Poker is coming to the Fontainebleau on line casino in Las Vegas. Russell Westbrook’s Sixth Annual Why Not? Foundation (WNF) Poker Night occurs Sept. 18.
The occasion is held together with the World Poker Tour Foundation. It marks the primary poker occasion on the property positioned on the north finish of the Strip. Fontainebleau opened in 2023 with out a poker site.
The annual Westbrook charity match has raised greater than $2 million. Proceeds profit WNF’s mission to advertise academic entry, workforce improvement, and psychological well being and wellness packages in underserved communities.
Last yr’s occasion introduced collectively poker professionals, celebrities, entrepreneurs, and supporters. The listing included DeAndre Jordan, DeMar DeRozan, Princess Love, Antonio Esfandiari, and Adin Hill. Past contributors included Chris Paul, Jason Koon, and Maria Ho.
Westbrook just lately introduced his retirement from the NBA after an 18-year profession.
“Our upcoming Sixth Annual Poker Night is a signature cornerstone of our ongoing work to unlock game-changing futures for underserved youth,” Westbrook mentioned. “With that goal in thoughts, my retirement is past a farewell; it’s a brand new door opened for influence on the highest degree.
“Basketball gave me the platform, but purpose has helped me reimagine what’s possible. This next chapter gives me the opportunity to invest further in the next generation. Since 2012, it’s been an honor to build new pathways to success for young people in my hometown of South Los Angeles with the Why Not? Foundation.”
Poker At Fontainebleau
Poker at Fontainebleau, at the very least for one evening, comes after close by Resorts World closed its cardroom in March. Further south on the Strip, Planet Hollywood closed its poker venue in January simply months after reopening it.
While gamers could fear about occasional closings, others argue that fewer rooms and fewer market saturation may benefit the business in the long term.
In latest years, a poker site was reopened at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, Nevada. Nebraska’s first on line casino poker site opened final yr.
Poker is usually seen as less-profitable than different choices within the gaming business. That was doubtless a part of Fontainebleau administration’s considering in not together with a card-playing venue.
This marks the second occasion at a Las Vegas on line casino with out a poker site for the WPT. The firm hosted a sequence of livestreamed, high-stakes money video games on the Palms in June. The on line casino’s room closed in 2014 after opening simply two years earlier.
