Poker Legend Helping In Fight Against COVID-19

These are unprecedented times that we are currently living in, and everyone around the world is being forced to play their part. The outbreak of COVID-19 has had an effect in every country around the world, with over one million cases of the deadly virus around the globe. However, one poker star has taken the battle by the horns and is offering his support to a charity.

Dan Smith is regarded as one of the best poker players in the world today, but that hasn’t stopped him giving back. He has joined forces with a charity called Double Up Drive. They are aiming to raise money for households across Las Vegas that have been hit hardest by the pandemic. Also involved in the charity work is Phil Galfond.

Competition To Raise Funds For COVID-19 Charity

The two of them should be applauded for their efforts during this time of desperation. They will both be involved in a competition this weekend called the Run It Once poker room. The competition gets underway on the 11^th April, with the game aiming to raise even more money for the residents in Las Vegas that have been hit the hardest by the outbreak of COVID-19.

Smith launched the Double Up Drive back in 2018, and the charity matches every bet by the public dollar for dollar. The success that this charity has achieved has been profound, with over $1.65 million given to charity in 2019 through the initiative.

A dozen charities across the USA benefited from this scheme last year alone. The drive has taken on significant importance over the last couple of weeks due to the outbreak of COVID-19 with many players donating into the charity. They are hoping to pledge $1,000 to each household that have been affected by the virus in Las Vegas. Just some of the pledges that have already been made have come from Stephen Chidwick and Dan Cates.  

Run It Once Helping With Charity Work

That effort made by Double Up Drive will also be supported by a 32-player no-limit Hold’em competition this weekend. The funds will help with the relief effort in the Las Vegas area. There are still a number of spots still open, with only half being taken to this point. Among the players that are already playing are both Galfond and Smith. Galfond also admitted that his undivided attention will be on this competition, which means that he has pulled out of the upcoming Galfond Challenge.

The competition is free to enter and all players around the world are able to get involved. The final couple of spots for the competition will be made up of the players that are the biggest donors by Thursday evening. Eight more players who have contributed to the charity will then be selected at random, with those eight completing the field.

It promises to be a huge weekend of action, but if you aren’t able to get involved then you can play poker on one of these leading websites.