Annie Duke Pokes Fun at Rivers in Charity Poker Event

More “blood-stained money” is about to go to another charity, courtesy of Annie Duke and poker players.

Duke, the popular pro who has gained additional fame from her performance on NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice show this year, will host the Sucking Out on the Rivers charity poker tournament tomorrow. Proceeds of the tournament will benefit Refugees International, an advocacy organization that assists and protects those people who have been displaced due to crises around the world.

“I think that after this poker tournament, the real Joan Rivers will quickly realize that poker players are good-natured people, professional people with respected occupations and families who really want to change the lives of those less fortunate,” said Duke. “As poker players, we’re all banding together, not just to prove a point to Joan, but to actually change the world.”

Duke and Rivers had a contentious relationship through the Celebrity Apprentice season, with the comedian comparing Duke to Adolf Hitler and dismissing the charitable acts of poker players, saying that they “give money with blood on it.” The two women made it to the final two of the show, with Rivers crowned as the overall winner on May 10.

Duke has decided to poke fun at Rivers in the upcoming tournament to raise money for charity. Frank Marino, a well-known Rivers impersonator, will join Duke and more than 20 other Rivers-impersonators in attending the tournament.

Duke and her fellow Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth have been in the limelight quite a bit recently, with the two pros even making a cameo appearance on The Soup on E! in reference to the Celebrity Apprentice drama.

The no-limit hold’em event will kick off tomorrow at 6 p.m. in the Hard Rock poker lounge. The tournament has a buy-in of $200, with rebuys and add-ons. All of the prize money will go to the winner of the tournament, with half of it being directed to charity.

The event is being sponsored by Ultimate Bet.

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