New York City, NY (October 7, 2022) – World Poker Tour®, via the World Poker Tour Foundation, hosted the 12th Annual Take ‘Em to School Charity Poker Tournament on October 6 at Gotham Hall in New York City. The event, which benefited Education Reform Now, raised nearly $2,000,000 in total and the winner of the tournament was NY-based model Alejandra Cata.
Here is a look at the final-table finishers, in order of place:
- Alejandra Cata
- Kasey Thompson
- Min Htoo
- Erik Seidel
- Tyrone Davis III
- Gaurav Verma
- Rod Behren
- Jonathan Cukierwar
- Andrew Bogart
- Charles Korn
Seat(s) into the charity poker tournament were acquired through buy-ins ranging from $2,500 for a single seat to a $100,000 package offering 10 seats and 10 rebuys. The event sold out, filling 30 tables with 10 players at each table, and all the proceeds went directly to ERN.
“We’re proud to partner with the World Poker Tour Foundation on our event again this year, and greatly appreciate the continued support from our generous attendees,” said ERN President Shavar Jeffries. “At this critical time, with so many students and families facing additional educational challenges due to the pandemic, this event allows us to do even more to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality education.”
This was the 12th Take ’Em to School Charity Poker Tournament and sixth time the World Poker Tour Foundation has hosted the annual event. ERN is a non-profit organization that works to ensure all children have access to a high-quality public education. As a national advocacy group, ERN does this by pushing policy makers to invest in public education and proven programs that aid in closing educational opportunity gaps in the United States.
“WPT® and the World Poker Tour Foundation are proud to support worthy charities that make meaningful impacts in communities in need,” said WPT® CEO Adam Pliska. “Our partnership with ERN is a source of pride for us given their essential work in supporting public schools and education programs.”
Many esteemed guests, from the poker world and beyond, participated in the charitable competition, including WPT Founder Steve Lipscomb, WPT Commentators Vince Van Patten and Tony Dunst, poker pros Scotty Nguyen, Maria Ho, Moshin Charania, and Erik Seidel.
Others among the field included Brian Koppelman, Co-Writer of “Ocean’s 13” and “Rounders,” Nate Silver, former NFL player Justin Tuck, and former NBA players Rod Strickland, Latrell Sprewell, and Hall of Famer Kenny “the Jet” Smith who was also the keynote speaker.
For more information on this event and ERN visit the Take ’Em to School website.
For more information about the World Poker Tour Foundation visit WPTfoundation.org.
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About Education Reform Now
ERN is a national research and advocacy organization that is centered around ensuring that all of America’s public schools are providing all students—especially students from low-income backgrounds and students of color—with a high-quality public education. We seek forward progress—at the federal, state, and local level—developing and advocating for new, bold ideas and mutually reinforcing policies in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. We then push policy makers to implement those policies with fidelity to lead to better outcomes for young people.