Poker Stars Play For Charity

This week, Capitol Hill lawmakers hobnobbed with poker stars and took part in a charity poker tournament in Washington DC to benefit Ante Up For Africa.

Organized by the Poker Players Alliance and poker siblings Annie Duke and Howard "The Professor" Lederer, the event raised a total of $70,000, with Full Tilt Poker donating a $10 000 seat at this year’s World Series of Poker main event as the big prize.


Also this week, poker star Phil Hellmuth hosted his first celebrity charity poker event in Oakland California as part of the Fresh Express Classic at TPC Stonebrae.

Hellmuth, an 11 time World Series of Poker champ, has never shied away from charity work and is well known for his generosity.

“I’ve been involved in charity work since before winning my first bracelet. Now that I’m famous for playing poker, I get to highlight and help out even more great organizations with charity poker tournaments and by donating directly. I’ve even given away some of my WSOP bracelets to help those in need,” writes Hellmuth on his website. "Habitat For Humanity, Doctors Without Borders, the TASER Foundation, and Heifer International are just a few of the organizations I’ve helped out over the years and I encourage you to donate to them as well. As I’ve said before, with charity comes clarity and with Phil Hellmuth, poker is just the beginning."

Ante Up For Africa is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 by Don Cheadle, Annie Duke and Norman Epstein, dedicated to raising money and awareness for Africans in need.