A popular Manhattan venue welcomed a crowd of enthusiasts on 26th July, who expressed willingness to participate in the poker charity event, organized by World Poker Tour Foundation. The special event aimed to raise money and gather support for the nonpartisan Education Reform Now organization, which mission is to improve the public education in the United States.
The charity poker event kicked off on 26th July in Manhattan, New York, attracting the attention of many businessmen, politicians, financiers and even poker players. Hundreds of people entered the poker field, this time competing not for a prize pool, but for fun and to show support to the non-profit organization and its cause. The annual poker event brings the name Take ‘Em to School Charity Poker Tournament and this is its eighth edition of the tournament.
It was Mike Sawyer, who appeared to top the field and accumulate the biggest stack of chips. He is a Morgan Stanley managing director in wealth management, but he also seems to have a potential to be a poker player, as he outperformed a field of hundreds, including the poker heavyweights Erik Seidel, Vanessa Selbst and Andy Frankenberger. He managed to scoop the first-place prize, which eventually turned out to be a dinner for eight at a popular local restaurant.
He entered a heads-up poker duel, derailing his opponent with three jacks. In an interview, the winner explained that the last time he played poker was in his teenage years. He shared that he refreshed his knowledge for the contest on the Internet.
Frankenberger and Saba Capital Management’s Boaz Weinstein was one of the attendees, who managed to enter the final table. He commented that poker has nothing to do with luck, except at the end.
Emily Jillette, on the other hand, enjoyed the support of her husband Penn Jillette, who is a famous magician and comedian. She took the prestigious 5th place in the tournament. Others like Whitney Tilson and David Einhorn, who could not enter the final table observed the contest with a slice of pizza in their hands.
The event attracted many people to show their support to the cause. Despite the packed schedule of all the volunteers, they managed to find time to appear on this generous event and enjoy the great atmosphere, while actively participating in the great-hearted cause. The raised money will be donated to the non-profit organization Education Reform Now, which seeks to advance high-quality public education for all the students.
