Matt Stout's Charity Series of Poker Kicks Off July 6 in Las Vegas
While the second starting flight of the World Series of Poker Main Event takes place throughout the Rio, a motley crew of poker stars and celebrities will be on hand at Planet Hollywood for the debut event of the Charity Series of Poker (CSOP). Scheduled for July 6th at 5 p.m. local time, the CSOP's inaugural tournament sports a $300 buy-in and offers $100 rebuys and add-ons.
Designed by poker pro Matt Stout to provide poker players and fans with a chance give back through the game they love, the CSOP is intended to provide an affordable option for anybody looking to make a charitable contribution while also competing against their favorites from the felt. Joining Stout among the event's star-studded field are pros like WSOP Main Event champions Chris Moneymaker, Ryan Riess and Greg Merson, multiple bracelet winner Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, along with a boisterous bunch including the likes of Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, Will "The Thrill" Failla, and Matt Glantz.
Up and coming poker pros like Tony Dunst, Mukul Pahuja, Amanda Musumeci, Matt Salsberg, and Tom Marchese will also be in attendance, as will celebrities and poker personalities like WPT Hostess Lynn Gilmartin, reality star Trishelle Cannatella, and fashion model Lacey Jones.
The $300 buy-in and all rebuys and add-ons will be used to generate a prize pool, with half of that total being devoted to Three Square Food Bank. Stout, who has long been an advocate of giving back on a personal level, is committed to forming a reputable, reliable route for the poker world to give back.
"I’ve been doing a bunch of work with Three Square," said Stout during an interview about the CSOP conducted earlier in the summer. "They partner with a lot of other food-related charities and organizations around Vegas. I’ve worked with them, helped clean their gigantic show kitchen. They have an amazing kitchen with some - Le Cordon Bleu chefs because they actually have to do 200 hours of community service to pass. - Ninety-three cents of every dollar goes to food, and only seven percent is [administrative], so it’s an extremely effective charity. So because of that, every dollar that gets donated results in about three meals being provided to hungry Las Vegans."
By planning the CSOP's debut for Day 1B of the Main Event, Stout hopes to attract the largest field possible for the first tournament on the fledgling organization's schedule.
"The first event is going to July 6 at Planet Hollywood," he explained. "Which is Day 1B of the Main Event, so anyone who’s playing the WSOP Main Event can play the CSOP and either choose to start their flight on Day 1A or Day 1C. There’s probably going to be a lot of drinking at the event, so I would suggest Day 1A (laughs). I’m going to play 1A, get it over with, and hopefully bag some chips and then use my karma boost for Day 2 and beyond."
You can read Stout's full interview on the CSOP here, and when you're finished make sure to head over to Planet Hollywood and secure your seat for one of the more exciting new additions to the poker landscape.
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