PokerStars is offering players a chance to rub shoulders with the Hollywood elite, be some of the first to see an upcoming summer blockbuster, and help a country in need - all through the power of poker.
The site is going to hold two charity tournaments to benefit those affected by the conflict in Darfur, the far western region of Sudan. The top-four finishers in each tournament will receive tickets to the premiere of the movie
Ocean's 13, either in Cannes or Los Angeles, depending on which tournament they play in. Those winners will also receive $2,000 for travel expenses and spending money as well as hotel accommodations for the trip. The top-18 finishers will receive a copy of the
Ocean's 13 DVD autographed by the stars of the movie.
The entire prize pool from each tournament will be donated to Not On Our Watch, a charity launched by some of the stars from
Ocean's 13, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Don Cheadle, to assuage the effects of the Darfur conflict. PokerStars will then go one step further by coming out of pocket to match each prize pool, thus doubling the total contribution from each tournament.
The tournaments, being held on May 13 (for the Cannes premiere) and May 27 (for Los Angeles), will have $10 buy-ins and $10 rebuys. PokerStars has also announced that it will hold a third tournament to benefit the charity (on an as of yet unconfirmed date) wherein the winner will receive a professional poker table baize signed by the film's cast.
Players may also donate directly to the charity via their PokerStars accounts. Those who wish to do so need only click on the "Requests" file menu in the main lobby and select "Transfer Funds." Players can then transfer money to the user ID "NOOW" which was set up specifically for the charity.
For more information on the tournaments, or to sign up and play in any or all three, please click
here.
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