Ebony Kenney Wins Massive Online Charity Tournament

A host of poker stars and celebrities raised more than $2 million for charity on April 11. Ebony Kenney was the last player standing in the stay at home tournament that raised money for Feeding America.

The tournament was the brainchild of Hollywood star Ben Affleck. Affleck is a keen poker player so combined playing poker with raising money for charity. Affleck tweeted about the tournament, which took place on Americas Cardroom.

“I’m excited to announce that I have joined forced with Feeding America to raise money for folks who need it most. Join me and some familiar faces as we face off in a friendly online poker tournament. Watch live tomorrow from 11am PT. 100% of proceeds benefit Feeding America.”

Affleck and a plethora of stars paid $10,000 to enter All-In For America tournament. Justin Kelly and Michael Loncar provided the commentary on Americas Cardoom’s Twitch channel.

The professional poker players were well represented in the tournament. The legendary Doyle Brunson joined Kenney, and partypoker’s Jeff Gross and Jaime Staples.

Matt Damon, Affleck, Adam Sandler, Tom Brady, Kevin Pollak, and Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston were among the celebrities competing.

Kenney Emerges Victoriously

Cranston made it through to the final two tables along with Tobey Maguire. Kenney, comedian Andy Milonakis, and Kevin Pollak were the final three players.

Miolnakis busted in third-place at the hands of Pollak. The comedian raised all-in for a shade under 10 big blinds and Pollan called. Kenney also called before the flop fell 7s-5h-Qh. Pollak moved all-in, Kenney folded and the players revealed their cards. It was Ac-5c for Pollak and 3d-3s for Milonakis.

The turn was the 2h and the river the As, gifting Pollak two pair. Milonakis’ tournament ended.

Pollak held a two-to-one chip advantage over Kenney, but she managed to double up. The final hand saw Pollak shove on the river of the 3s-Ts-Jd-4h-3d river. Kenney called the all-in bet and turned over 6c-3c for trip threes. Pollak could only muster 7d-7s, which handed the title to Kenney!

Who Is Ebony Kenney

Kenney is a professional poker player, life coach and Twitch streamer. She is an extremely confident woman who has a penchant for poker.

“Be fearless. Be True. Breathe there. Live there. Tap into your power, dare to be bold, and shed the shame associated with your shine,” is a quote on her life coaching website.

Kenney’s first major live poker tournament cash came in 2007. She finished eighth in a $1,080 event at The Bellagio Las Vegas for $2,560. Kenney now has more than three dozen cashes totaling $298,472. Her largest score weighs in at $34,637. This was her reward for winning a $235 Daily Deepstack during the 2017 WSOP.

The Miami resident hasn’t been seen in the live poker world for a while. Kenney last cashed in June 2018 at the DeepStack Championship Poker Series. Instead, Kenney is concentrating on her online poker game.

She is a member of The Thirst Lounge, which is a team of streamers set up by multi-millionaire Bill Perkins. The Thirst Lounge started in 2016 where it streamed a range of areas including lifestyle and poker. Perkins wanted the site to encourage people to strive for bigger and better things in life.

There is a team of 10 streamers at the moment, including Kelly Minkin, Cat Valdes, and Kenney. They stream playing online poker from a variety of locations, including a private Caribbean island.

What Other Charity Work is Poker Involved In?

Several poker players and poker sites are raising money for charities right now. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has large sections of the world on lockdown. Some of the more privileged poker players are lending their hand at raising more for the less fortunate.

partypoker , for example, is helping out of work poker dealers. It is running a $55 buy-in $250,000 guaranteed online tournament where $5 for each buy-in goes into the charity fund. Rob Yong, partner of partypoker and owner of Dusk Till Dawn casino in the United Kingdom, is matching the first £100,000 raised.

The site is also running a special tournament to raise funds for the National Health Service. The NHS is responsible for all health care in the UK and is under tremendous strain.

Dan Smith and Phil Galfond’s Run It Once Poker are also feeling charitable. Both aim to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for families affected by COVID-19.

Matthew Pitt

If it’s something you can play online for real money, chances are Matthew knows a bit about it. He’s been writing about slots, craps and poker for the better part of the last decade. He’s written for PokerNews, PartyPoker and many other respected online gambling websites during the last nine years.

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