The 3rd Annual Ante Up for Africa Event

The 3rd yearly Ante Up for Africa charity poker event is set for July 2nd, 2009 at the Rio Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada and there will be no shortage of Hollywood celebrities and NBA stars at the poker tables. Heading the list his year's list of participants are AUFA regulars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who will be joined by the who's who in the world of sports and entertainment like Annie Duke, Hank Azaria, Jason Alexander, Montel Williams, Reggie Miller, Sarah Silverman, Shawn Marion, Rob Schneider, Phil Hellmuth and others.

The $5,000 buy-in event is also open to the public, which means that anyone 21 years old and above can play against some of the world's biggest stars and poker players for a 6-figure 1st place cash prize. Aside from playing for the cash prizes, all proceeds from the tournament will go to the ENOUGH project and Refugees International, who raise awareness and give aid to the Darfur refugees. At the first Ante Up for Africa, the two players in the heads-up showdown, Dan Shak and Brandon Mora, decided to give the entire amount of both 1st and 2nd place cash prizes to the non-profit organization.

This generous decision may have started a tradition as 2008's Ante Up for Africa winner, poker pro John Hennigan, donated one hundred percent of his $136,860 cash prize to the charity. With a fast-paced game structure, the entire event should be finished in five hours, making for an action pack event guaranteed to keep the audience entertained.

Ante Up for Africa is a non-profit group founded in 2006 by Don Cheadle, Norman Epstein and Annie Duke. The group is dedicated to raising funds and public awareness for Africans in need and to date; Ante Up for Africa has raised $2 million for the charity and has donated to charity groups like Not On Our Watch, ENOUGH and the International Rescue Committee.

07/06/2009, Monday
Todd Sanders

The 3rd Annual Ante Up for Africa Event

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