One of poker’s greatest attributes is the ability to use the game to raise money for charity. Poker players and fans alike enjoy coming together to raise money for worthy causes, such as an event coming up next week. The poker group Poker League of Nations and The Chicago Lighthouse, a social service agency assisting those with vision issues, will hold their “Raise the Stakes for Vision” poker tournament online on February 26.
List of Notable Names Impressive
Poker League of Nations has lined up an impressive list of professional players that will be taking part in the event. Two of poker’s most loved World Champions, 2003 victor Chris Moneymaker and 2004 champion Greg Raymer, will be taking part in the poker tournament. They will be joined by the First Lady of Poker, Linda Johnson, and poker pro Lexy Gavin will be stepping up to put her skills on the line virtually.
“We are proud to support The Chicago Lighthouse in our shared goal of providing low vision treatment to everyone, particularly minorities and other underserved communities,” Poker League of Nations Founding Ambassador Jeannette Mendez stated during the announcement of the tournament. Mendez is not only one of the top female players around, ranked #10 in the world by the Global Poker Index, but she is also the Chief Executive Officer of Clear Vision Ophthalmology and works closely with The Chicago Lighthouse.
The Chicago Lighthouse’s “Raising the Stakes for Vision” will take place on Friday, February 26, with the virtual “red carpet” starting at 6:30PM (Central Time). After some introductory comments and orientation, the cards will hit the felt at 7:10PM for the $100 buy in tournament that is being played over Zoom. It is expected that the tournament will take about four hours to complete, with a $5000 Grand Prize, individual prizes for the final table participants and a $1500 prize pool for the final three women standing in the tournament.
The Chicago Lighthouse Continues History of Service
For more than 100 years, The Chicago Lighthouse has been at the fore of assisting those less fortunate. Founded in 1906, The Chicago Lighthouse focuses on vision care and rehabilitation for those with need and offered the ability to improve people’s station through education and technology training. Vocational training is available through The Chicago Lighthouse, while more than 67,000 people receive assistance from the programs that the organization offers.
The monies raised by the “Raising the Stakes for Vision” will go to service the more than 40 programs that The Chicago Lighthouse offers to those it serves. Most of the programs are focused on those with vision issues, such as Adult Living Skills programs to assist those with vision issues live independently, but there are also programs for children and veterans. The Chicago Lighthouse has also provided more than 750 scholarships worth almost $1 million for blind or visually impaired students to attend college in the state of Illinois.
For those who would like to get their friends in on the action, there are rewards for such efforts. A player can get a $25 discount on the $100 buy-in by using code CVOEYES25 when signing up for the tournament. A player can also get a rebuy into the tournament for free if they refer two fellow players that come to the felt and ANOTHER rebuy for referring two more. All the proceeds from the tournament will go to The Chicago Lighthouse. If you want to sign up for the tournament, visit the tournament page here or you can contact Lindsay Inglis at (312) 447-3448 or by email at Lindsay.inglis@chicagolighthouse.org to learn more.