WSOP Chip Leader Pledges 1 Percent of Tournament Winnings to Beat on Cancer
Dennis Phillips, current 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event chip leader, had pledged to donate 1 percent of his tournament winnings to Prevent Cancer Foundations’s “Bad Beat on Cancer” fundraiser after the Final Table event in November. Sweetening the deal, PokerStars.net has also pledged to match Phillips’ donation to the Foundation dollar-for-dollar. If Phillips takes the first place Main Event win, his payout would be $9,119,517, bringing the donation tally to $182,000. Phillips was inspired to make the pledge after talking to Phil Gordon, poker professional and Prevent Cancer Foundation board member.
“I am thrilled to contribute a portion of my WSOP earnings to the Prevent Cancer Foundation,” said Phillips. “Charity involvement has always been an important part of my life, and hopefully more poker players and final table participants with follow suit in upcoming poker circuits like the European Poker Tour and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.”
Phillips’ involvements with charities doesn’t stop there. He has been active with a number of multiple sclerosis charities - an effort inspired by his brother who was diagnosed with the disease. PokerStars also remains resolute in its pledge to philanthropic endeavors as Donald Hobbs, a young man afflicted with Hemophilia found out. The Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation was a recent recipient of $51,000 as well as giving Hobbs the chance to play in the WSOP Main Event with his friend and poker idol, 2003 WSOP Champion and Team PokerStars Pro Chris Moneymaker.
“Dennis Phillips is a stand-up guy who brings a positive feeling to the WSOP final table. Most guys get to the final table and just see a big pile of money and a new life. Dennis is just happy to be playing poker and sees an opportunity to help others. His efforts are inspiring to the poker community and I’m excited to see how it all turns out in November.” said Chris Moneymaker, 2003 WSOP Champion and Team PokerStars Pro.
The Bad Beat on Cancer fundraiser was kicked off in 2003 as a drive to help fund cancer research and prevention. Organizers challenged their friends in the poker community to pledge just 1 percent of their winnings at the WSOP Championship Event to the Prevent Cancer Foundation (formerly The Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation) as a tax-deductible donation. Since then, the Bad Beat on Cancer movement has grown and now includes other major poker tournaments as well as home games, leagues and has even inspired some players to pledge for life. Phillips carries on the tradition in 2008.
To learn more about Bad Beat on Cancer, you can visit the Bad Beat on Cancer Myspace page.
