Duke and Cheadle Get Ready to Ante Up for Africa(credit: Ante Up For Africa)
On July 2nd, Annie Duke and Don Cheadle will be bringing the poker community together for the second time at the World Series of Poker. The Ante Up for Africa charity tournament has a $5,000 buy-in and the proceeds go to ease the suffering in Darfur, a western region of the Sudan that has struggled with war and genocide brought on by decades of drought, desertification and overpopulation. Last year’s event raised more than $700,000.
This year’s event is expected to be bigger than ever. Held at the Rio All-Suites, the proceeds from the tournament will be given to two charities ENOUGH, a joint initiative of International Crisis Group and the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress. ENOUGH works to end human rights violations in Darfur, northern Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and also seeks to prevent future atrocities across the globe.
The second organization is called Not on Our Watch. Founded by George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, the organization focuses global attention and resources on situations such as these across the globe. Darfur is Not On Our Watch’s inaugural campaign. The organization draws on the voices of celebrities, cultural leaders and activists to bring attention to these atrocities to the public and generate assistance.
The Ante Up for Africa tournament begins at 2pm on July 2nd. Celebs and poker players scheduled to attend currently include: Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Sandler, Ray Romano, Kevin Pollack, Cheryl Hines, George Lopez, Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, Phil Laak, Barry Greenstein and many others.
For more information on this tournament, visit http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com.
Annie Duke plays online at Ultimate Bet. Sign on today at UB.com and receive up to 111% cash back!