With the past two weeks of the American popular and political cultures absorbed with the Republican and Democrat National Conventions, the poker industry has made its presence known. Acting both officially and circumstantially in unison with both of the major American political parties, the Poker Players Alliance and the American Gaming Association sponsored celebrity poker tournaments to benefit a wounded veterans group from the US Armed Services.
On Tuesday August 26, the Poker Players Alliance raised over $60,000 for the Paralyzed Veterans of America in a Celebrity NL Hold’em tournament held in Denver alongside the Democratic National Convention.
Notable players in the tournament included Barry Greenstein, Saturday Night Live star Seth Myers, former talk show host and medical rights activist Montel Williams, Victor Ramdin, Academy Award winning actor Richard Dreyfus and the winner of the tournament, actor and director Ben Affleck. In addition to the star-studded player roster, the spearhead of the US poker advocacy movement and Democratic Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) made a brief appearance along with fellow Congressional opponents of the UIGEA, Robert Wexler (D-FL) and Shelley Kerkley (D-NV.)
Though the tournament drew a wide range of celebrities, politicians and professional poker players, most involved held one thing in common: they all plan to be voting for Barack Obama for President of the United States of America in November of 2008.
On Wednesday September 3rd, the Poker Players Alliance will be teaming up with the American Gambling Association to offer another Celebrity Tournament to once again benefit the Paralyzed veterans, only this time the tournament will be held in conjunction with the Republican National Convention.
Though the St. Paul tournament is not expected to draw the same sort of celebrity involvement as its Democratic counterpart, the tournament will feature its fair share of top poker professionals. Already scheduled play in the tournament are 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, WPT champion and 11 time WSOP cash finisher Victor Ramdin, PokerXFactor instructor Chris “Fox” Wallace as well as the only 3-time Bracelet winner and 3-time WPT champion in the history of poker, Barry Greenstein.
The 125-seat tournament will function as the main event for the 200-attendee fundraiser designed to raise goodwill amongst the conservative wing of the American Government following Republican Senator majority leader Bill Frist’s instrumental role in the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
While it remains to seen what role Republican heavyweights – many of whom stood with the then majority leader in his crusade for the UIGEA – will play in the festivities, with the Democratic event raising $60,000 for the Paralyzed Veterans of America, you can be sure that the Republicans will be actively seeking to meet and exceed that figure. The tournament will by and large be comprised of celebrities and party officials attending the Minnesota convention to launch Senator John McCain’s bid for the Presidency of the United States.
Friday’s Week that Was will include an update segment on this article detailing both the winner of the Republican tournament and the total raised for the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
