Ebony Kenney wins celebrity online charity poker tournament

With the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic and the current shutdown of countries and cities around the world, the sports and entertainment industry came together to help those families in America facing trouble finding food. With this in mind, actor Ben Affleck featured celebrities and professional poker players setting up an online poker tournament on 11 April.

Some of the biggest names poker-playing celebrities including Affleck, the star of ‘Rounders’ Matt Damon, Tom Brady, Sarah Silverman, Adam Sandler, Adam Levine, Jason Bateman, Jon Hamm, Cheryl Hines, Jason Mewes, Aaron Paul, Scoot McNairy, and John Krasinski pounced on the field of All In For Feeding America hosted on the online site of Americas Cardroom.

Other poker pros like Doyle Brunson, Jason Koon, Alex Foxen, Todd Brunson, Jeff Gross, Jamie Staples, Jon Pardy, Luke Schwartz, Mike McDonald, and Jeff Boski also found their way, drawing a total of 65 entrants.

After hours of grinding session, the top three consisted of Andy Milonakis, actor Kevin Pollak and poker pro Ebony Kenney. And the tournament ended with the Thirst Lounge streamer Kenney emerging victorious with Pollak in the second place. The winner eliminated Damon, Hellmuth, and Smith on her way to the final table, which also included the likes of Tobey Maguire, Bryan Cranston and poker pro Tom Cannuli.

To participate, people had to donate $10,000 to secure their spot. At the end of the event, they raised over $1.2 million. “It’s a bright spot with everything happening and I’m so happy I get to be a part of it,” Kenney said while talking to Americas CardRoom CEO Phil Nagy on her Twitch channel. “I’m honored … I was honored to be able to play, and the fact that I won in such a ridiculous field, it’s unbelievable.”

Check out Ebony Kenney’s social media posts:

Nagy also thanked the players for their generosity.

A $1 million donation to Feeding America will be made in Kenney’s name, and the entry fees were added to the donation totals for the food bank, which has a network of approximately 200 food banks and 60k food pantries. There were also unlimited re-entries into the tournament, which Pollak, fellow actor Jon Hamm, and comedian Sarah Silverman utilized during the event.

During the live game, Affleck asked Kelly and Loncar to talk about the tournament and the importance of giving back to the community. Hamm talked about strategy, how Affleck got him involved and how “crazy” the pandemic is. “It’s one of those crazy things where it’s not a specific suffering, it’s not one place,” Hamm said. “It’s happening to all of us.”

For more industry news and updates on the gaming situation from across the world, stay tuned to GutshotMagazine.com.

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