancing a must, everyone just stayed home. While it was different for us regular Joes, a few celebrities found a way to play a game of poker to benefit those in need during this time of crisis.
Actor Ben Affleck hosted a benefit for Feeding America, with a ton of celebrities taking part. Titled All In For Feeding America, the event attracted 65 celebrities from around the world to participate. The online poker event was hosted by Americas Cardroom (ACR) and offered a $10,000 buy-in. All proceeds went to charity with a total of $2 million raised.
Details of the Event
There were no prizes to offer but players didn’t mind as the money was going to a good cause. Along with the buy-ins, Americas Cardoom decided to donate funds as well. Affleck competed in the event along with several other celebrities and tweeted during the game. He encouraged his followers to watch the live-stream of the gaming action and also donate to any cause they could.
In the end, it was Ebony Kenney who earned the win, a professional poker player. She managed to beat several celebrities and poker players in the event, including Tobey Maguire, Phil Hellmuth, Kevin Smith and Matt Damon.
Second place went to impressionist Kevin Pollack while Andy Milonakis, comedian and poker player, finished in third. Pollack is a regular during land-based events, often taking part in the World Series of Poker tour.
Other celebrities who logged online to take part in the online poker action included Sarah Silverman, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Tom Brady, Jamie Staples and many more.
Players of Americas Cardroom with the bankroll could take part as well. They simply had to donate to Feeding America and then send a copy of the receipt to the cardroom with contact information. A VIP rep would then contact the player with instructions on how to sign and register for the event.
Helping Others
The poker world has long been known for helping others in a time of need. This is just one example of how a simple card game can raise a ton of funds for charity. The WSOP often offers charitable options including the Big One for One Drop during the annual series. This year’s series is still up in the air due to casinos being closed.
It will be interesting to see if the casinos remain unopened, if the WSOP will choose to do something similar to the Feeding America event and host the Big One online. We expect in the coming weeks that more details will be released about the scheduled WSOP.
