WPT Foundation Lines Up Celebrities And Pros For Several Charity Events

WPT FoundationWhoever said that poker is a force for evil as it encourages people to gamble might well have to eat their words as the World Poker Tour (WPT) has got together with numerous poker pros and celebrities to launch the WPT Foundation with the aim of using the tour’s influence as an “engine for important change in the world”.

The WPT Foundation plans to host several charity poker events entitled WPT Playing for a Better World that aim to raise cash for their worldwide charity partners, including World Central Kitchen, We Advance, Enough Project, and Conservation International.

The first tournament will be hosted on Sunday, March 11, by SLS Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, with the celebrities already signed up including the likes of Joel Madden, Jeremy Piven, Don Cheadle, Gerard Butler, Maria Bello, Eva Longoria, Woody Harrelson and Will Ferrell.

Daniel Negreanu and Antonio Esfandiari Signed Up

These stars of the big screen and music industry should certainly enjoy the event as they will be able to compare their poker skills – and maybe even win a lesson or two – against pros such as Andy Frankenberger, Maria Ho, Jamie Gold, Tony G, Vanessa Selbst, Antonio Esfandiari, Dan Harrington and Daniel Negreanu, as well as the WPT’s very own Tony Dunst and Mike Sexton.

The first stop will see celebrities enjoy some poker lessons, before then getting down to the serious business of playing in a $500 buy-in round-robin tournament, enjoying an auction and a raffle – with tickets priced at $100 – to raise funds for the previously mentioned charities.

The WPT has already made a donation of $100,000 towards the event, with the tour’s chief executive officer Steve Heller saying he expects a positive response from all concerned.

Steve Heller Says WPT is ‘Dedicated’ to Supporting Charities

Heller stated: “World Poker Tour has always been dedicated to supporting charitable causes, but by establishing WPT Foundation we are making a deep, lasting commitment to philanthropy the likes of which the poker world has not seen before.”

Steve Heller“With poker as a platform for an ongoing programme and the support of celebrities, our poker player family and fantastic global charities, we’re confident the world will be shown how WPT and the poker community can be an engine for important change in the world, and we’re pleased to fuel that engine with an initial $100,000 donation.”

“The launch event of WPT Playing for a Better World at the beautiful SLS Hotel will be a night to remember and the first of many such WPT Foundation events to come.”

Players will definitely enjoy more than just top-quality poker, though, as multi-award-winning Spanish chef José Andrés will be on hand to provide a buffet from his The Bazaar restaurant, which is attached to the SLS Hotel.

If you want to know even more about the event, then visit WPTFoundation.org.