If big stack Scott Wellenbach takes down the PCA Main Event today, the $1,567,100 top prize won’t be recycled back into the poker community – it’ll be heading for charity!
Starting today’s final table as second in chips, Scott Wellenbach’s favourite do-good organisations already stand to gain at least $146,840 and potentially $1,567,100 from the Halifax, Nova Scotia, man’s excellent showing in the Bahamas.
That’s what the selfless Buddhist did back in 2017 after winning $72,000 at the Barcelona EPT stop. At the time he also told CBS: “I have a job, I’m OK financially, I don’t really need the money, I have a place to live, I’ll be able to eat without those funds”.
A simple life away from the felt
Wellenbach lives a simple life away from the green felt. He is translating Buddhist teachings from Sanskrit and Tibetan for the past 30 years. At the poker tables, however, he is another beast entirely.
Just a few $ short of $100k in lifetime earnings, Scott Wellenbach looks set to double his winnings at one of his favourite haunts – the New Year Bahamas stop of the PokerStars live tour.
And although he admits he isn’t the best player out there, he does feel he has an edge on most of the amateurs who play the game. That’s something he is proving again this week.
Scott Wellenbach called Level 19 the “rush of his life”. Find out how he surged to the top of the #PCA counts, and who’s now trying to hunt him down.
Updates: https://t.co/A0hMuOkacr
Chips: https://t.co/AewMyn8fu4
Stream: https://t.co/vtADSVJ9g7 pic.twitter.com/42eFS3t4pK— PokerStarsBlog (@PokerStarsBlog) 14 January 2019
Why does he give his poker winnings away?
The reasons for giving away his winnings, though, don’t come from his religious beliefs. As Wellenbach explained: “I feel there’s a tension about winning money under those circumstances and I guess I rationalize my addiction by giving away the winnings, saying, ‘Well, at least I’m doing good things with it.'”
Those circumstances, he said after his 17th spot in Barcelona, are that: “A significant amount of your money is won from people who are too addicted, too drunk, too unstudied or too masochistic to play well — and we all have those features within us”.
An unusual view, and perhaps a bit negative towards his fellow players. But, the money goes to good causes, so everyone’s a winner.
“I typically give to very traditional charities: Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, people who feed and clothe and house those who are in need,” he said.
With women in poker – or the lack of them – a big talking point, one of his charitable aims also takes females into account. Wellenbach donates to Buddhist nunneries in Nepal and Tibet, explaining: “Buddhism, like many religions, has had a difficulty with gender bias and I think it’s very important to support the education of young nuns or young women”.
“If you empower women, that’s about as big a bang for your buck as you can get,” he added.
Can Scott Wellenstein win the PCA Main Event?
The final table is already the best result of Wellenstein’s poker career, now the question is can he win the $1,567,100 for a good cause?
With 17 players left in the #PCA2019 Main Event, Scott Wellenbach leads. He’s an amateur poker player who gives all his winnings to charity, and he’s guaranteed $69,220.
Watch below to see how he took the chip lead, then head to https://t.co/hRFaQAqWdk to watch the action live. pic.twitter.com/koulhaCIYd— PokerStars LIVE (@PokerStarsLIVE) January 15, 2019
The other side of the giving coin is Chino Rheem, one of the best but definitely the least-respected poker pros is still in the mix. Rheem is notable not only for his almost $10million in tournament earnings, but for years of scamming and bad debts.
In a game that is all too often cutthroat – often by its very nature – it’s heartwarming to know that there are people out there doing their best to make the world a better place through poker.
Highstakes pro Dan Smith has an annual charity drive that raises $millions. And the Raising for Effective Giving (REG) charity founded by Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov are just two examples of this.
Guy Laliberte’s ‘One Drop Foundation’ is another poker venture that aims to help the less fortunate.
So, if Scott Wellenbach does the unimaginable and walks off with $1.6 Million at the Atlantis Resort tomorrow night, don’t feel jealous – be happy there are still good people in the game!
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