In Denver For the DNC?

If you're in town for the upcoming Democratic National Convention, then you may find the following of interest. The Poker Players Alliance has put together a charity tournament to take place at Coors Field during the DNC.

From CardPlayer magazine

Tourney will Benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America

The Poker Players Alliance will hold a poker tournament to benefit the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, during the Democratic National Convention.

Poker at the Ballpark will take place the night of Tuesday, Aug. 26, on the club level of Coors Field, and all proceeds will go directly to the PVA. The winner of this event gets a seat into the main event of the 2009 World Series of Poker.

“PPA is honored to host this charity poker tournament and looks forward to raising a lot of money for these American heroes,” said Alfonse D’Amato, chairman of the PPA and former Democratic senator from New York. “This is a great opportunity to harness the popularity of the game in order to raise much-needed funds for those who have fought to protect our country and our individual freedoms — paralyzed vets.”

Individual players can register for $500, and two sponsorship opportunities are available:

Full House Sponsorship — This sponsorship costs $3,500 and gives the buyer four entries, two specetator seats during the tourney, one ticket to the VIP reception, admission to the general reception, and recognition on all event materials and signage.

Royal Flush Sponsorship — This sponsorship costs $7,500 and gives the buyer eight entries, four spectator tickets, two tickets to the VIP reception, and recognition on all event materials and signage.

Ben Affleck has confirmed, as well as Andy Bloch and Barry Greenstein. The reception begins at 9:30 p.m., and the tourney at 10 p.m. The Democratic National Convention takes place in Denver Aug. 25-28.

For more information about the tourney, and to register, visit www.theheraldgroup.com/ppa.

Now, as my few regular readers probably already know, I'm not a fan of the PPA. Mostly because, for the most part, they seem to be far more interested in representing the interests of certain online poker sites (um, can you say Party Poker?) trying to lobby to work in the US market without actually having to lobby under their own name, than actually representing the interests of U.S. poker players in advocacy.

That said, I think this is a wonderful event. The charity involved, (the PVA) is a wonderful organization providing valuable services for those who've given more for this country than anyone else. As a veteran, I can get behind this event. By the way, the club level at Coors Field is really rather nice.

I probably won't play, because I'm certainly not rolled for it. I may look into volunteering, though my wife's DNC convention plans may make that difficult. But if you're planning on being in town, I can't imagine a better way to spend part of your time here. Heck, you may even bust Barry and get a signed book. Heck, you may even win your Main Event seat for 2K9, if you're the ultimate luckbox. Even a GOPer would like that, no?