Daniel Negreanu is helping raise money for something other than Doug Polk’s retirement fund. The GGPoker ambassador, via his pal Eric “Barstool Nate” Nathan, will match up to $25,000 in donations towards The Barstool Fund, a charity drive raising money for small businesses struggling to survive during COVID-19.
Billionaire entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis challenged Barstool founder Dave Portnoy to “put your money where your mouth is” and raise money for the small business owners he claims to support. Portnoy obliged and created a charity drive that has raised over $4.6 million this month.
The first recipient of the small business fund was Frank Borrelli, owner of Borrelli’s pizzeria in New York. If you follow Barstool Sports, that name may sound familiar. Borrelli’s son, Frankie, is a producer for Barstool. His family’s restaurant has been in business for 65 years but was struggling to make ends due to COVID-19. Portnoy jumped in and shipped the business owner a $500,000 check. An emotional Borrelli left a video message for the Barstool Sports founder.
To @stoolpresidente, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It means more than you will ever know. My Dad can’t wait to pay it forward. pic.twitter.com/kC2b9KVUpY
— Frankie Borrelli (@FrankieBorrelli) December 17, 2020
Daniel Negreanu to Chip In
Portnoy isn’t the only wealthy person putting his money where his mouth is. Daniel Negreanu will match up to $25,000 in donations to the Barstool Fund. His friend “Barstool Nate,” the host of the Cracking Aces poker podcast, said in a video that he was “trying to think of a way to raise money for all these bars and businesses and restaurants” that are struggling from the global health pandemic affects.
🚨🚨 Win a 1 hour poker lesson with @RealKidPoker 🚨🚨
For every $100 you donate, you get 1 ticket into the raffle. Once we hit $25,000, Daniel will match it AND we will raffle off a 1 hour poker lesson with him.
Email the screenshot of your donation to CrackingAAces@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/Ld3XRlIhcL
— Eric Nathan (@BarstoolNate) December 23, 2020
Nathan contacted Negreanu and came up with an idea how the poker community can contribute to the cause. For every $100 donated, fans will receive one raffle ticket for a shot to win a one-hour poker training session from Daniel Negreanu. So, if you donate $500, you will receive entries. And everyone donating will help raise money for a good cause.
Donations can be made on the Barstool Sports website. Acceptable forms of payment include ACH, debit/credit card, crypto, or check. As of Christmas Eve, more over 48,000 generous individuals have donated a combined $4,647,000, and that number continues to rise. The Barstool Fund website also lists the businesses chosen to receive the money. That includes Borrelli’s, of course, and numerous other US businesses.
Negreanu will commit to up to $25,000 in donations from “Barstool Nate’s” charity efforts. To receive an entry (or more than one), send a screenshot of the donation of $100 or more to CrackingAAces@gmail.com and you will automatically be entered. Nathan created a spreadsheet to keep track of the poker community donations. The sports blogger and poker podcaster will draw a random winner after the poker fund reaches $25,000.
Negreanu will then chip in his $25,000, bringing the total donations up to $50,000. Tis the season for giving money to those affected by COVID-19.
