PokerWorks

Just as the official season of giving wraps up with the holidays and the start of the new year, the annual Poker for the Homeless event comes to Ireland on January 4th with the hopes that poker players will keep up their generous spirit and ante up to help homeless charities in Ireland.

For the third year running, well-known poker pro Padraig Parkinson is organizing the charity poker tournament in Galways. Formerly known as Simon Poker Day, Poker for the Homeless will take place as part of the PartyPoker.com Irish Poker Championship in the beginning of January 2009. The €330 buy-in tournament has raised €100,000 in past years and looks to do add a great deal more as poker players open their hearts and wallets to help the homeless in Ireland. Players scheduled to participate are Parkinson, Noel Furlong, Mike Sexton, Kenna James, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Marty Smyth, Mad Marty Wilson, Ciaran O’Leary, and Surinder Sunar.

PartyPoker.com is one of the sponsors of the tournament, but other sites like Ladbrokes Poker, Boyle Poker, Bruce Poker, and Poker Trillion are also offering support. And with €100 from every buy-in for the €300 + €30 freezeout tournament going directly to the charity, organizers are hoping to raise funds and awareness for the problem.

Parkinson commented, “We’re moving to Galway for this event and are very grateful for all the support we’ve had from our sponsors. Local homeless charities will benefit directly from this event and, as usual at an Irish tournament, we plan to have some fun along the way.”

Poker for the Homeless is a charity collective in Ireland that raises money for various homeless charities, including Simon Community and Brother Kevin of the Capuchin Day Centre. Hosting the annual charity tournament around the holidays helps organizations at the time of year that they need it the most. And with an economy that has worsened over the past year, there are more people in the community who are becoming homeless and need assistance more than in years past. For the poker community, this is another chance to help people in need, and poker players are never one to back down from a challenge, especially one that means so much to the well-liked Parkinson.

If the past two years are any indication, Poker for the Homeless on January 4th looks to be a wildly fun and worthwhile event. To participate in the tournament or obtain more information about the events, contact Brendan.Murray@PokerMediaConsulting.com.