Social Responsibility

PokerStars takes pride in giving back. That’s why we support various good causes around the world via charitable online tournaments and live events. They give you the chance to do your bit to raise money and awareness, and any amount you raise is usually matched. Here are some highlights from just a few events run in the past.

PokerStars Charity Events & Tournaments

Pretoma Shark Appeal
PCA amfAR Charity Tournament
Ante Up For Africa
Million Dollar Men Freerolls
China Earthquake Appeal
Life Ball
Ocean's Thirteen Darfur Charity Tournaments
EPT Season 3 Grand Final
Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund
Hurricane Katrina Relief Tournaments
Tsunami Relief Effort

Humberto Brenes Pretoma Shark Appeal

Anyone who’s seen Team Pro member Humberto Brenes play poker knows that he is crazy about sharks, and in recent years PokerStars has helped him to raise money for a shark charity called Pretoma. It’s an organization that helps protect sharks in Costa Rica by pushing for better government policies and research. He asked players on the LAPT to donate some of their tournament prize money, which he then personally doubled. PokerStars then doubled the final amount, which helped to generate thousands that was put to good use across different research projects.

PCA amfAR Live Charity Tournament

PokerStars, Team Pro and a host of celebrities raised thousands for the AIDS organisation amfAR at a VIP charity tournament on Paradise Island in The Bahamas. It was held during the 2010 PCA, and the event saw famous faces such as Nelly, Slash, Kelly Rowland and Montel Williams compete against pros such as Daniel Negreanu and Alex Gomes. More than $97,000 was raised in total. amfAR started in the mid-80’s, and funds research into the AIDS epidemic.

Ante Up For Africa Live Tournament

The European Poker Tour is one of the biggest live events in the world, and the Season 5 Grand Final festival included a star-studded charity tournament in Monte Carlo. The aim was to raise cash and awareness for Ante Up for Africa, which helps with relief in Darfur. Scores of big-name celebrities donated their time and money, including rapper Nelly, Nico Rosberg, Zara Phillips, PokerStars Sports Star Sebastien Chabal, singer Christina Millian and more. Team Pro players like Daniel Negreanu also took part and helped to raise a total of over €160,000.

Million Dollar Men Freeroll Donations

The Million Dollar Men were all players on the World Series Final Table in 2008. Online freerolls ran that gave qualifiers a shot at competing against the six players for cash prizes, but all money awarded to the star players was given to a charity of their choice. First up, Dennis Phillips earned $50,000, and gave it to a Down Syndrome charity. Darus Suharto gave his $25,000 winnings to a children’s hospital and Habitat for Humanity.

The other three earned $10,000 a piece. Peter Eastgate donated to a children’s organisation, as did Chine Rheem, while Ylon Schwartz donated his winnings to a breast cancer foundation. The players raised an incredible $115,000 in total. After the World Series was over, Dennis Phillips also gave a chunk of his winnings to a cancer charity, which PokerStars also then matched, making for a total of $90,355.

2008 China Earthquake Aid Appeal

PokerStars players raised around USD $285,236 after the devastating earthquake in Western China in May 2008. There were live tournaments held at PokerStars Macau during the Macau Cup, and entry fees in other events were also donated. Players could also donate through their account, which helped generate an additional USD $121,268. PokerStars then matched this amount. The money was used to help with search, rescue and aid in the worst hit communities.

Life Ball 2008

Life Ball is a prestigious annual event that raises millions for the battle against AIDS. The 2008 event was held in Vienna, where over 40,000 spectators watched the proceedings. PokerStars hosted an exclusive VIP area at the venue, where guests, celebrities and online qualifiers played a charity tournament, and qualifier tournaments online at PokerStars helped raise $150,000 for the cause.

Ocean's Thirteen Cast Darfur Tournaments

Ocean's Thirteen Darfur Charity Tournaments

PokerStars joined forces with the stars of the movie ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ to help raise money and awareness for war-torn Darfur. A total of $1,000,000 was donated to Not On Our Watch, generated via online charity tournaments and direct contributions from players.

EPT Season 3 Grand Final Charity Donations

Poker pro Gavin Griffin won the EPT Monte Carlo Season 3 Grand Final in 2007, but also proved to be a great ambassador for the game along the way. He wore pink hair during the event to raise awareness of the Avon Foundation breast cancer organisation, and PokerStars also donated thousands to the charity, plus matched donations made by players. In total $27,870 was raised.

Hokie Spirit Memorial Tournament

PokerStars helped raise money in 2007 for an organization set up to help with the cost of grief counselling and memorial services for families devastated by the Virginia Tech killings that left 33 people dead. Over 280 players entered a special $20 online tournament, where just one cent from every buy-in went into the prize pool, and the rest to charity. More than $5,000 was raised, a figure that was then matched by PokerStars, meaning a cheque for the amount of $11,285 was sent.

Hurricane Katrina Online Benefit Tournaments

Hurricane Katrina caused massive devastation in the US and beyond in 2005, with great loss of life and many others losing their homes. PokerStars hosted a series of tournaments where just one cent from the cash buy-in went into the prize pool, and the rest was donated to help with relief. Players donated $56,536 in total, which was then matched by PokerStars and sent to the Red Cross. In addition, Team Pro Barry Greenstein donated $10,665 of his WCOOP winnings, which again PokerStars matched.

2004 Tsunami Relief Appeal

A devastating tsunami hit countries across southern Asia in 2004, just after Christmas Day. It left hundreds of thousands either perished or missing, and PokerStars ran a ‘Donation Tournament’ to help with relief. It allowed players the chance to donate anything up to as much $100 dollars, and $187,769 was raised by players in total. PokerStars then matched this figure and rounded it off to $400,000. The money was then given to the Red Cross.