CHARITABLE COREN DONATES WINNINGS FROM THE TABLE

For poker players it’s all about the money. Sure, some prestige is fine now and then, but the bottom line is the bottom line. You can’t spend a nice looking resume. Or at least that’s the impression many people have, that of cut throat individuals with only one thing on their mind.

English03But at least one player had someone else on their mind.Victoria Coren (right), a columnist and TV presenter as well as a poker player, finished runner-up to Raul Mestre at The Table last month, a feat worth $100,000. Now you can make that $90,000, with the rest going to Age UK, a British charity which aims to improve the living standards and protect the rights for older people.Philanthropy among poker players is not that unusual. Barry Greenstein, who captained the United States Team during the IFP Nations Cup, famously used to give his tournament winnings away to children’s charities, and many players, including Jennefer Gallenberger of Team Zynga, pledge 1 per cent of poker winnings to charity.Before taking her seat Coren had tweeted that her column in that Sunday’s edition of Observer was “in love with old folk”, before pledging ten per cent of any winnings to Age UK.

Shortly after her success at County Hall she tweeted:

“The 10% went to Age UK this morning, £6,360 with love, on behalf of all us poker players who have no idea what our own future will be.”

Well said.