"Justice is Blinds" Charity Event With Vanessa Selbst Set for Sept. 26
Poker pro Vanessa Selbst will host the third edition of her "Justice is Blinds," a charity poker event benefiting the non-profit advocacy organization Urban Justice Center, on Sept. 26 in New York City.
The event will feature celebrity guests, top poker players, a bevy of desirable prizes and a fun-filled night of poker, food and drinks while raising thousands of dollars for a good cause.
"Justice is Blinds has been a tremendous success the last two years," said Gretchen Wagner Nealon, director of development at the UJC. "Vanessa knows how to throw a poker tournament! We have heard many people at the tournaments say it’s the best poker tournament they have ever been to. We raised over $180K last year and hope to surpass that this year."
Some of those set to attend include "Catfish" star Nev Schulman, "Rounders" screen writer Brian Koppelman, actor Eric Bogosian, "Survivor" contestant Eliza Orlins, as well as poker pros Stephen Chidwick, Olivier Busquet, Scott Seiver, Erik Seidel, Victor Ramdin, Jonathan Little and Andy Frankenberger.
Busquet won the event in 2016.
Top prize will be a $15,000 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure package. Players can also win the following goodies, among other prizes:
- Dinner for up to 10 guests prepared by award-winning chef Shirley Cheng
- Sideline passes for four and VIP parking to a New York Jets game
- Golf and lunch at 2016 PGA Championship golf course Baltusrol
- PokerStars chip set
- Bottle of 1998 Chateau Haut-Brion wine
The UJC has been helping New York City's most vulnerable citizens for 30 years via a variety of advocacy projects. They closed over 12,000 cases and helped about 23,000 people in the past year, almost all of whom are below the poverty line. UJC work ranges from assisting Muslims at the airport during the travel ban crisis to helping victims of domestic violence obtain protection orders against abusers.
"The barriers poverty places on an individual deny them many of their basic rights and the ability to make choices for their lives," Nealon said. "We believe our society is better than that and work to provide our clients with the tools to climb out of poverty and reclaim the ability to direct their futures."
Street vendors, international refugees, the homeless and veterans are just some of the people the UJC looks to help.
Selbst first linked up with the UJC before her marriage as she wanted to organize donations to non-profits in place of wedding gifts.
"It was an incredibly generous act and from there we started a relationship which has led to a position on our Board of Directors," Nealon said.
Selbst then organized her first charity event benefiting the UJC in 2015 and has continued it the past two years.
Tickets to Justice is Blinds range from $500 to $25,000, with a full breakdown available here. The event schedule starts at 6 p.m. with a VIP reception and proceeds with general admission at 7 p.m. and cards in the air at 8 p.m.
Selbst and the UJC have offered poker fans a chance to participate by simply sharing the following video by Sept. 22 for a chance to win a ticket to the event:
Lead photo courtesy of Urban Justice Center
