The Mandarin Oriental Hotel New York is settled to host to the All In For Kids charity poker tournament this Wednesday night. A number of celebrities are expected, including some of the top names from the world of poker. All proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which was founded in 1855 and was the first children’s hospital in the United States.
The charity event is limited to 120 players. Tournament participants make a recommended donation to the Hospital to play. During the first three levels of play, players will have the option to rebuy with an additional donation.” Both the buy-in and re-buy are USD 5,000 and an add-on will be available. The Hospital will also raise money through sponsorships of the event. Organizations that have signed on include the Borgata Hotel Casino, Riverchasers Entertainment, and the Susquehanna International Group.
Participants are expected to attend the event include Ultimate Bet personality Annie Duke. One of the top fundraisers in the world of poker, Duke is also a World Series of Poker bracelet winner. Duke has been actively involved in the Ante Up for Africa charity, partnering with “Oceans 11” and “Crash” actor Don Cheadle to organize tournaments at the WSOP and on Ultimate Bet.
Also scheduled to appear is “The Poker Brat” Phil Hellmuth, owner of a record 11 WSOP bracelets. Like Duke, Hellmuth is a representative of online poker site Ultimate Bet.
Full Tilt Poker pro Phil Ivey will also go all in for kids. Ivey is the proud owner of three WSOP bracelets, the most recent of which came in 2005 in a USD 5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha tournament. The finale of that event saw Ivey defeat Robert Williamson III heads-up. Also appearing at the final table were Allen Cunningham, Surindar Sunar, and Hellmuth.
The tournament’s lead sponsors are poker personalities Beth and Dan Shak. A hospital spokesperson told Poker News Daily how the tournament originated: “Dan and Beth are residents of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, which is just outside of Philadelphia, and they have been donors to the Hospital for a number of years. Beth has played in Duke’s Ante Up for Africa tournaments and Annie did graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, which is near the Hospital. Hellmuth and Ivey are good friends of Shak.” The Hospital takes patients from New York City, which is the site of Wednesday’s tournament, and has received a number of accolades from U.S. News and World Report.
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