Daniel Negreanu wants to give back to the poker community and a worthy charity at the same time. He will be awarding a PokerStars Platinum Pass, valued at $30,000, to the creator of a video that he deems most inspiring before the end of September.
Kid Poker wants fans to create a short video explaining which charity they want to play for and why. He and a panel of judges will then pick the best of the bunch and award that person a Platinum Pass.
A Platinum Pass consists of entry into the $25,000 PokerStars Players Championship in the Bahamas, Jan. 6-10, and $5,000 in travel expenses. PokerStars is handing out 300 Platinum Passes throughout 2018. Negreanu, the face of the poker site, will hand out one of them to a lucky, inspiring fan.
Other PokerStars Team Pro members are awarding Platinum Passes throughout the year in various ways. Chris Moneymaker, for example, is hosting $86 buy-in tournaments around the US with a Platinum Pass awarded to the winner.
The $86 buy-in signifies the amount Moneymaker paid via a PokerStars satellite in 2003 to get into the WSOP Main Event. Weeks later, he became world champion and $2.5 million richer.
How to Enter
Negreanu shared a blog post on PokerStars.com asking fans for video submissions. In that post, he shared details on how to enter and win.
“To win this Platinum Pass Adventure,” Negreanu wrote, “create a video no longer than two minutes and 20 seconds (2:20) in which you introduce yourself to us, introduce the charity you want to play for at the PSPC, and tell us exactly why you support this great cause.”
The link to the video must be shared on Twitter using hashtag #DonateWithDaniel. It must also be emailed to DonateWithDaniel@Starsgroup.com. Submissions must be received by Sept. 30.
On Oct. 7, the Hall of Famer will narrow the field down to a final five. Then, on Oct. 13, he will announce the winner. The other finalists will receive a $1,000 consolation prize for their selected charities.
The winning package includes a $25,000 entry into the PSPC and $5,000 for travel expenses to the event in the Bahamas. Should the winner cash in the PSPC, half the winnings go to their charity.
The PSPC has a guaranteed $8 million minimum prize pool.
What Negreanu Is Looking For
Negreanu is looking for the person who wants to play for the most worthy cause. He didn’t specify in his post what types of charities he prefers. Potential causes could include eradicating homelessness, cancer research, animal rescues, and other charities.
It’s safe to assume the liberal-leaning poker pro won’t be impressed by a contestant playing for Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. Nor will the vegan consider making donations to your local hunting club.
If you’re curious what type of video may appeal to Negreanu, check out his 2017 WSOP staking contest. The PokerStars pro awarded three seats to last year’s Main Event to winners of a similar video submission contest. He sought creativity and an inspiring story. But like his Platinum Pass contest, he didn’t provide specific video qualities he’s looking for.
