Dan Smith is upping the ante in his annual charity drive. The high roller, along with other poker pros such as Stephen Chidwick, has committed to matching up to $1.5 million in donations to 12 “great” charities.
The 2019 Double Up Drive began Dec. 3, and runs until the 27th. Last year’s fundraiser brought in $5.4 million for charities Smith and his peers carefully chose.
This year, the poker pro has selected a dozen charities he believes in. The list includes Helen Keller International, which serves the world’s most vulnerable, and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), a non-profit focused on helping refugees in need. You can check out all the charities on the Double Up Drive website.
Smith Committed to Poker and Philanthropy
Who says poker players are selfish? Smith has shown over the past six years that he is as generous as he is skilled at the poker table.
The 2019 Double Up Drive is Smith’s sixth annual charity drive. He announced the newest edition on Twitter.
Very proud to announce our sixth annual charity drive! This year we have $1.5 million in matching funds to go towards 12 great charities.
Information on our new website, https://t.co/oLMKjPcAf3
Happy #GivingTuesday , thanks for your support 🙏
— Dan Smith (@DanSmithHolla) December 3, 2019
Last year, Smith pledged to match up to $1.14 million in donations. He’s upped the ante a bit this year to $1.5 million. His co-donors include Stephen Chidwick and Matt Ashton from the poker world, along with daily fantasy sports pros Martin Crowley and Aaron Merchak.
Smith has repeatedly proven to the poker community that he’s as committed to philanthropy as he is to poker. In doing so, he’s helped raised millions of dollars for numerous charities over the past five years.
On the felt, he’s one of the top players in the game. Smith has $36.7 million worth of live tournament cashes since 2008. That’s an average of more than $3 million per year, although most of those earnings have come since 2012.
Smith is one of the top tournament grinders to have never won a WSOP bracelet. In 36 World Series of Poker cashes, he has seven, top-three finishes, but hasn’t yet been able to get over the hump and win a bracelet. The philanthropist is one of six players to have cashed for at least $10 million in 2019. He’ll be giving away some of those winnings to support some good causes.
