Online event saw 65 participants
An online poker tournament hosted by Ben Affleck raised $2m for charity this past weekend. The event, titled All In For Feeding America, saw 65 celebrities from the entertainment and sports worlds come together on Easter Saturday to participate and donate funds.
no prize pool, with all of the buy-in money going towards hunger relief efforts
The buy-in for the tournament, which was streamed on the Americas Cardroom (ACR), was $10,000. The ACR also made a significant donation to the fundraiser. There was no prize pool, with all of the buy-in money going towards hunger relief efforts in the United States through the Feeding America charity.
The actor-host tweeted at the start of the tournament to encourage followers to watch the live stream and donate to the cause.
Overall winner among the notable entrants
Poker professional Ebony Kenney came out on top in the event. She was live-streaming her point of view throughout the tournament. Some of the opponents she managed to knock out along her way to victory included Phil Hellmuth, Kevin Smith, and Matt Damon. Bryan Cranston and Tobey Maguire were both at the final table.
In third place overall was comedian and poker fanatic Andy Milonakis, while impressionist Kevin Pollak finished in second place. Pollak is a mainstay at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) every year, having cashed twice in the main event. A number of other players also live-streamed the tournament.
Charity initiative amid an ongoing pandemic
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has led to millions of people in the United States being out of work. With a large portion of citizens living from paycheck to paycheck, many have been struggling to put food on the table for their families.
In announcing the poker fundraiser, Affleck spoke about the importance of Feeding America’s work. He said, “During these times of uncertainty, I’m thinking about our most vulnerable populations – children who are losing access to the meals they rely on, our friends and family who are facing job disruptions, the elderly, and low-income families.”