Spring Break
Hillel Goes All In For Charity
Freesia Singngam
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: News
The sounds of clinking poker chips and chatter filled the room as player registration began at 5 p.m. for the Hillel's first charity poker tournament held Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. to benefit Magen David Adom, the Israeli Red Cross.
According to Danielle Selber, tournament director and 5th-semester English major, this is the first year the tournament took place at UConn. Selber heard about charity poker tournaments at the Hillel International Leaders Assembly she attended last summer and decided to hold one at UConn because "there are other campuses that do it," such as the University of Florida, and they have been very successful, she said.
The Magen David Adom is a volunteer-based organization in Israel. According to their web site, www.magendavidadom.com, they have been "supporting Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service since 1956."
"[Magen David Adom] rely purely on donations," Selber said.
"I decided to organize [the poker tournament] because [the Magen David Adom] is something I am passionate about," Selber said.
Selber and the assistant tournament director, David Levy, from the Jewish Campus Service Corps, JCSC, which gives one-year fellowships to facilitate Jewish campus life, organized the event for two months with a few other students who are often at the Hillel. They set the rules, which were stated on a sheet of paper that every player received.
Each player received a starting chip count of $1,500 and played No-Limit Texas Hold 'em with eight players at each table.
Fifty people registered online for an initial count of how many people would play, but walk-ins were welcome. By 5:35 p.m. about 50 players had already shown up, and there were even more to come.
"A lot of people here play at least once a day," Selber said. Selber said she plays a few times a month.
Greg Post, a 9th-semester history and political science major, said Selber "is one of the best poker players on campus." She did not agree with that statement, but said she plays a lot of poker.
According to Danielle Selber, tournament director and 5th-semester English major, this is the first year the tournament took place at UConn. Selber heard about charity poker tournaments at the Hillel International Leaders Assembly she attended last summer and decided to hold one at UConn because "there are other campuses that do it," such as the University of Florida, and they have been very successful, she said.
The Magen David Adom is a volunteer-based organization in Israel. According to their web site, www.magendavidadom.com, they have been "supporting Israel's only official emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service since 1956."
"[Magen David Adom] rely purely on donations," Selber said.
"I decided to organize [the poker tournament] because [the Magen David Adom] is something I am passionate about," Selber said.
Selber and the assistant tournament director, David Levy, from the Jewish Campus Service Corps, JCSC, which gives one-year fellowships to facilitate Jewish campus life, organized the event for two months with a few other students who are often at the Hillel. They set the rules, which were stated on a sheet of paper that every player received.
Each player received a starting chip count of $1,500 and played No-Limit Texas Hold 'em with eight players at each table.
Fifty people registered online for an initial count of how many people would play, but walk-ins were welcome. By 5:35 p.m. about 50 players had already shown up, and there were even more to come.
"A lot of people here play at least once a day," Selber said. Selber said she plays a few times a month.
Greg Post, a 9th-semester history and political science major, said Selber "is one of the best poker players on campus." She did not agree with that statement, but said she plays a lot of poker.