Poker Stars Draw From Powerful Motivation

Thursday, 12 July 2007

Jason Alexander, Barry Greenstein and David Einhorn and Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson have all been quoted as saying that donating much of their winnings to charity helps to motivate them and improves their game.

Jason Alexander, Barry Greenstein and David Einhorn and Chris ‘Jesus’ Ferguson have all been quoted as saying that donating much of their winnings to charity helps to motivate them and improves their game. The article by Kathleen Hennessey, which has been widely syndicated, quoted Jason Alexander, during a charity tournament in aid of hurricane Katrina victims, as saying, 'You start to go, ’I’m going to lose these people a half a million dollars.’” Luckily Alexander, who found fame on Seinfeld, went on to win the celebrity player event.
Mike Caro’s dictat that ‘You can play your best game all the time’ is surprisingly hard to follow. However, what these players are saying is that if your motivation is for others, then doing so is easier.
Barry Greenstein, who is perhaps the most generous professional poker player of all time, has been donating his winnings to charity since 2003. During a tournament in which he’d pledged every penny to Children Incorporate, a group that provides schooling and food, he said that he would think of the children as he played, and that his game was more focused as a result.
'If it was my own money, I would have thrown it in,' he said.
The Ante Up for Africa tournament made the most of the influx of poker players as the WSOP kicked off, and managed to raise $500,000 for the International Rescue Committee and the Enough Project, both of which provide aid to refugees in Darfur.



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