Africa Poker Charity Event A Resounding Success

Last weekend, the inaugural charity poker event named ‘Raise Your Hand for Africa’ took place at the Golden Nugget Casino in Las Vegas.
The star-studded affair was hosted by none other than the charitable Mr Phil Hellmuth himself, and by the time the event had come to an end a great deal of money had been raised for a number of worthy African related causes.
Amongst those charities which will benefit from the funds raised are several comitted to dealing with helping Africa’s impoverished women and children, as well as the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which supplies hearing aids to the needy in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
The star-studded affair saw a whole galaxy of celebrities turn out and participate in the charity tournaments, including Steve Martin, Don Cheadle, Lou “Incredible Hulk” Ferrigno, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sam Moore, as well as 25 NFL players.
The glitzy affair was reminiscent of Vegas’ heydays, with Hellmuth posing for the cameras alongside such NFL legends as Adrian Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald. Clearly delighting in his hosting duties, the 11 WSOP bracelet winner said:
“It is really crazy doing these red carpets and being considered a celebrity…It’s great being treated like a celebrity. Look at all these A-list people here today. I’m glad to be a part of it.”
The only slight disappointment on the evening was that the NFL players were not allowed to participate in the poker tournament, probably due to the NFL protecting the use of their logo worth millions.
However, the players instead cheered on enthusiastically from the sidelines and helped make the charity event an even more special occasion.
After the ‘Raise Your Hand for Africa’ charity event was over, the grand occasion was declared a resounding success with a triumphant Hellmuth later stating:
“I think poker stays popular because it’s a game every religion, race and nationality plays. Poker represents common ground around the world.”