Phil Ivey Joins World Series of Good, Supports Budding Ivey Foundation
Earlier this month, Poker News Daily reported on the efforts of Michael Karnjanakraporn, an entrepreneur from New York who is looking to raise his buy-in for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event from contributors, with any winnings given to charitable causes. Through his World Series of Good, Karnjanakraporn has enlisted many of the top players in the game to join him in contributing to their pet charities.
Last week, KickStarter – the site Karnjanakraporn is using in his charitable drive – announced that 2009 WSOP Main Event final table player Phil Ivey has joined the fray. Ivey, who captured two bracelets on his way to the Main Event final table last year, will be coaching Karnjanakraporn in preparation for his Main Event drive along with UB.com pro Annie Duke, Full Tilt Poker’s Andy Bloch, and Rafe Furst. Ivey will also be promoting his personal charitable cause, the Budding Ivey Foundation, through the efforts of the World Series of Good.
Ivey created the Budding Ivey Foundation two years ago to continue the philanthropic goals that his grandfather, the late Leonard “Bud” Simmons, pursued throughout his life. Along with his mother, Ivey continues to promote many of the charitable ideals that his grandfather had advocated for. The mission statement for the Budding Ivey Foundation is “Providing educational opportunities to empower at-risk children.”
The organization has given greatly to the community in an attempt to reach the goals inspired by Ivey’s grandfather. The Budding Ivey Foundation has been instrumental in organizing major book drives, donating over 2,500 books to children in New Jersey and Las Vegas. The foundation has also stepped up to help the homeless, contributing 1,200 meals to the roughly 5,000-person program in Las Vegas.
2009 beneficiaries of the Budding Ivey Foundation include the Roselle, New Jersey Pop Warner leagues, the Roselle Back to School Book Jam, Junior Achievement of New Jersey, Spread the Word Nevada, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, and the Be Pure/No More Tears Feeding Program.
In 2008, the Budding Ivey Foundation held a charitable poker tournament and barbecue that raised $260,000. These funds were dispersed to charities such as a re-development project in New Jersey, Empowered to Excel, Living Waters, Northern Educational Services, and the 4,000/5,000 Feeding Program. A second event is reportedly slated for action at the Golden Nugget in July.
Karnjanakraporn’s World Series of Good efforts are proceeding well. With 35 days to go to the start of the Main Event, Karnjanakraporn has raised approximately 23% of the $10,000 buy-in, with 32 backers contributing amounts ranging from $5 to $250.
The charitable causes that Karnjanakraporn will donate any WSOP winnings to include a charter school beset by embezzlement, the Langston Hughes Academy in Louisiana, Bad Beat on Cancer, Ante Up for Africa, and CharityWater.org, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. Players such as Bloch, Furst, and Daniel Horowitz have also pledged to donate to various causes.
Related World Series Of Poker News:
- The World Series of Poker November Nine: Phil Ivey
- 2010 World Series of Poker Day 21: Ivey, Ivey, Ivey!
- World’s best poker player has sights set on bracelet
- Phil Ivey to Sue Full Tilt Poker
- High-Rolling Poker King Phil Ivey on the Cover of ESPN The Magazine
- The Other Side of the Felt, Vol. 11: 2002 WSOP, Before the Boom, Part 3 — Phil Ivey
- Andy Beal Versus Phil Ivey - Good Stuff
- Ivey Is The Man For 05
- As the World Series Turns: Ivey, Kassela, and Nguyen Repeat as Guest Stars
- The World Series of Poker: Phil Ivey Eliminated in 7th Place
- Oh Ivey, Where Art Thou?
- Sam Farha defeats Phil Ivey in Omaha Hi Lo 8 event
Poker jargon:
- SET - In Hold'em, three of a kind where two of the cards are hole cards.
- QUARTER - [1] Twenty-five dollars, often symbolized by a green casino chip. [2] To divide half a pot between two tying hands. In split pot games, a player who "ties" another player for their half of the pot is said to be "quartered". One might say "I didn't bet my A-2 because I figured I'd get quartered".
- RING GAME - A standard game where players can come and go as they choose. The opposite of TOURNAMENT.
- SCOOP - To take all of a pot that is normally split, either by winning both halves outright or winning one half when no players qualify for the other half.
- PASSED OUT. - A hand in which nobody opens. What happens next is a function of the game being played.
- MITES AND LICE - A hand consisting of two pair, threes over twos.
RSS feed
