A Jewish poker pro playing at the top of the game is giving all of his winnings to charity. Gershon Distenfeld was a WSOP Main Event final table player last year and recently won his first bracelet in Las Vegas.
Gershon Distenfeld is something of an anomaly in the poker world. An orthodox jew, he is also the co-head of AllianceBernstein, a global asset management firm with around $300 billion of fixed-income units.
His poker tournament journey looks to be only six years-old and, incredibly, he has found success already playing part time.
Jewish Poker Pro and Bond Trader Give Away all His Poker Profits
Eighth place in the WSOP Main Event final table was only the beginning. The $125,885 he picked up for that unexpected result was handed straight to charity.
Do yourself a favor and watch (and share) these 2 minutes from the incredible speech of #Wsop bracelet winner @GDistenfeld.
This is what it means to be an absolute class act and a mensch.
Someone from whom we can all learn how to conduct ourselves when given a platform.
— Robbie Strazynski (@cardplayerlife) November 9, 2021
After winning the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em – Shootout (Event #48) a month ago for $204,063, he was determined to push for more poker players to do their bit when winning such huge sums of money, also giving away that prize.
“My wife Aviva and I have been blessed with financial means and it’s a core value of ours to give both our money and our time to help make the world a better place,”
“I’d love to offer a challenge to every bracelet winner to give away 1% of their money to the charity of their choice. There’s no lack of needs out there. If I could have a lasting impact in the poker community, it would be that,”
Not Everyone Is Impressed
Even after giving more than $300k to charitable causes, it is clear that not everyone is pleased. The orthodox Jewish community frowns on any form of gambling regardless of where the money ends up.
Gershon Distenfeld, however, isn’t fazed by any criticism.
“I don’t want to be a role model for anyone in ritual observance. I want to see role models out there that are good people trying to make the world a better place.”
It’s not just poker winnings that he donates, too. Distenfeld gives 10% out of his seven-figure salary to causes such as NCSY Chesed Missions which supports Jewish youngsters to travel around the United States repairing damaged homes.
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