WSOP Player Vows to Donate All Winnings to CharityDavid Einhorn to Give It All Away to Michael J. Fox Foundation |
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With 6.9 million in chips and only 27 players to go, David Einhorn is in great position to make the final table of the World Series of Poker's main event.
If he wins it, that doesn't mean he would be the biggest winner in the main event's history even though he would take home the largest tournament poker prize ever. No, the biggest winner would be the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Einhorn, who sits on the foundation's board of directors, said he will donate 100 percent of his WSOP winnings to the foundation. His chip stack puts him in second place and well above average. Jamie Gold leads the event with $13 million in chips.
"Karma is good," Einhorn said.
Right now, Einhorn is guaranteed at least $494,787. If he cracks the top 12, he'll win at least $1 million for the charity.
This wasn't a spur-of-the moment decision for Einhorn. He planned on doing this from day 1 of the tourney.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson's disease within this decade through an aggressively funded research agenda. It was founded in 2000 by the actor.
Einhorn's grandfather suffered with Parkinson's for a long time, so the Michael J. Fox Foundation was a natural choice for Einhorn to get involved with.
Einhorn is playing in the tournament wearing an old blue sweatshirt with handprints of his wife and children stamped all over it. The shirt was a Father's Day gift from his family.
"In poker you need good hands," Einhorn said. "We're still a long way from $12 million."
He's the president of Greenlight Capital, an investment firm that manages $3 billion in assets and he has a history of working with social charities. In addition to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, he also sits on the board of the Robin Hood Leadership Council, an organization that fights poverty in New York City.
A few years ago, he paid more than $200,000 in a charity auction to have lunch with investment guru Warren Buffet. The benefactor was Glide Memorial Church, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that runs programs for the poor and homeless.
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