On September 18, WPN CEO Phil Nagy announced on Twitter that he would be staking six players in this weekend’s Venom PKO tournament, in an effort to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Nagy instructed those interested to post a video blog explaining why they felt they a $2,650 seat in the event. The winners would be staked on a deal in which they kept 50% of their earnings, and the other 50% of their earnings would be donated to a breast cancer charity.
Due to the overwhelming support and interest in the giveaway, Nagy decided to give away an additional six seats to the tournament. He announced yesterday that he would reserve those seats for professional or semi-professional players, as these players would have the best chance of actually going deep in the event and raising substantial money for the cause.
Nagy announced that the contest had come to a close, and that he had made his selections on Wednesday afternoon. To add some drama and suspense to the selection process, Nagy revealed his selections one at a time on Wednesday, adding some space in between each one. Here’s a look at the completed list.
Selection One: @Gr8Bluff
“@Gr8Bluff” was the first winner announced, and it was immediately clear why she had earned a seat. Her video offers four reasons why she deserved it. Some were serious and some were funny, and they combined to give her this opportunity.
Selection Two: Dean C, @KenpachiPoker
This was the least surprising selection on the list as Nagy tweeted last Saturday that “if the team doesn't pick you I will have to make it 7 seats. Keep your head up stay strong.” Dean talked about his health struggles and his desire to play in a high-stakes tournament in his video entry. He will get that opportunity this weekend.
Selection Three: Alex Chauran, @DrAlexChauran
The shortest video among the selected winners also packs the biggest punch. Chauran makes light of her double mastectomy with a joke about how she wants to buy a new shirt with her Venom winnings. She streams poker at on her QueenOfDiamonds Twitch channel and will likely stream her run in this event as well.
Selection Four: @lightnin_
In a humorous video with impressive production value, “@lightnin_” expresses his passion for raising money for cancer, and explains how he and ACR have already teamed up in the past to raise over $13,000 for the American Cancer Society. He will be donating the earnings he makes on his Twitch stream at Twitch.tv/LightningPoker_ to the cause.
Selection Five: Laurie Girard, @Luv2Win69
Girard lost the original video of her cutting off her nine inches of hair. Fortunately, her video in the aftermath holding up the portion she had cut off was enough to secure her a seat in the tournament.
Selection Six: @Queenblackcat
In her entry, “@Queenblackcat” states that she has lost both her best friend and her mother to breast cancer. The cause obviously hits close to her heart, and now she’ll have the opportunity to try to raise some money for it.
The Pros: Faraz Jaka, Ryan Laplante, Dara O’Kearney, Tim Reilly, Greg Raymer, TBD
Nagy selected five heavy hitters with his pro selections, and will make his final selection tomorrow. Among them is Ryan Laplante, who generously offered to donate his entire share to charity.
This contest has already achieved part of its goal in raising awareness for breast cancer. Now these entry winners will have the chance to raise some money for the cause as well.
Featured Image Source: Twitter
