Stars put on their poker face

via ecorazzi.com

Not that we support gambling or anything but celebrities better practice their poker skills! What’s at stake? The “Ante Up For Africa” is a star-studded poker game co-founded by actor Don Cheadle to help raise some much needed funds for the crisis in Darfur. Last Thursday was the third annual tournament held in Las Vegas (how fitting?)

Though the “Ante Up For Africa” poker tournie is an annual event, this year was particularly exciting. Why? First off, tons of stars showed up to play including Sarah Silverman, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Nelly, and Cedric the Entertainer. The tournament will be televised on ESPN in August—bringing even more attention to the important cause. All the money raised goes to “Refugees International.”

While Don’s organization has been in existence for three years, the crisis in Darfur is twice as old and still ongoing. It is particularly important now more than ever to focus our attention on Darfur since the government has kicked out international humanitarian aid groups.

The next “Ante Up For Africa” event will be on October 29th at the San Manuel Casino. For those of you who can’t get into a VIP event, there are still tons of things you can do for this cause! You might remember Don Cheadle from the great Darfur documentary called “Darfur Now” (and “Oceans Eleven,” of course). One easy way you can help spread the word is by screening the doc at your school or in your community.

And tell us what you think about Don’s charitable gambling—comment below!