This year’s NFL Super Bowl is being held in Minneapolis on Feb. 4, and while the city will be focused on football activities, the World Poker Tour is hoping to piggyback off the excitement with the WPT Foundation NVRFLD charity event. In conjunction with Latitude, the WPT Foundation will host the minimum $5,000 buy-in event on Friday, Feb. 2.
Raising Stakes
The WPT Foundation’s NVRFLD event boasts the tag line, “Raise the stakes. Elevate the world.” Minneapolis-based brand design agency Latitude is joining forces to raise money for multiple charities, including MATTER, Healing Haiti, and the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Entry into the tournament isn’t cheap. The “Like a Pro” package, which includes a seat for one player along with a guest entry, costs $5,000. For two player entries, you’ll want the “Two of a Kind” package for $7,500.
For high rollers, there’s also a “Big Baller” option for $40,000. For that, you’ll get four player entries, four guest entries, a guarantee to play with a celebrity, and eight passes to a VIP cocktail reception.
Among those confirmed to attend are WPT Commentator Tony Dunst, WPT anchor Lynn Gilmartin, two-time WPT champ and noted poker author Jonathan Little, and poker player Anna Khait, who also appeared as a contestant on Survivor in 2016.
“Oftentimes, the criticism poker players receive includes their lack of contribution to society, when in fact the opposite is true,” Dunst told CardsChat. “Most poker players are very conscientious and very aware that their job may not contribute in the most direct way, so it makes sense to be involved in various charitable organizations or even hold their own charity events in order to give back due to the importance and necessity to support such great causes.”
The charity event will be held at 718 Washington Ave N in Minneapolis. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and cards will be in the air an hour after that.
“I sought an opportunity to put our activation space to good use when the sports world converges in Minneapolis,” Latitude Co-founder and President Jeremy Carroll said. “The NVRFLD event is on track to raise more than $1,000,000 to benefit people living in poverty locally and abroad.”
WPT Charity Initiatives
The WPT Foundation was established in 2012, and since then has raised more than $8 million for charities around the world.
“It is one of the best parts of this job that I get to go to these charitable functions,” Dunst said. “We had two major charitable functions in New York City recently, and WPT Foundation has been doing events all over with a number of reputable charities over the years.”
One of the New York events Dunst references was November’s “All In” for Kids Poker Tournament, which raised money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. WPT Raw Deal host Phil Hellmuth served as emcee, while poker luminaries Andy Frankenberger, Matt Glantz, and Jonathan Little all attended. Likewise, Rounders and Billions scribe Brian Koppelman made an appearance.
Another popular WPT Foundation event is Tiger’s Poker Night, an annual charity tournament in Las Vegas hosted by Tiger Woods. Last May’s event, which was part of the 19th annual Tiger Jam, included NBA star Chris Paul, actress Kate Upton, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Among the charities the WPT Foundation has worked for are the Model Citizen Fund, Catch 81 Foundation, U.S. Vets Initiative, and the Bell Gardens PD Explorer Program.
The WPT is currently in South Florida for the 2018 Lucky Hearts Poker Open, which will crown a winner on Wednesday.
