Dan Smith is one of poker's biggest stars on the felt. But he's also a superstar away from the game, raising money each year for some valuable causes.
Smith's Double Up Drive charity push is back for its eighth year. The super high roller leads an organization that matches donations up to nearly $1 million.
Double Up Drive is raising money for 10 hand-selected charities. To date, the non-profit organization has raised $16 million in the past seven years. They'll be adding significantly to that total before the end of the year.
Smith isn't the only poker star on the Double Up team. Stephen Chidwick, arguably the best poker player in the world, is part of the staff helping to raise millions for good causes.
The charities that Smith and his fellow philanthropists were hand-selected and cover a wide range of areas such as clean air, global health, climate change, and many others. The selected organizations mean a great deal to Smith, Chidwick, and the others who donate to the causes.
Double Up will match all donations in December up to $684,350. Donors can choose their own charity of choice from the list of Double Up causes. The non-profit organization will match each donation up to $10,000, for each charity. So, if you donate $12,000 each to two separate charities, Double Up will match two donations of $10,000 each.
Of course, you don't have to be wealthy to help out these exceptional causes. Double Up takes low-dollar-amount donations as well. Even a $50 donation will help.
"2020 has obviously been a crazy year. While a lot of the world struggled, some circles have thrived – online poker action has been plentiful, crypto is flourishing and financial markets have been kind to some. However 2020 has treated you, if you are in a position to contribute I hope you will consider doing so," Dan Smith wrote in a blog post.
Smith added that "adding a charitable aspect to my life has made a huge improvement in how I feel about my role in the world, and the place that poker and gambling have in my life."
Dan Smith is one of the most philanthropical members of the poker community. He shows great concern for numerous important issues, of which he is attempting to raise money to help.
How to donate
For your donations to be matched by Smith and his team, they must be made on the Double Up Drive website. Donations are accepted until December 27, 2020.
You can support as many of the organizations as you'd like. So, mixing your donation dollars around to multiple charities is acceptable, and encouraged.
There are 10 charities available for you to donate to: 80,000 Hours, Animal Charity Evaluators, Centre for Effective Altruism, Clean Air Task Force, Founders Pledge, GiveWell, The Good Food Institute, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), StrongMinds, and the Hellen Keller Institute.
Currently, The Good Food Institute, which creates a healthy and sustainable food system, has received the most donations with over $260,000 donated.
Smith is one of the top poker players in the world. He's been a consistent performer on the high roller circuit for years, and has $36.7 million in live tournament cashes. That ranks him 5th all-time, right behind the great Erik Seidel. The Nevada resident is putting some of those winnings to good use.
Featured image source: Flickr
