Card games are almost always held in a bad light by the more conservative members of society. It ‘corrupts the youth’, they say. It ‘paves the way to bankruptcy’, they say. But what if somebody told these people that by playing poker, they get to help make the life of those in Africa a whole lot better? That’s right, Ante Up for Africa is well under way. Last Thursday saw about two dozen celebrities and pros coming together to participate in the said charity tournament.

Poker for a Noble Cause

There’s really nothing better than having fun while doing good. And is there any other better way to have fun than to play with the celebrities in a nice and friendly game of poker? Don Cheadle and Annie Duke certainly seem to think so. They organized the Ante Up for Africa Charity Tournament, with the objective of raising awareness about the human rights crisis in Sudan and Darfur. The buy-in for the said tournament was only $150, a small price to pay for such a great chance to do a noble deed and to meet some wonderful celebs at the same time. It was held on the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino, which is located just outside San Bernardino in Calif. AUFA has already managed to raised $500,000 from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and it seems that this value was raised significantly through the contributions of the players themselves.

Which Celebs Made an Appearance in the AUFA?

A truly star-studded event, the AUFA was a great success. The poker pros who helped raise the cause include Howard Lederer and Phil Gordon and also Chris Ferguson. Phil Gordon even served as an emcee for the tournament.

Among the celebs were comedians, Richard Karn and George Lopez, from the popular series, “Home Improvement”. Eastwick’s Sara Rue also made an appearance, along with the film critic, Ben Lyons. Comedian Marlon Wayans and Cheryl Hines of “Curb your Enthusiasm” also participated in the tournament. It doesn’t really matter if you win or lose in the tournament because it’ll all be for charity, but Cheryl revealed that her competitive spirit rose once she saw the tables.

According to Annie Duke and Don Cheadle, this tournament was the one that was able to raise the largest amount of money in the history of the AUFA, including those that were held in Vegas. This success was mostly due to the contribution of the tribe as well as the enthusiastic participation of the players.