JOHN CHIN WINS ‘CHIPPING ALL-IN’ CHARITY POKER TOURNAMENT
Tournament raises more than $150,000 to assist MGM Resorts employees and their families economically impacted by coronavirus
The “Chipping All-In” charity poker tournament saw some of the biggest names in golf, poker elites and a basketball star hit the virtual felt with John Chin, a current Korn Ferry Tour player, claiming the win. Major champion golfers including Jimmy Walker, Michelle Wie and John Daly as well as Las Vegas Aces Head Coach Bill Laimbeer competed in the Texas Hold’em online tournament on Thursday, April 16 and helped raise more than $150,000 for the MGM Resorts Foundation’s Employee Emergency Grant Fund. The Fund provides the hospitality company’s employees and their immediate families with short-term relief in making payments or to meet obligations during unexpected hardships and emergencies. The Fund is designed to assist those impacted by the coronavirus, including part-time employees, on-call employees and those facing layoff or furlough.
The field of 58 was narrowed down to a final table featuring Pat Perez, Danielle Kang, Aaron Wise, Chin, Graham DeLaet, Taylor Montgomery, John Oda and poker personality Maria Ho. Eventually, Chin defeated local Las Vegas and UNLV alum Montgomery in the decisive showdown.
“I had a great time playing, all to help out an amazing cause. I caught a lot of cards during the tournament and the chips went my way,” said Chin.
The biggest upset of the day came when golfer Keith Mitchell eliminated popular poker pro Phil Hellmuth 90 minutes into the tournament. Mitchell’s set of 6s surprised the poker legend, who went all-in with Ace-King and finished with a pair of kings.
Major donations during the tournament were made by Coca-Cola, Michelob Ultra, Shriners Hospitals for Children, among others.
Jyoti Chopra, Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity & Sustainability Officer for MGM Resorts International, said, “We thank all of our partners for producing a dynamic and engaging event and especially all the players for taking time out of their day to support our colleagues during the COVID-19 crisis. Chipping All-In was a great success raising needed proceeds, and hopefully generated a few hours of fun and entertainment to fans around the world.”
Lance Evans, Senior Vice President of Sports and Sponsorships for MGM Resorts, said, “It was special to see an amazing coalition of our partners – from big businesses to the sports community – rally together to create this event in a short period of time. We are very appreciative to have such great support across the board.”
To learn more about the Employee Emergency Grant Fund, visit www.mgmresortsfoundation.org.
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About The MGM Resorts Foundation
The purpose of The MGM Resorts Foundation is to collect and distribute monies and assets donated by employees of MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) and others, for the aid and support of qualified community nonprofit programs, agencies or organizations designated exclusively by MGM Resorts’ employees. The Foundation also collects and distributes donations made by a broad base of donors to support activities organized by MGM Resorts employees and approved by the Foundation’s board of directors to benefit qualified nonprofit charitable organizations. The Foundation’s Employee Emergency Grant & Children’s Medical Support Fund was organized specifically to enable MGM Resorts employees and the company to provide emergency, hardship, and disaster support to fellow employees and their immediate families. In addition, since 2012, the Foundation has been the presenting sponsor of the Women’s Leadership Conference, the major women’s conference in the Western region.